Limited Release! - Chocolate Imperial Stout

Well, Santa was awesome this year and dropped a bottle of Granville Island Brewing Chocolate Imperial Stout (Alc. 8.4%) down my chimney! Never has he ever brought me beer, let alone not broken the bottle dropping it from his sleigh!

First off, I didn't even get a picture with the beer in my glass. This should set up how the brew tastes. This isn't your ordinary chocolate stout. Most chocolate stouts or porters have an overbearing chocolate or sweetness to it that destroys the bitterness or strength of the stout-like flavours. This one? Oh, you taste it. You taste every bit of that 8.4% stout. But you also get a hint of semi-sweet dark chocolate (I'd guess 70%, not the darkest) in every sip as well.

The beer pours dark as night with a solid inch of head if you pour it right. It smells like a strong stout, almost like a strong Russian/imperial stout with a bit of coffee, chocolate, and roasted cocoa malts. After one good whiff of this brew, I couldn't wait to dive in. I took my first sip and looked at my bro, and we both got the same feeling - wow.

I was expecting a chocolate-y overpowering taste, but it was more stout than chocolate, which was a great change! The way the roasted cocoa tastes blend with the dark stout and the extra strong 8.4% just flowed in a way that strong stouts normally don't flow.

The texture was a bit more carbonated than the chocolate porters that I've had. This brew ventures towards more carbonation in this stout, versus other stouts like the Red Racer stout, which are a bit creamier. I quite liked the change-up, and I don't think I've downed a beer over 8% as fast as I downed this one.

This is probably my favourite beer that the G.I.B. has ever released, hands down.

If you're a stout-drinker, you'll love it. If you prefer your beers non-flavoured, you'll still enjoy it. Imagine the best imperial stout you've had (if you've had any), with a bit more carbonation and a hint of roasted cocoa, and a twist only the folks at G.I.B. can brew.

What could make this brew better? I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't think I can go to any other stouts this season, so long as this one is available. This is definitely not a beginner's beer though. It's a very dark stout, it's thicker than most types of beer out there, and it packs a kick. This is a sipper beer - do not chug, please.

Now, this beer is a limited release. So try to pick some up before the new year and see if you can bring in the new year with the best brew from G.I.B. on your taste buds!

The Granville Island Brewing Chocolate Imperial Stout gets a spectacular 9.5 / 10