Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

HogTownHarry · Post by **HogTownHarry** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:16 pm

The Brit beer geeks slag the SS products all the time (pasteurized! shudder!!!) but I love them - there's a lovely fruity house character to their darker offerings I really love, and the Imperial can mutate gloriously after a year or two - I have 8-9 bottles left from the case I got the last time it was at the LCBO a couple of years ago, and they get very "dark fruity" indeed - lovely!

velovampire · Post by **velovampire** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:47 pm

JesseM wrote:I can't wait to try the Winter Welcome ale when it arrives (I passed on it last year).

You're going to have to wait another year (at least). Peter explained in the LCBO Winter Warmer release thread that for the first time in a long time, the LCBO inexplicably passed on this one.

JesseM · Post by **JesseM** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:03 pm

Oh yeah that's right, I forgot. Damn. Ah well, I'll console myself with the Schloss Eggenberg Dopplebock Dunkel.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:52 pm

So I gave this beer another shot last night. It was like night and day. The first 2 bottles were purchased in Saskatoon, the most recent 3 were purchased in Regina. It shouldn't make much difference, they all come from a single warehouse, but the Regina bottle was superb.

Thanks to all who posted in this thread, it certainly gave me the impetus to re-assess this beer.

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:20 am

Anyone know how well and long this beer will keep in less than ideal conditions of around 70F? For most imperial stouts I would expect them to last a year at the VERY least, but the lower ABV on this one is throwing me a little?

old faithful · Post by **old faithful** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 9:42 am

Excellent rich stout which has been quite consistent over the years. I find the Sam Smith approach to brewing best exemplified in this beer with its appetizing yeast background and big malt and hop flavour. Sets the standard and then some for fine strong stout.

Gary

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:01 pm

How do you decipher the date code on these bottles?

(I'm wondering how old my cellared ones are).

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:12 pm

Derek wrote:How do you decipher the date code on these bottles?

(I'm wondering how old my cellared ones are).

I couldn't figure it out, but I emailed the importer and they told me the bottling date of my bottles (but not the formula for figuring it out myself).

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:17 pm

Right now I'm drinking a "SI14A1" from the last LCBO release. It's pretty smooth & mellow, though the alcohol is still a little pronounced. It doesn't seem as roasty/stouty though.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:11 am

Saskatchewan got several SS beers in last spring. When the importers got back to me with the bottled date of the RIS, it was summer 06. I'd like to know where the hell those beers had been sitting for 18-21 months before they got dumped on us clueless prairie hicks... in this case, it's a good thing SS pasteurizes, because the beer was in excellent shape.

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 2:17 pm

The Ontario batch of IS was brewed in the latter half of this year. You will note that there is a Canadian back label which means that these are specifically brewed for LCBO orders. The Saskatchewan order likely came from their U.S. distributor who has taken over all of Canada with the exception of Ontario and is probably shipping from their U.S. west coast warehouse.