12.7% smoked Imperial stout...taking a risk indeed. Big stouts are Ender's, not to be followed, can't be outdone and this one being smoked could be grim. Pitch black hole of a stout, seriously, I've just tried shining a torch through it and saw no ruby brightness at all. I've been worrying about this one but it actually smells nice and solidly reminds me of Murphy's Irish stout which I have fond memories of. Lightly smoked hazelnut milk chocolate, treacle and cold brew coffee aromas. (It has a BB date of 30/08/2031!) Ok time for the plunge... Woah it's punchy, I'm hit with treacle and alcohol immediately with a dark dark roast barley at the end. It's got light mouthfeel with a big body and a long finish. It's slippery in the mouth and not thick, which is a surprise. The alcohol can't be ignored and does heat your mouth but it's not just the ABV...the rich treacle and chocolate lay there on your tongue too. This easily could have been Murphy's with a shot of vodka in it and it definitely is not. That would be an unfair assessment, but, an understandable one. Actually it's more like a shot of Jameson's anyway! The flavours are very good.. smoke, chocolate, whiskey, treacle, caramel, roast barley, oats, Xmas pudding/mince pies and coffee. I was ready to dislike this and I am impressed. Yes, you need to get over the hit of alcohol but once you do you can appreciate the balance, rich decadence, finesse and complexity this brew has. And the alc hit is lessened over time anyhow. Not for the faint of heart, clearly, but if you like Murphy's and bigger stouts like Stoutzilla by Unbarred you will like this, I promise. Again, the finish is most notable, it's very nice. It sits on your tongue saying hello roasted barley and malty smoked treacle. If I saw it again randomly at the end of a crawl I'd consider it, though 12.7% could push a nice evening into disaster very easily! So maybe just a third pint would suffice! Buy a can from a bottle shop and drink when appropriate. EDIT: I was so enamored by this beer I forgot to mention the styling and name. This beer is a homage to the drone/doom masterpiece album/song by Sleep called Dopesmoker and I feel it lives up to that beast of a piece. If your not dropping acid, down a few of these instead!

Heard if these but never tried them, I believe they’re relatively new on the scene, from darkest Dundee of all places… Anyway, the clue is in the name and let’s face it, a brewery from that region ain’t adding bourbon, rum or any other sexy barrel to their stouts, it’s straight up single malt scotch all the way! I’ve struggled with beers like this in the past, but what elevates this beer is the beachwood smoked malts. When you use them as a base malt then it’s risky and you have to get it right, and these guys do just that. Smokey as hell, bitter dark chocolate and lots of body from the specialty malts.