Hello everyone. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be tasting the To Øl Goliat Imperial Stout brewed by the To Øl Brewery located in Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
I’ve only had a few brews by To Øl, however I’ve enjoyed them very much. They are a bit tough to get around here, so I try to pick them up every time I see them.
The website, to-ol.dk, brought this bit of information to light about this brew.
The great warrior of Gath. The mighty champion of the Philistines. Embedded in ancient folklore and religion. Coming from the World of Old. His size and stature is not human. He is bigger. The armor of Goliat is black. Creamy black lacings. Stands with a towering height. He can grab elements from both earth and heaven. Earthy, roasted, notes from the earth. Warming, pungent, sweet notes from the skies. His heart is beating slowly, almost endlessly slow. This man is thought to be invincible!
Let’s drink.
This brew came in a 12.7 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 10.1%.
It poured pitch black with a dark tan, mocha colored head. It was sized excellently. It was fluffy with some smoothness and a few larger bubbles at the spot of the pour. It looked like the top of a chocolate milkshake. The retention time was outstanding and the lacing was wonderfully foamy and sticky. Just an all around gorgeous looking beer.
The nose was outstanding. It had hints of roasted coffee and light espresso. A slight bittersweet, dark chocolate along with some earthy hop tones and a very light hint of anise. It even smelled “fresh”. Not stale or dull in anyway. Very nice.
The flavor produced some roasted coffee beans as well as some dry cocoa powder savors. Maybe even a little relish of char. Again, it had some earthy hop type tones that commingled so well with that alluring bitterness from the coffee and chocolate. Only a meager amount of alcohol was ascertained and the anise that was found in the aroma was dialed back even more in the taste.
The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. It was smooth, chewy, chalky, slick and very dry. The carbonation was on the lower side and a negligible amount of warmth was felt at the back of the throat and on into the belly. A very sturdy dose of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip.
Man, this was a great beer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s easily worth a try if you can obtain a bottle. Even though the drinkability was quite good for a beer with an ABV of 10.1%, I do think that it would be best reserved as a Winter sipper. Either way, I don’t think that I would turn this down regardless of the season. As I’ve mentioned a time or two before, I love Coffee Stouts and this one did not disappoint. I’m going to have to bookmark it in my mind for the next time I go shopping. Have you guys ever tried the To Øl Goliat Imperial Stout? What did you all think about it? Feel free to leave a comment if you wish. I really enjoy interacting with all of you.
Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.
Until next time. Cheers.
Score: 4.3 out of 5
Grade: A
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Tara Carr
February 6, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Sounds so good! Will definitely keep an eye out for this beer!
Tara Carr
February 6, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Sounds so good! Will definitely keep an eye out for this beer!
Scott Shrewsberry
February 6, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Tara,
If you appreciate Coffee Stouts you should definitely give it a shot. Be sure to let me know what you think also.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Shrewsberry
February 6, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Tara,
If you appreciate Coffee Stouts you should definitely give it a shot. Be sure to let me know what you think also.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
Cheers,
Scott