Imperial Stout - 10.4%

I have to admit it as the label that pulled me in on this one.  Brightly coloured and strangely type-faced on the label over a dark stout.

This Imperial Stout is brought to you by Left Hand Brewing Company who are based in Longmont, Colorado.  Looks like this one has dropped off their radar now as it's not mentioned on their own website.  These fine folks are craft brewers who take what they do seriously.  Brewing professionally since 1993

Immediately on opening it you get a scent of chocolate, deep and rich, which sums up this stout nicely.  Thick and creamy in texture with a wonderful roasted malt flavour it's a rather heavy beer so you wouldn't want to try and drink too much, no matter have much you really would like to.

For the motherland

Imperial Stouts are often very dark and are accompanied by deep rich roasted flavours.  This one is Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout which succeeds on one of those.

Imperial Stout - 7%

Brewed to withstand bad weather transporting to Russia, this style of beer was a favourite of nobility.

Well see for yourself it's clearly dark coloured so sadly it's the rich flavour I found lacking.  There just wasn't that much to it and I could have been drinking almost any generic beer.  Perhaps the traditional styled label oversold it to me?

It wasn't terribly expensive but for all the build up in terms of writing and labels I was expecting more than I got.

Not quite a General but pretty close

For tonight's main event I decided to give The Kernel another go at something I was more likely to enjoy.

Imperial Brown Stout - 9.2%

This is their Imperial Brown Stout which I have been informed is what made a name for themselves.  I served mine a little more chilled then people say it should be but given a choice of about 4C, and somewhere in the region of 15C, I know which I'm going for.

Everybody got one of their own to drink along?  Careful pouring as it's another bottle conditioned beer.  As you can see from your own glass, or my picture if you aren't playing along, it's not so dark as to make viewing the bubbles impossible.

A lovely full roasted flavour with only a mild bitter after taste this has slipped down dangerously easily.  The alcohol content is masked completely by the flavours and, if everything has gone to plan, you should now be experiencing a warm feeling.

I'm glad I gave The Kernel another shot, this is far more palatable to me.  This does of course make me wonder if there is an IPA out there for me though...

Great Minds Drink Alike

Somewhere in the wild outdoors there lives a creature of legend.  Spoken of in hushed tones around camp fires miles from civilisation.  Tall and dark the Yeti roams the high places of Nepal.

Or rather it would if it actually existed.

Yeti Imperial Stout - 9.5%

Instead I have this Yeti to drink, brought to us by Great Divide Brewing Co, one of Americas most decorated micro breweries.

Another dark and viscous beer, this one an Imperial Stout, it is filed with chocolate flavour and an impressive 9.5% which is masked by the big taste but felt about half way through the bottle.

Not a cheap beer by any stretch of the imagination but you definitely get your moneys worth.  Stick with the one bottle for a night, it's rather filling.