Fri 25/9 Slowbeer Imperial Stout Tasting Notes

Couldn't make it to our Imperial Stout tasting on Friday night? Well here are our thoughts:

Moo Brew Vintage 2008 Oak Aged Imperial Stout

Black pour with thin tan head that falls away rather quickly. Nose is very fragrant with quite a bit of dark fruit, also some vanilla and dark roast. Not as brooding as some but certainly ticks all the boxes. Palate is medium bodied with a decent amount of carb (too much?). Tangy roast dominates with raisins as well. Finish is quite restrained & balanced. No doubt this is a good beer (not just presentation but contents above all), however the price $30 for 330ml is pretty ridiculous.

Murray's Wild Thing Imperial Stout

I'd been sitting on the last few bottles of my stash of this for about 9 months now, so hoping to see some development in the bottle and i was not disappointed! Dont get me wrong, fresh this beer was great. If i had to nitpick, i'd say it was a touch astringent. Now the palate has become much fuller to round out the robust hops & dark bitter roasted malt. Certainly showed much more complexity than the previous beer despite its lack of oak ageing (and being 1/3 of the price!)

Nogne O Dark Horizon #2

Pretty pleased to have tried this & certainly don’t regret having it at such a young age. Pours black with not much of a head. Nose has a heap of coffee, dark liquered fruits & roasted malt with the high abv attributing a slight spirity character, also a touch of smoke. Palate is pretty thick and mouthcoating as you would expect from the 16%abv. Coffee is integrated with the dark malt really well & while dominating it certainly doesnt stick out of place. Finishes quite prickly and slightly numbing on the tip of the tongue, aside from that abv is handled really well. Suprised this isnt a whole lot sweeter, which is definately a pleasant surprise showing great balance. Highly recommend, despite hefty price!