![]() Summaryįat Julian is not the most complex or intense imperial stout out there by any means, but you’d be hard pressed to find one that was more drinkable (maybe Old Rasputin, which is also delicious when served on nitro). The mouthfeel is a little light in the loafers for an imperial stout, but not off putting. All of the ingredients conspire at the end to give you a fleeting taste of the more complex mixture of flavors found in the nose. Damn if it isn’t smooth and easy drinking though, impressive for a 9.0% abv beer. The taste is less complex than the nose, characterized primarily by bittersweet dark chocolate. As I lower my nose into the glass for a sniff I’m greeted by notes of chocolate, molasses, caramel, a touch of anise, and a little ethanol just to remind you this is an imperial stout you are drinking. On pouring the beer is fairly carbonated leading to a nice 2-3 fingers of biege head that settles out in due time. Not surprisingly the color is very dark brown, but when held up to the light the slightest hint of ruby highlights can be seen in the narrow base of my Spiegelau stout glass. Here’s to big delicious challenges.” My Review “This bittersweet imperial stout is reminiscent of leathery elephants dipped in dark chocolate. The description of the beer on the label builds on the playful art: My favorite touch is the fat cat sleeping on the pachyderm’s back. Perhaps this is what it feels like to fill the mash tun to the capacity required to make this big malt forward beer. A faceless woman is using a complex pulley system to hoist an elephant (an Asian elephant by the looks of her ears). In fact the Fat Julian label was featured in Beer Advocate magazine last year. The label is one of Actual’s finest, and that’s saying something. I picked up this beer back in December at Weiland’s Market, so it has a little age on it but a few months are usually beneficial if anything to this style.
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