a day ago
6 best imperial stouts of Great Taste of the Midwest 2025
Imperial stouts haven't quite reached the ubiquitous heights of big, bitter pale ales in the craft brewing explosion of the 2000s and early 2010s. Still, it seems like freeing a bold, boozy, thick-pouring stout from its oak stave prison is a badge of honor for rising and established breweries alike.
Despite sharing common threads, there's a lovely amount of room to branch out across the realm of these dark beers. Goose Island frequently stretches its Bourbon County Stout lineup six deep each Black Friday. 3 Floyds has no fewer than 15 different variations of its Dark Lord in Beer Advocate's review database.
Unsurprisingly, that meant there was plenty of room for dense, dark stouts clocking in around 15 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) at the 2025 Great Taste of the Midwest. The Great Taste is a beer nerd's wonderland, and brewers contributed to this boozy nirvana with plenty of imperial stouts to serve as the bold break between pale ales and pils.
On Thursday, I broke down 2025's best non-stout beers here. Now let's talk about the imperial stouts that made the biggest impact on me at one of the world's best beer festivals.
3 Floyd's Dark Lord Marshmallow Handjee '24 imperial stout
The first sip is an explosion of flavor. Of course it is; it's what 3 Floyds does best. You get those big soft s'mores notes, but most importantly you get a little bit of crispness to finish each gulp. This really ups the replay value of a heavy beer in a way that matters, allowing you an experience that betrays the 15.6 percent ABV underneath. The only giveaway this is a beer you should probably stop at two with is the dense, dark body and unmistakable smell of bourbon barrel aging floating off the top.
3 Sheeps' The Wolf 2025 imperial stout
The Wolf was my first imperial stout of the day -- a foreboding task when it's 88 degrees out and sunny. It poured big and boozy, with a lovely copper head atop a dark coffee pour. The smell is split between bourbon and chocolate, with just a little sweet fruit (maybe cherry?) floating skyward.
The first sip? Absolutely lovely. Despite the lack of carbonation in a thicker style of beer, if comes across your lips gently. Some barrel-aged stouts feel like a chore to drink. Not The Wolf. It's sweet but not overpoweringly so. It's boozy but not to the point where you'd stop yourself after one or even two. This beer is a problem in the best way. I am a fan.
Pilot Project Brewing's Stave + Maple imperial stout
This was a late pick-up -- probably a point where a boozy 12.5 percent ABV barrel-aged stout wasn't a great idea. But it sounded great and Pilot Project offered an opportunity to check in with a new brewery.
The beer poured as dense as you'd expect. The smell leaned heavily into the whiskey-ringed oak where it reached maturity, but underneath was juuuuuust enough waffle vibes to let you know where this was going. Despite the thickness, this was very drinkable. The heaviness of the pour doesn't translate to your tongue. You get that maple sweetness with just enough Christmas vibes -- some cinnamon, a little chocolate and some spices.
That all sounds like a lot, and it sounds exhausting. Pilot Project found a way to make it feel fresh with each sip.
Revolution Brewing's Ryeway to Heaven imperial stout and X-Hero imperial IPA
Allow me to cheat here. The Ryeway is a barleywine. The X-Hero is an imperial IPA. Both are big and boozy and, at the very least, Ryeway felt like it belonged. Let's roll with it.
Barleywines typically aren't my jam, but Revolution delivered a flavor profile I love. The Ryeway gives you a dense, flavorful and sweet package of those cereal grains that can be a bit overwhelming at times. That would be an issue if this didn't clock in at 15 percent ABV, but it's clear you're dealing with a sipper that's not meant to be drank more than one or two at a time.
You end up with a beer that's heavy in texture but lighter on your tongue. Heavy chocolate and malt flavors dance around to give you the impression you're drinking a special occasion beer.
The X-Hero was exactly the kind of hit you'd expect from Revolution's "Hero" series. My first sip ended with an audible "whoa" as heavy tropical fruit flavors carried me away before a tight wave of hops snapped things off with some balancing bitterness. It never felt like a 10 percent ABV beer, but making big and boozy feel light and flavorful is Revolution's whole jam.
Toppling Goliath's 2025 Koselig imperial stout
The smell off the top of this was rich raisins, a little bit of rum and a lot of bourbon barrel influence. It's rich, sweet and decadent.
As has become a theme with the cream of the crop imperial stouts, everything here is lighter than you'd expect. You get a little bit of that 14.7 percent ABV up front, but it does little to flatten the flavors that come after it. The opening is boozy raisin and bread pudding. The finish is sweet, warm whiskey. That's a teeter-totter that shows off Toppling Goliath's range and reminds me, yet again, why the Decorah, Iowa brewer has established its place in my circle of trust.
Une Annee/Hubbard's Cave Brewery's El Zacaton imperial stout
Spicy. That was the first impression of this beer. Une Annee set itself apart from the field of big, boozy stouts with peppers -- guajillo, ancho and, importantly, habanero. With that and some chocolate and vanilla notes, you wind up with a mole-inspired beer. Neat.
Despite that tang, the taste here makes it very easy to come back to. Each sip reminds you it's a high ABV beer -- it doesn't hide its booze nearly as well as its peers. At the same time, those rich flavors reward you with something unique for branching out and trying something new. You're left to deal with sweet chocolate notes, earthy spices and just a little bit of heat you'd expect from a habanero stout.
That's an underserved category, in large part because there's a huge capacity for things to go wrong. Une Annee/Hubbard's Cafe took a big swing and it paid off. It's weird. It works.
