This beer from Ganstaller took me a little by surprise when I first sampled it. A cursory glance at the label only picked up the ‘schwarze’ in the name, so thinking it would be a nice German dark lager, I wasn’t at all prepared for the aroma and flavour assault that followed.
A little more thorough investigation revealed that this beer was an Imperial Stout Lager, which seems rather a unique style. Maybe a Baltic Porter would be a more commonly used label. Definitely with a lager yeast, but I think this beer has more of the roasted malt character associated with imperial stouts.
The beer pours a very dark brown, with a visibly thick body and very little head. The aroma is a rich mix of chocolate, molasses, roasted malts and a hint of licorice.
There is a strong roasted malt backbone, with less chocolate than the aroma suggests. Dark ripe stonefruit, dried fruits, a little licorice and just the slightest hints of coffee. And a sort of salty minerality, which breaks through.
Whatever label you choose to apply (and I’m sticking with imperial stout) this beer is really delicious, very smooth and rounded and beautifully balanced.
A big Imperial Stout, dark fruit, chocolate and a hint of sourness
A big and tasty imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange peel
An imperial stout brewed with cacao, vanilla and orange zest, aged in Brazilian Amburana wood oak barrels
A luscious big imperial stout with cocao nibs and roasted peanuts
The name translates as 'lubricating oil', and that is a fair description for this rich and smooth imperial stout
Another 2019 Boreft Festival Beer, this is an imperial stout with chocolate nibs and fresh mint
This Borefts Festival beer from 2018 is an imperial stout with amarene cherries, finished on cedar wood
The flagship imperial stout from De Molen - 'Hell & Damnation'
De Molen's 'Hell & Damnation' Imperial Stout
De Molen's flagship imperial stout has been given a hazelnut twist
De Molen's 'Heaven & Earth' - s smoky, peaty Imperial Stout
De Molen's 'Malt & Mocha' is their winter seasonal coffee imperial stout
De Molen's 2018 Boreft Festival '9+1' beer is an imperial stout with added aloe vera
An Imperil Stout with 5 different barley malts, flaked oats and hand roasted coconut flakes
A slightly sour imperial stout with walnut extract, caramel and salt, aged in Bowmore Whiskey barrels
A blend of two of De Molen's imperial stouts, then aged in various barrels, blended again and spiked with a wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious Imperial Stout with the addition of Rooibos, a little lighter and drier than a typical IS
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
It is Creme Brûlée - dessert in a glass
by Brouwerij Emelisse/Slot-Oostende
A rich and luxurious Imperial Stout infused with coffee beans from Italy
Really this is more a cross between a Belgian Quadrupel and an Imperial Stout
A massive Imperial Stout, with loads of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee
A delicious imperial stout with oat flakes in the malt bill, and coffee beans, vanilla and chipotle and mulato chilli peppers
A wintery imperial stout with roasted chicory root
An oatmeal stout with a rich, creamy and luxurious chocolatey flavour
A delicious dessert beer, this is like caramel fudge in a glass
An imperial pastry stout with vanilla, toffee and dry dates
A really interesting, slightly sour Imperial Stout that has been barrel aged for 12 months and spiked with wild Brettanomyces yeast
A delicious imperial milk stout with the addition of coffee beans, cocoa beans and lactose
An imperial stout aged with American oak from bourbon barrels
A big and tasty imperial stout that balances the sweetness with a good level of roasted malts and hop bitterness
Four malts, roasted barley and two hops create a beautiful Imperial Stout - with a Belgian twist.
This Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout is a three-way collaboration with Alvinne (BEL) and Velka Morava (RUS) brewed at Brouwerij Kees
Imperial pastry stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An oatmeal imperial stout with the addition of Jamaican coffee beans and orange peel
Imperial Pastry Stout with vanilla, coconut and lactose
An imperial milk stout with vanilla, cinnamon and lactose
A massive imperial stout with the addition of vanilla, marshmallows and lactose
A Belgian Imperial Stout, rich in chocolate, roasted malts and coffee
A smoked Dopplebock, rich in flavour but supremely balanced
An unfiltered pale lager, dry-hopped with Comet and Mandarina Bavaria hops for a fruity hop character
A smoked Marzen style beer from this little artisanal brewery in Upper Franconia
This Smoked Imperial India Pale Lager has lots going on, but all in this amazingly balanced and complimentary way
This is a strong bock style beer made with wheat and barley malt
A very traditional German Zwickelbier - an unfiltered, unpasteurised lager
