Review Date 9/10/2000
Try?
Re-buy?
"The beer is made from two-row pale, caramel, chocolate, and black malt,
black barley and a small amount of wheat malt for head retention. The
bittering hops are Perle and East Kent Goldings. The aromatic hops are
Williamette and Cascade. Alcohol by volume 8%."
Well, they got the alcohol content right for an Imperial, but that's about
all. Imperials should be huge, powerful, rich roasty brews with an imposing
mouthfeel and character. To be sure, Dominion's Imperial is big and roasty,
but the body is thinner than what I expect from an Imperial. One can see
from the color this is the case; if you look closely you'll see a bit of
light getting through. A stout of this intensity should be opaque. I don't
get the licorice notes I want in an imperial either, but I do get notes of
chicory and a an impressive grassy-bitter hop finish (they like Goldings at
Dominion).
I once matched this beer side by side with Victory's Storm King; there was
simply no comparison. The Storm King was by far the superior imperial stout.
That said, this is not a bad beer, just not a good imperial. As such, I give
it three stars for that combination.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.