Imperial stouts. There is nothing more satisfying, comforting or enjoyable late in the evening. What’s not to love from a thick, luxurious mouthfeel to those wonderfully amplified dark chocolate notes. I recently picked up a bottle of ‘Ultimate Revenge‘, brewed in nearby Clane, County Kildare by Kelly’s Mountain Brew from my local SuperValu for a quiet Friday evening’s reading session.
I’m a huge fan of Imperial Stouts. My favourite beer of all time is one. They are decadence in a glass when done right. Last year I was invited to Kelly’s first birthday BBQ celebration at their brewery, where one of the owners, Ronan thrust a bottle of ‘Ultimate Revenge’ into my hands after an initial small glass of it.
And it was gloriously smooth. The additions of chocolate & locally roasted coffee with utterly harmonious. It had a wonderful warmth & comforting nature to it that should have been out-of-place on a glorious Summer day, yet it was not. It was like having a perfect iced coffee.
It was by far the single best beer I’ve had from them. Recently I had another of their turbo’ beers, ‘Reality Bytes’ which I enjoyed, even if I felt it was slightly too meek in its intent. Finding a bottle of this latest turbo effort from them was a happy moment given my memory of the original small batch run.
The artwork for this is certainly distinctive. Cracking it open, a huge chocolate waft is there. It bodes well but no coffee as before. Looking at the ingredients on the bottle, no coffee is there either. Uh oh. 😕
The pour is thick, luscious & glorious. The settled head is what I want in an imperial stout; tan coloured creaminess. And the colour is a fantastic black, which suits the beer’s name.
First taste in; the mouthfeel is smooth. Dark chocolate smooth. The bitterness level is enjoyable without being disruptive to the experience as I enjoy ‘Supergods’ by Grant Morrison. The mid palette of the beer is definitely ‘stouty’. The finish is crisp, & not overly malty, edging more over the chocolate line in its approach.
As I continue my reading over the next two hours with the beer, it continues to exude more of its flavours. And while occasionally I miss the coffee notes over the two hours, it doesn’t prove to be a deal breaker for it surprisingly. I’m enjoying an engaging good book with a beer that’s acting as a good partner, not detracting from the core experience for the evening.
I mean sure, it’s only 7 horsepower in a world of imperial stouts edging closer to the double digits, and not aged out in some far out little known whiskey distilleries barrel, but it’s bloody satisfying. And that is the final word to describe this beer; ‘satisfying’.
RATING: 
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