Imperial Darkness, an 8.1% imperial chocolate stout, has returned at Ground Breaker Brewing. The award-winning gluten-free craft brewery has released the beer in time for the holiday season!
 
Imperial Darkness is a full-bodied stout filled with the flavors and aromas of chocolate, roast, nut, and caramel. The brewers at Ground Breaker use just enough Oregon-grown Crystal hops to provide a balance to the bold flavors and high alcohol. 

Imperial Darkness is a robust stout brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla

“We brew this stout with 33 pounds of cacao nibs,” said Head Brewer Tyler Kueber. “We put them directly into the mash which really allows the chocolate flavor and aroma to be front and center.”

The holiday season isn’t the only thing Ground Breaker is celebrating with the release of Imperial Darkness. The brewery is marking their 11th anniversary on December 30th. An event to mark the occasion is scheduled for 2-8pm. The brewery’s founder, James Neumeister, will be there offering $20 discounts on mix and match cases of their craft beers, including Imperial Darkness. Salvi PDX, which has been operating out of the Ground Breaker kitchen, will be offering gluten-free fried chicken.

“We’re always excited to release Imperial Darkness this time of the year,” said Head of Operations Jesse Bufton. “We get a lot of requests for this stout and its release is a great way to celebrate the great things December brings.”
 
Imperial Darkness is currently available on draft and in 12-ounce cans at the Ground Breaker Gastropub. It will soon be available in Ground Breaker distributed territories throughout the US and Canada.

Gluten-free beer enthusiasts in Ground Breaker distributed territories far and wide will have the chance to try Imperial Darkness, a 9% ABV imperial stout. Initially released in January, this bold gluten-free beer was sold exclusively through their Gastropub location in Portland, Oregon and online through Bring on the Beer. Imperial Darkness.

“This recipe was over a year in development,” remarked James Neumeister, head of R&D. “Our first release was exclusively for our Yes We Can! Kickstarter Release Party. We released it under our Roll Up Door Series earlier this year, and we’re excited to give this Roll Up Door Series beer the wide distribution it deserves.”

Imperial Darkness is made with deeply roasted chestnuts, lentils, and cacao nibs. Fermented with generous amounts of vanilla and cold-brewed Equal Exchange coffee, this beer has a complex wave of cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and caramel flavor and aroma. With 62 IBU, Nugget and Willamette hops provide just enough bittering for a well-balanced imperial stout.

“We've been doing ingredient research with our Taproom Exclusives since we opened,” said Tyler Kueber, head brewer at Ground Breaker. “It's exciting to take all that we've learned with flavor, aroma and technique on the small batch system and scale it up in production.” 

Kueber makes the point that it’s not just about pushing the envelope in terms of ingredients and technique but also bringing the results to Ground Breaker fans in territories outside of Portland, Oregon. “Each bottle of Imperial Darkness is taking the flavor experience of our small batch brews that are found in the pub and distributing those flavor experiences to our fans in other states and even other countries,” declared Kueber. 

Imperial Darkness began shipping to Ground Breaker territories August 7.