Three dollars. Three dollars for a 9.9% imperial stout. I just can't get over that. If this is half decent I think I'll have to run back and stock up on these. I think this is my third Lagunitas review now, and I have to say that its starting to grow on me. I had their IPA on draft the other night and it was definitely better than I remember. Anyway, this thing is a beast; an original gravity of 1.092 and an IBU count of 72.45. I'm really excited for this one.
This one is about as dark as they come. Can't really describe it much better than just black with a dark red hue. Got about a finger of brown head when poured, and it drained by the time I finished this sentence, but that's to be expected. Seems very well carbonated and fizzy. Aroma definitely isn't dominating on this one. Getting a strong worty character on the nose and some subtle roast. Definitely some strong esters most comparative to a raisin. Some hop presence as well, primarily pine and just a splash of spice.
Hits the tip of the tongue very hard with lively burnt malt. It evolves into a very rich blend of coffee, chocolate, and fruity esters. This is very carbonated and fizzes throughout your mouth. Some spicy hop bitterness in the end, but even at 72.45 IBUs, they really just work to balance out such a huge beer. You can taste some alcohol, but you'd never guess it was 9.9%. Leaves a bit of a burn in the back of the throat. Leaves a lingering raisin-like sweetness. Pretty thick body.
This one is pretty good, not great, but definitely an impressive brew given just how huge it is. My biggest problem is that the flavor is mostly characterized by esters, which don't really do it for me in stouts. Great job at alcohol masking and rich stout qualities, though. At $3 dollars a bottle, this is definitely worth checking out.
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