Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Who are you and what are you
doing on my porch?

Beer:  Great Lakes Blackout Stout (GBS)

Brewery:  Great Lakes

Date:  January 6th, 2013

Style:  (Russian) Imperial Stout

ABV:  9.0%

Similar To:  Founders Breakfast Stout, New Holland Dragon's Milk

Description:
Picture noon on the coldest day of the year, and a desolate, snow-covered street.  A man comes into view trudging alone through drifts piled high against parked cars and spilling from the doorways of shuttered businesses.  The wind tugs at his tightly wrapped scarf as he struggles forward through the swirling eddies of white powder.  He advances slowly, block by block until he reaches his destination, a grim bastion of humanity, holding on tenuously against nature's fury.  The interior of this establishment reveals it to be grim indeed; a low, smoke filled tap room inhabited by equally grim and desperate-looking inebriates, huddled in twos and threes against the cold around rickety tables, clutching rough earthenware pots of sour smelling ale, while spitting their wads of tobacco upon the dirt floor.

Now picture pretty much the same thing except without most of the gritty urban squalor.  More accurately, picture two people hoofing it through the snow for lunch on one of the coldest January days on record (and to relieve a little of their cabin fever while working from home).  Their destination:  a local biker bar we'll call "Miko's" for the sake of artistic license.  Their beer of choice on this frigid day?  Great Lakes' Blackout Stout.

First Impression:
Pours a very dark body with a thin mocha head which dissipates quickly.

Smell:
Arrived in a 6 oz "aromatic beer glass" (basically a stemless snifter) which was full almost to the top.  I may have missed out on some of what this beer had to offer because there was no room for the various aromas to gather and concentrate in the glass, but I was still able to pick out coffee, caramel, possibly vanilla, and some fruity aromas.

Taste:
Pleasantly bitter coffee taste, with a background of caramel, vanilla, and licorice.  Definitely some plum or raisin in there, explaining the fruit which I smelled originally.  Surprisingly little alcohol bite.

On the Palate:
Low carbonation, thick but not syrupy.

Why You'll like It:
If you enjoy Imperial Stouts but have trouble handling their 10%+ ABVs and strong alcohol tastes, you'll want to give this a try.

...and why You won't:
If Imperial Stouts aren't your style, or if you're looking for something really new in the genre, then this may not impress you (though what it does, it does quite well).

In Closing...:
An enjoyable take on the ever-popular style.  Solid, but not quite at the level of the really outstanding beers in this category, such as Evil Twin's Imperial Biscotti Break, Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Imperial Stout, and Three Floyds' Dark Lord.  A good introductory beer for those unfamiliar with Imperial Stouts, as it's milder than many of its counterparts, though still fully representative of the style.  "Miko's" carries a lot of outstanding beers, and I suspect we'll be returning soon to sample more.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)