Goose Island Big John Imperial Stout

3.9/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 3/25/2011. Pours thick as oil opaque black color with a minimal tan head with decent retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass with plenty of alcohol clinging. Aromas of huge dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, vanilla, toffee, light coffee, light frutiness, and herbal spice. Some good and well balanced stout aromas going on. Taste of big caramel, molasses, vanilla, toffee, dark chocolate, roasted malt, light coffee, herbal spiciness, and some dark fruit. Fair amount of spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, herbal spiciness, caramel, molasses, coffee, roasted malt, and vanilla on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and full bodied as expected; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Pretty smooth for 11.5%, but is still a big sipper. Alcohol is pretty well hidden, with only a good sized warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice thick and full bodied imperial stout. Big on roasted flavors with dark chocolate; and nice to slowly sip. It has a nice balance of flavors, but it didn’t really stand out to me; and it is still a little on the hot side for alcohol.

A very nice stout offering from Goose Island, but I much prefer the Night Stalker to this one. There was not as much chocolate presence as I was hoping for in this.