Lagunitas Imperial Stout: Good Stuff But I Still Want MORE (Malt, Hops, Malt...)

Several years ago, I was at a Michael Jackson beer tasting, and Jackson quipped, "People tell me about lawn mower beers. I don't know what they're talking about. I live in the city. You need a big beer when you're mowing the concrete."

I can identify with that. And I think there are a lot of us around who would gravitate to big beers even if we did have an idea what mowing the lawn was all about. When you're talking big beers, certain styles spring to mind, including the luscious big black boldness of a Russian imperial stout. Done right, these beers can be as intense as a barleywine, but with a very different flavor profile.

On my latest stroll through my friendly local beer warehouse, a stack of big 22 ounce bottles of Lagunitas Imperial Stout was calling to me, like the beckon of a Siren to a thirsty Ulysses. Imperial stouts....the mere sound of the words is irresistable. Like the churchboys say, "lead me into temptation and deliver me all of your Duvel"....or something like that. So anyway, the temptation of Lagunitas Imperial Stout wins out tonight, so let's chat imperial, shall we?


What Imperial Stout Should Be...
Combine everything that makes a stout black and roasted tasting, double it to at least the strength of a good barleywine, and viola! you have a Russian Imperial Stout -- the biggest, blackest, thickest beer you ever laid lips on!

Imperial stouts have enormously complex flavor profiles. People compare imperial stouts to the flavor of coffee and chocolate. Not just any coffee and chocolate, mind you, but the biggest, boldest tasting types they can think of. The dark roasted barley used in stouts has a flavor and aroma that borders on being burnt -- much like a really dark italian espresso coffee. The chocolate flavors that people identify are those of premium dark chocolates or maybe pure black cocoa. There are often dark fruit flavors (like plums) from esters produced by the fermentation process -- a process that a brewer needs to carefully control.

Big beers are sometimes a challenge for a brewer. If fermentation temperatures shoot up uncontrolled, yeast growth runs rampant, producing lots of unwanted by-products -- not just those esters that add some complexity, but also higher alcohols, fatty acids, and other compounds that contribute off-flavors and make a beer taste unpleasant. Properly fermented, an imperial stout is a luscious treasure trove of richly complex flavors interwoven in a stunning tapestry of taste sensations.

A good imperial stout tastes heavy and ponderous. The best examples have densities as high as 25 Plato (1100 OG) -- about twice what a fairly strong Irish stout would be. Imperial stout is blacker than used motor oil. It is sweet and flavorful. Nobody who drinks one for the first time really appreciates it. Nobody who appreciates it wants anything else...

Because of the popularity of Michael Jackson's many beer books, everyone regards Courage Imperial Stout (1100 OG) as the benchmark by which all other imperial stouts are judged. The problem is, not many people I know have ever tasted a Courage Imperial Stout since it is generally unavailable in the United States. The best that many of us can do (aside from homebrewing) is to look for the lesser examples and learn what we can from them. Old Rasputin from North Coast is often held up as an example of a good imperial stout, but its starting gravity is only about 1075. For many years we didn't even have that -- we had to look to Grants Imperial Stout, which clocks in at a merely regal 1065 or so. Among the stronger imperials that you'll find these days is Storm King from Victory Brewing, and a few notable young brands that I'll hopefully get to reviewing soon...but for now, let's see what we've got in hand tonight, and that's a nice tall 22 ounce bottle of the pride of Petaluma --- Lagunitas Imperial Stout.


Blackness in a Glass...
A nice tall pint glass will do this beer justice, as would a nice large goblet. Before pouring though, I highly recommend that you let the beer reach an appropriate temperature. If you just pulled the bottle out of the fridge, it will probably be too cold to really enjoy --- this is one of the many styles that are best served a bit warmer, like around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Cellar temps, my friend, not arctic temps...that's the key to real drinking pleasure.

So anyway, bottle appropriately warmed, glass appropriately ready, let's pop the top....psssstttt....and pour....glug, glug, glug....

Appearance:
Yep. Looks like somebody dumped used motor oil in my glass. Odd. I don't recall ever having a glass of motor oil with a thin, tightly formed head on it. So I guess it really is beer.

Aroma:
Bittersweet chocolate with toffee is my first impression, followed by an odd sour note, but that's gone pretty quickly. As the beer warms, it starts to show off a little bit of rich fruity aromas, particularly cherry.

Flavor:
Rich and chewy with a dark fudge flavor tempered by coffee and a bit of plum. As I swirl the beer around in my mouth, I'm getting a caramel softness. There is a soft and subtle bitterness in the aftertaste, but it never comes across as hops, just as dark roast malt. I'm a bit surprised at how soft the aftertaste really is because the label claims that the beer is hopped to 72.45 IBU, which is a pretty substantial number, but I suppose that when you've got a 20 Plato base going with lots of caramel and dark malts, you can support a heavy hand on the hops.

The flavor definitely tips towards sweetness on the balance. That's where it should be for the style, and if anything, I think this beer is a bit restrained on their sweetness. While some brewers boost the sweetness perception on their imperials by adding unfermentable sugars like lactose, I don't really get the false sweet sensation of lactose on this beer. Kudos to Lagunitas for keeping it real, and keeping it malt...IMHO, that's the way an imperial should be brewed.

Overall Impressions:
Thank you sir, may I have another?

This is a darn good beer. Light, but good.

Let me explain about that "light" comment: I prefer my imperials a bit bigger than this one. At a starting gravity of 1082, Lagunitas Imperial may well be bigger than some imperial stouts on the market, but it is still far shy of the royal model of imperial highness, which would be Courage's Imperial Stout at 1100. This beer is good --- it has the flavors right, it has the balance right, it has the mood right --- but it is still far too light to earn the right to sit on the imperial throne. In my opinion, Victory Storm King is a more enjoyable brew, and at 1090, a bit closer to what the density should be. IMHO, Avery's The Czar (at 1100 OG) or Victory's Storm King are still the imperials to beat if you're an American craft brewer.

Until next time, see you in the pub. As always, look for me to be sampling the biggest, boldest, and blackest drafts in the house.


Closely Related Reviews...
Want to taste more of the pride of Petaluma California??


* Lagunitas IPA
* Lagunitas Maximus




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