Bottoms Up

This minute, I’m taking part in a national stout tasting. Beer bloggers across the country are tasting a stout of their own choice today (March 2) and posting a link on Stan Hieronymus’s blog site. It’s been quite a day and the choice of stouts is amazing. Check it out here.

By my clock, it’s 11:47 p.m., so it’s still March 2 in the Pacific Time Zone, at least, if not in New Mexico where I’m posting this.

My stout for the tasting is Drake’s Imperial Stout, a dark, lucious, 8.75 percent alcohol by volumene beauty of a stout. It’s brewed in San Leandro, CA. at Drake’s Brewing Co. by head brewer Rodger Davis and his assistant, Melissa Myers.

They’re more famous for their uber-IPA beers like Denogganizer. But they also make a range of dark beers that are quite special.

Drake’s Imperial Stout, which comes in stubby, 17 oz. bottles with a swingtop like a Grolsch bottle, pours an opague brown with a moderate head of rocky tan foam. The aroma’s enticing, a bit like sherry, intense, a tang of alcohol and roast malt and a bit of fruit.

The taste is full and malty, but not overly sweet. It’s balanced by Chinook hops and the finish is drying with quite a bit of heat from the alcohol.

Really, a damn good stout. Eat your heart out Guinness. — William Brand.