Recently Cosmic Chris has been pining for a section on this page in which beer was reviewed. I suspect he wanted this so he could justify his present level of alcohol consumption or to possibly write his beer purchases off on his taxes. Irregardless of that, the suggestion is a sound one. Beer isn’t something that should be slugged down and then have the empty tin container tossed out the window of a speeding truck or possibly stacked in a pyramid in a dormitory window. Instead it is something to be savored, enjoyed and critiqued. This new section is not simple carrying on, instead it’s a vital part of the beer drinking experience.

First up is a beer company recommended by Cosmic Chris, the Samuel Smith brewing company. They claim to be England’s oldest independent brewing company but I’m not sure how “independent” you can be when you have breweries all over the planet. But the label claimed that the brew house is a contractor to Her Majesty’s forces so anything that the British armed services gulp down during their off time can’t be all bad. The first of their brews I tried was their Imperial Stout. It is claimed [Samuel Smith seems to have a great deal of tradition behind it although I’m not certain how legitimate any of it is] that this stout was brewed for the Czarist court in Russia so it was given a higher alcohol content to keep it from freezing during transportation. A nice story, but at 7.0% per volume you would probably believe anything they told you after putting away a couple of 12 oz. bottles.

At first it looks like the beer comes in a dark brown bottle. It’s not until you pour out the contents that you realize that the bottle is clear glass and it’s the beer that’s dark brown. When held up to a 150 watt bulb light was unable to penetrate the Imperial Stout. That stout is stout. A small to mid sized head is formed when you pour it into a glass with a fair amount of fizziness in the beer itself that dissipates after you let it breathe for a moment. The beer also has a nice smell to it and is free of the occasional clamminess you can get with stout beers.

The taste is surprisingly smooth for a stout. Drinking darker beer can sometimes feel more like a test of your personal fortitude than a relaxing beverage but this goes down easy. Perhaps a bit too easy given its alcohol content. There’s a faint and not particularly enjoyable aftertaste that doesn’t give you the feeling you have just enjoyed a fine stout but rather that you have done something vaguely wrong. Instead of a taste of quiet satisfaction it tastes like traces of guilt. If you didn’t have a large dinner you’re also going to start noticing the alcohol content unexpectedly hitting you like a velvet covered mallet.

Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout is dark, European and easy but with a hidden bite to it. You may enjoy your one night fling with it but will you respect yourself in the morning?

Questions, comments, and beer recommendations can be sent to gleep9@hotmail.com. Once you've finished your pint head on back to either the Beer or Main page.