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22oz Bomber
$7.99
Sam's Marcey

Night Tripper pours as dark as the name implies. Not a hint of light shines through the onyx body. An aggressive pour yields a finger of beige head that quickly falls to a thin skimming and ring. The head that is left leaves some nice drink lines on its way down.

Right away alcohol fumes tickle the nose hair. There's some roastiness upfront but dark fruits outshine the malts. Figs and plums come to mind. There's a solid dose of anise coming through along with hints of dark chocolate and a tendril of smoke. The alcohol is tough to pick up unless I smell deep. The fruitiness dominates and really sets things apart.

Everything mentioned in the aroma is here in the flavor. Things meld together nicely in the mouth. The fruitiness leads the way throughout, and oddly enough seems to sport some Bing cherry, with just a touch of sweetness. Dark chocolate sneaks its way through stepping upfront briefly. A mild roastiness and spicy alcohol show through occasionally from the back. The alcohol grows a little spicier on the swallow but never gets in the way. Incredibly creamy smooth dark chocolate on the finish.

The body is on the heavier side but feels a bit lighter than it should upfront. That changes quickly as it becomes smooth and creamy. The carbonation may be a touch too high but that's just me being picky.

The big abv hampers the drinkability but this is an enjoyable stout to put down. Without a doubt a sipper with the big flavors. This bomber will be enough for a night.

I'm already getting a little warm around the gills after killing off half a glass. This is one to take your time with. A good nightcap perhaps. Either way I'll be picking up a few bottles for the cellar. It's good now but I think it could really improve over time.

Notes: This needs to be consumed fairly warm. Toward the end of the bottle is when the aroma and flavor really explodes.

Reviewed; 3/1/08

Price: $7.99 Served In: Pint Glass

Thanks go to kryptic for this one!

Pours black as night. No head on the pour - give it a second an about 3/8 of an inch of it appear, nice, mocha brown. Disappears quickly, leaving a ring around the glass. Little to no lacing.

Aroma is strong, comprised of bitter chocolate, coffee, licorice and molasses. Love the charred malts.

Taste is of cocoa, licorice, charred wood and grains. Slight hop bite. This is pretty one dimensional- all about the burnt malt flavor. Nice, long lasting finish.

Medium to full in body, slick, smooth and sticky mouthfeel. Subtle carbonation. Noticeable alcohol presence - THAT, I like, as I believe it to be appropriate for this style. Wish it was just a bit thicker in feel...

All in all, a good Imperial Stout. Somewhat hot, and not complex by any means, very straight forward. I can appreciate all this. The aroma was excellent! A good sipper - I would definitely try this again.
Recommended!

Served In: Tulip

Pure black in the glass with a small tanned amount of foam sitting on top. Lots of wicked lacing in large ink blots and inky strings create a nice display of frosted lace.

Solid aroma of fairly heated chocolate and darkly roasted things, like molasses, grains, and more chocolate. Very inviting nose.

Taste is just as nice with one incredibly smooth and silky feel inticed with lots of rich beefy chocolate tones hinted with some smoke, burnt molasses, partial coffee roast, and crusty toasted creme brule. Nice warmth too. Quite like a dark port with its warmth.

Feel is super slick, smooth, and silky within a heftier medium body. Not quick as thick or viscious as some outher Impy Stouts. Has a lovley warmth to its overall character as does its rich chocolatey center. Quite nice.

Drinkable by way too much due to its easier going body and super silky smoothness. A lovely chocolate warming of an Impy Stout treat by New Holland.

Served In: Goblet

Thanks to TipTop for the bottle :thumbup:

Pours opaque brown black with no head. Then you turn your back on it and 1/4" of foam appears. The hell's up with that?

Aroma has some definite alcoholic notes along with some cocoa and maybe a splash of roastiness.

OK, imagine this: take a Skor candy bar made with dark chocolate. Ferment it. That is this beer. Milk and dark chocolate flavors abound, with a lightly burnt toffee flavor running right down the middle. There are some bittering hops, but that's about it lupulin-wise. A slight warming surge of alcohol follows along mid sip. Final burps are like hot cocoa - really good hot cocoa.

Mouthfeel is very rich at first then dissipates. Slight pinpoint carbonation espite the appearance of little head.

As a big chocolate stout this one succeeds in aces. They should relabel this what it is - because it works well as that. Thanks TT!

Served In: Pint Glass

Color is black and no light getting through, about expected. Very minimal foam, gone fairly quickly. Smell has a lot of roasty notes, with a hint of chocolate. Not very powerful smell overall. Taste has a lot more chocolate than the smell leads on. Bitter chocolate then a little milk chocolate. As TT mentioned, this one might be better labeled a chocolate stout. A very little coffee, roasted taste and a hint of alcohol. Feel is thick at first, then fades.

Overall, a decent if not spectacular stout. Much more chocolate than you'd figure, which doesn't suck but you don't figure that out until you get into it because it's labeled a straight imperial stout. Might be better for New Holland to make mention of that fact on the bottle. Good but not great.

Served In: Pint Glass

Another extra included by hoppymeal in our recent trade, thanks!

Pours black with a nice inch of tan foam, very dense and retains well.

Aromas is roasty with milk chocolate, nutty malts, and roasted barley in the background. A fairly good presentation on the aroma so far. After a while there is an aroma of grains and cherries. As it warms up there is a sweeter aroma, a bit like condensed milk, but also toffee and a little buttery as well.

Taste is roasted barley and bitter chocolate first. After that I can detect some cocoa, chocolate covered cherries and coffee. Finishes with some dark fruits, cocoa and alcohol.

Very good on the mouth-feel, well carbonated and feels smooth on the tongue. Just a bit heat from the alcohol.

Served In: Pint Glass

A - Pours dark brown with no head to speak of. Only a few bubbles on the pour. Body is opaque.

S - Big time chocolate on this one. Rich dark chocolate mingles with a light milk chocolate accent. Distinct roastiness that takes over after the chocolate hits. Slight alcohol burn on a deep breath.

T - Starts off with chocolate and ends with chocolate. Sort of the bookends of this brew. Bittersweet chocolate hits the pallette with force, leaving the tongue tasting nothing else for a minute. Roastiness comes out with light espresso and a bit of coffee. Slightly lactic tone follows, only to be followed by more chocolate, this time more dark chocolate and a little less bitter that the initial wallop. Alcohol is present, but very tolerable.

M - Medium to full bodied. Seems slightly thin for the style. Carbonation is much better than expected given the total lack of head on this one.

Overall - This one is almost an imperial chocolate stout. It's been a while, but it reminds me some of Brooklyn BCS. Nice brew that I will definitely cellar some of to see what happens.

Price: $7.49 Served In: Snifter

Pours very dark oil black, no head with an aggressive pour.

Chocolate malty smell, nice but not very strong.

Very good tasting brew, bitter chocolate, dark malts, some fruits, a light sense of alcohol at the finish.

Good mouthfeel, very smooth and carbonated well for the lack of head during the pour.

Overall I like this beer, I am a fan of good heavy stouts and this lives up to the bill.

Served In: Pint Glass