I recently took a trip to Columbus, IN, where my wife and I lived for about six years after college. Back then, the Simmons Winery didn’t exist until June of 2000. We’re not wine drinkers so we had no interest in this fledgling winery when it opened. We moved away a couple years later but before the craft beer boom exploded.
Some years later in 2012, a little 10 barrel brewery was born on the same site as the winery, called 450 North Brewing. If you follow any beerstagram accounts on Instagram, you’ll see plenty of sexy pics of 450 North’s New England IPA’s, including my personal favorite Fresh Froot, an amazing milkshake IPA. It’s what they’re known for. On my recent trip, I tried several of their fabulous beers, including their imperial stout.
Dark Star is an American Imperial Stout touting an 8% ABV. It has a thin, light caramel-colored head that dissipates quickly. It has a medium-thick body which does a nice job of feeling creamy on the tongue. This beer tastes very much like a straight forward imperial stout. It’s dark and roasty with coffee bitterness on the back end. I did enjoy drinking this one, but there was something lacking, that “wow” factor. It also could be that I had the Fresh Froot at the same time and going back and forth between the two made for some weird sensations in my mouth. I will say that Fresh Froot had an amazing “wow” factor for me, and quite possibly that sullied my thoughts on Dark Star. While it is a pleasant imperial stout, Dark Star is nothing special. It’s a solid stout from an outstanding brewery known for their New England IPA’s. If you like a good imperial stout, you can’t go wrong with this one.
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