Bold City Roxy's Finest Imperial Cream Ale

Brewery: Bold City Brewery
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Style: Imperial Cream Ale
ABV: 10.1%
Price: $10/4pk

Jacksonville's craft beer scene has exploded in the last few years, thanks in large part to Bold City for introducing quality hand-crafted beer to North Floridians. Since Bold City opened its doors just a few years ago, Jacksonville has experienced a nice increase in the number of breweries, beer bars, and stores--and the beer scene has only just begun! Bold City has been, and still is, the foundation of Jacksonville's craft beer identity.

Roxy's Finest Imperial Cream Ale was released in four packs of 12 ounce bottles. This is a treat for locals because the brewery mainly sells only bombers and 12 packs. So this smaller package is a welcomed sight for people who don't want to commit to a 12-pack or are scared off by bombers.

Roxy's Finest pours a nice and hazy golden hue. The aroma is lacking--there's just not much there. There's a faint smell of yeast and alcohol, but it's not all that arousing.

The taste is full of booze. It actually took me a few sips to distinguish anything beyond the mildly sweet alcohol flavor. Once I was able to move past the booze, I got hints of banana, yeast, and malt, but the flavor profile is pretty one-dimensional and way too boozy. The mouthfeel is quite syrupy, which is to be expected with a cream ale. Unfortunately, the taste isn't desirable enough for me to want my mouth coated with syrup of this flavor.



This imperial cream ale is pretty much a stronger version of their Killer Whale Cream Ale. The profiles are nearly identical; the imperial simply has more of everything. So, if you are a fan of Killer Whale, you'll probably enjoy this. Sadly, I am not a fan of either.

I appreciate what Bold City has attempted with Roxy's Finest Imperial Cream Ale. I like that they are venturing out and experimenting with what they already have. And despite my tasting notes, I will never tell a brewery to shy away from high gravity beers. Bold City is certainly going in the right direction; this one just didn't do it for me. Regardless, Bold City has become a local staple and I look forward to trying whatever concoctions they come up with in the future.