Schlafly Reserve Imperial Stout 2011
Every now and again on this site, I like to revisit a beer that I may have already reviewed years earlier. It doesn’t happen too often, but every once in a while the opportunity to do so arises. Receiving a 2011 bottling of Schlafly’s Reserve Imperial Stout the other day from a co-worker gave me such the chance with this big brew.
I originally reviewed this beer back in December of 2009 (review here) and thoroughly enjoyed it. How has my palate and/or the beer’s recipe changed over the past three years? Well, I still really liked this bourbon barrel aged stout, but by just a hair less than I did the first time around.
Appearance
The stout pours with a small brown head that faded quickly to patchy surface cover over the black brew. It certainly looks like a stout. It’s much darker than the first time around, but with less head retention.
Aroma
This beer just exudes stout. The aroma rises from the surface of the glass nicely. Hints of espresso, chocolate, vanilla and a little booze fill the nose wonderfully.
Taste
I’m picking up a good deal more vanilla in the flavor than I remember the last bottle having. Hints of bourbon mingle with a decent helping of chocolate, dark malt and roast coffee. The finish is warming and semi-dry as the bourbon lingers softly. The mouthfeel is much fuller than the last time I had this beer (which was a complaint of mine on the initial review).
Overall
I’m glad to have found this beer with a much fuller body this time around. I don’t think it’s quite as bourbon-y as I would have liked or as the last bottling of this beer that I tried which knocked it down a tick in the overall grade, but all in all, Schlafly have a great product with this Imperial Stout. I’m going to be sure not to wait to get it as a gift in order to try it out the next time around.
Rating: 4.25/5
