Mayflower Imperial Stout - Friday Beer O'Clock Selections 2-18-2011
Mayflower Imperial Stout - Special Limited Batch 2011. This week's Friday Beer O'Clock Selection is a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by another local brewery, Mayflow Brewing Co. located in Plymouth, MA (my home state).
From the bottle:
Imperial Stout was originally brewed in London in the 18th century for export to the court of Catherine II of Russia. More robust than traditional stouts, it was purposely crafted to avoid freezing during it's journey across the Baltic Sea. Mayflower Imperial Stout is a classic version of this style, aged for over six months to create a smooth mellow character.
Little more information could be found for this brew. The web site does not list it.
ABV: ???
Appearance: This poured into a traditional pint glass with a thick black muddy color and formed a 1-2 finger dark brown / capaccino colored head with pretty good retention. Opacity is zero, just black with no light passing through even when held up to a clean light.
Aroma: First up is a delicious deep rum and brandy scent followed by bits of molasses, dark sugars, bitter cocoa and vanilla. Easily one of the best smelling brews I've encounterd.
Taste: The taste is spot on with the aromas. First up is that deep rum and brandy that fills the mouths right away, with dark sugars and vanilla coming in on the front. Bitter cocoa come out in the middle with a nice bitter, but high alcohol in the back and finish. Far less sweetness than the aroma suggests.
Feel: Full body with some weight behind it. On the smoother creamy side with some carbonated bite and a bit of alcohol burn from mouth to gut.
Drinkability: Not as high on my drinkability scale as I'd like it to be. Overall it is a good brew - aromas and taste in general are very good ... BUT the Alcohol is a bit over the top and tough to get by in my opinion. Could be a good warmer, or maybe aged a bit to mellow. Aroma is easily this brews best asset.
