Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Rating from some of the early batches in 2009. Pours deep dark used motor oil with thin brown head. It has dark chocolate legs nearly staining the glass as I swirl the brew around. It has a moderately strength complex aroma of rich dark chocolate, vanilla, molasses, vegetable smelling hot spices and more chocolate. The taste is full of yummy rich dark chocolate. To start out the flavor experience it seems a little like a rich creamy dark chocolate milk shake with mild amounts of vanilla, molasses and tasty toastiness. The chili spices are meek and only at the just noticeable level for me. The chili spices could certainly use a bigger presence in the taste as well as the nose. The next sampling a few weeks later showed larger aromatic and flavor notes coming from the chili peppers. Even still, if they were to be a little bolder in the flavor profile it would be very interesting to experience. It is really damn good as is.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Pours an opaque sable with a thick, fine-bubbled cinnamony tan head. Strong, smoky, chocolaty aroma has hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Mouth-filling roast coffee flavor has tones of caramel and chocolate plus hints of hot pepper and licorice. Firm, almost syrupy, smooth texture is quite fizzy.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Reviewed the wrong beer here. Hopefully someone can delete this review. Thank you. I would but I do not have full administration authority. Thanks again. Please. (150 characters yet?)...................................................................................................................................................

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Review from notes - sampled 8/4/12 with a group. Poured at slightly below cellar temp into a brandy snifter. JET black pour with a lot of viscosity...this monster is thick. The aroma is off-putting, the only flaw in this brew, which after my second sampling has become one of my favorites. Dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, and chiles (shocker, as all are mentioned on the bottle) intertwine and make appearances at different stages. Chocolate is the dominant flavor up front, blended superbly with a tangy cinamon. Vanilla eases the chocolate/cinnamon, but it's only prepping you for the smokey peppers that finish and leave your palate wanting more. It's a shame this is one-off, brewery only annual release. It's simply phenomenal, and Cigar City deserves credit for intertwining flavors that seem so far apart but meld so well together. Amazing.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Holy cow, this is an intense and luxurious stout that far exceeded all of my expectations. Oat bran, chocolate, heavy roast, coffee, burnt toast, vanilla are only the beginnings as to what this beer contains. Jet black pour with a perfect, lasting head, and spot on spotty lacing. Thick and rich without becoming too sweet or syrupy. The whole crowd grew silent and for good reason......simply amazing.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

i'll start by saying this is a great stout. if it were local and at a reasonable price, i'd get it all the time. it's unique. it's tasty. the head on my wife's glass did not BUDGE til her glass wat at more than a 45 degree angle! that was cool. i do, however, prefer the BASE of this beer (Marshal Zhukov's) to this. The added vanilla, cinamon, cocoa and peppers took away from the russian part of it, and while very good, was not as spectacular as the original brew. the peppers only made their presence known upon popping the top, then did not make another appearance. the cocoa, cinamon, and vanilla were obvious throughout. present, but not overdone, and the body was amazing, as expected.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Had this side-by-side at Capone's with the Apple Brandy Barrel, which probably influenced this review. Sample was 5.5 oz. into a snifter. Poured a thick, black with a one-finger rich, thick, creamy head. Both the head and great lacing had great retention. Nose was chocolate, malts, toffee and vanilla. Taste was very heavy on the chocolate, but notes of the vanilla, some spice and a bit of the roasted malts. Mouthfeel was thick and creamy with a good level of carbonation. All-in-all, for me this was VERY sweet and I could only drink this at specific times. Great imperial stout but I much preferred the brandy barrel.