Score: 90/100 – Excellent
Appearance 6/6
The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with a moderately tall, dense, creamy, deep tan head. Great foam retention for the high ABV. A good-looking brew!
Aroma 20/24
Strong intensity with balance towards dark malts. The aroma is robust, edgy, and quite complex. Significant dark malts take the lead and are followed by dark fruit esters, alcohol, and moderate woody-herbaceous hops. Mild oxidation and no apparent off-notes.
Flavour 38/40
Strong intensity, balance towards dark malts, and aggressive perceived bitterness. The flavour is intense with a complex mix of dark malts, dark fruit esters, woody-herbaceous hops, and alcohol. No off-flavours. Delicious and pleasantly muscular flavour.
Mouthfeel 8/10
Medium body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is slightly thin and mildly fizzy with noticeable alcohol warming and a medium-dry finish. No significant astringency and no actual harshness on the palate. Very good.
Overall 18/20
Tête d’Allumette’s L’Imperiale Gasket de Tete is an excellent russian imperial stout. Beautiful appearance and a bold, complex flavour with no apparent off-notes. This delivers exactly what’s expected and then some. At the same time the beer is a little bit thin – it’s missing that wonderful weight a 10% stout can have on the palate. I think this would stand out if the mouthfeel fully matched the flavour intensity in texture. It’s also not a cheap thrill but I think it’s absolutely worth a try if you can find a bottle.
Beerfection | Craft Beer Reviews | Montreal, Canada 