Garrison Brewing Company Imperial Chocolate Stout American Double / Imperial Stout at 10% ABV | 60 IBU (C$8.51 at NLC Stavanger, 650 ml, bottle date 15-Jan-2015, acquired 16-Feb-2015, reviewed 9-Feb-2017)
Appearance: clear brown with one fat finger of light beige head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: chocolate nibs, coffee, dark roasty malt, light nutty. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, off-dry moderate bitter and mildly warming finish. (3/5)
Well, I’m not sure: is this the same recipe as their Wintervention? I don’t think it’s identical, but it sure seems similar. To be fair, this has been aged for two years, compared to the fairly newborn Wintervention I tried yesterday. Certainly, this has none of the wet dog aroma I got from the Wintervention, and the palate is just slightly fuller. That being said, it would benefit from a more robust body and finish. The ageing seems to have mellowed it out somewhat, if nothing else, presenting it in its best possible form. Which is good, but not great. I’ll keep my other one in the cellar for another couplethree years and see what happens. (And yes, the sharp-eyed among you might’ve noticed this is a Beerthief-labelled beer in my Beerthief-logoed glass. Fun, huh?) (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
