Sonoran Inebriator

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

First Sonoran Imp Stout review in 5 years. Now known as: Sonoran Beware of Dog Imperial Stout. Quite nice actually. And I'll tell you this much. It fit the bill as a standard Imp Stout. Didn't know they were brewing such nice beer down in the AZ. Who cares if the person next to you is "legal". What the fuck does "legal" mean anyway? Someone who will do your job better then you? I hope in 5 years if this beer is reviewed, the person doesn't know hwat I'm talking about.

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

One of the many (many!) outstanding brews that Master Host Richard provided to the gathering at his place last Friday night (the now infamous "Friday Night At Casa Perro"), that also featured appreances from Darren and out-of-towner Rick.

This particular beer was presented for the collective's tasting rather late in the game, and was in fact the last beer of the evening that I bothered to take any sort of sorta-semi-legible notes on. :) But I would be quite remiss in not mentioning that this was a mighty fine Imperial Stout, and easily blew away the two so-so-at-best Weyerbacher Imperial Stouts previously sampled that evening.

So, what do we have here? A beer from Sonora Brewing Company that doesn't suck? Having been underwelmed with their Barleywine and IPA in the past, I wasn't sure if the guys were pulling my leg when they were looking forward to popping this offering open. But after the first sniff and sip or two, it was obvious that they're positive opinions were well warranted.

Huge aroma, even from the relatively small sample I received. Quite complex in it's maltiness, with a roasted nuttiness that I wouldn't normally associate with such a high-octane brew.

Very mellow mouthfeel -- silky, almost -- that highlighted the very nice flavor profile. Malty, yes..., bitter enough to matter, but not over-the-top, yes indeed. Hints of sharp fruitiness in the finish (from the malt profile or the yeast, I have no idea). Quite appealing, overall.

A world-class Imperial Stout from a brewery that I had previously written as being strictly sub-apr at best. Inebriator may sound like a great name for a Dopplebock, but this more than holds it's own against the rest of the best. Recommended.
//TB

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

Eclipse black color. Small tannish head. Aroma is malt, chocolate and coffee. A medium to full bodied Imperial Stout. Malts are choclately, roasted and sweet. Hops are slightly spicy. Very smooth tasting. Minimal carbonation, but rich complex malt and chocolate flavors, with hints of vanilla and toffee. Well balanced. A touch of sweetness is balanced by a slight alcohol bite. This is a very nice Imperial Stout. At $5 a 4 pack it a frelling steal. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter, with a touch of dark chocolate and a slightly alcohol bite.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

This is another bargain beer found at Trader Joe's. Thanks to xlperro for the tip. At $1.25 for a 12oz bottle, this was a steal. Appearance: To the shock of no one, this imperial stout poured black with a cocoa brown head. The smell was of roasted coffee and chcolate. The flavor was slightly bitter yet creamy with chocolate undertones. This is a tasty imperial stout.

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

Not as fine as the barleywine, but still a great buy. A very nice stout, with a roasted malt flavor. Strong, works well, you can drink it and survive. I would dare say, a very good session stark brew. By the way, I have drank this and the barleywine to excess on many occasions, damn sure worth the $. not the most "complex" of brews, but does it to ya everytime.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

What in the freaking hell is wrong with this aroma. It smells like a jerkey factory. Deep black color with a short lived head that smells damn near like bag of jerky. Not overpowering for a stout though. I really don't taste the alcohol though, just some good amounts of chocolate.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

This dark brown to black brew is topped by a thin to medium thick brown head with little lacing. The aroma is slightly swet and malty with a smoked meat character. Huh? Strange, it actually smells like pepperoni or beef jerky. Teh flavor is sweet andmalty and that damn smoked meat character. Full bodied and slightly smooth.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

10/03... Black, small tan head, nice lacing. Sweet and warm aroma of toffee, caramel, and alcohol. Rich java coffee, chocolate taste. Bitter dark chocolate, with some alcohol on the tongue. Nice mouthfeel.