Review - Nashoba Winery's Imperial Stout
"Nashoba Valley’s Imperial Stout celebrates the history of Russian stouts and their marriage with micro brewing. This beer is brewed as a wintertime seasonal and is well worth the wait. The aroma suggests bittersweet chocolate, and the flavor does not disappoint. It has been aged on oak and cellared for three weeks before bottling. Rich and complex are only two of the words that can describe this beer. Enjoyed outside on a snowy day or inside next to a fire, this big beer will only enhance the pleasure of winter in New England. 2005 batch is not oak aged." -- Nashoba Winery
Pours a chestnut color with an oily consistency, covered by a rich, light-brown colored head. Mostly diminishing head leaves strong rings of lacing. Murky, opaque body. Aroma is of burnt bitter chocolate malts, alcohol, sweet caramel, oak, bourbon, and licorice. Initial taste is faintly sweet, but ramps over to a major bittersweet chocolate/coffee finish with a long duration. Medium bodied, it has an oily texture with active carbonation. Not quite full-bodied enough to make it an excellent imperial stout, it has a fairly burnt coffee finish that lingers, ruining the palate over the long run.
Reviewed on May 31st, 2007.
