Stone Imperial Stout by Stone Brewing is being judged as an Imperial Stout per the 2021 BJCP style guidelines for category 20C Imperial Stout.

The beer is presented at 50oF in a snifter tulip glass after a rough pour designed to produce foam. The color is opaque black, and the head a deep tan, but the foam of fine bubbles, originally 3/4" thick, fades quickly.  

The nose is initially rich and faintly sweet, with notes of cocoa and medium-roasted coffee, along with some fairly prominent dark fruity esters (fig, dates) and some nuttiness to complement. As the beer warms and is swirled, the evidence of alcohol heat and a faint herbal hop note come through. Overall, the nose is very, very roasty and dry.

The flavor starts with strong burnt roast notes with a fleeting splash of sweet maltiness then an appreciable bitterness emerging in the mid-palate, along with flavors of black licorice, coffee and bitter chocolate. The finish is very long and quite dry and bitter, with some water hardness minerality evident. Body is medium-full, with some evident creamy texture and a light degree of astringency. Conditioning is medium, producing a full mouthfeel.

Overall this is a very strong and roasty and bitter-leaning stout. It seems as though there is little to no caramel malt in the grain bill, which is often used to provide some residual sweetness and richness to complement the bitterness and acidity from both kettle hops and roast material used  in production. While somewhat simple, it comes off a bit like a supercharged American stout with very fresh and pronounced roastiness along with noticeable hop elements in the profile. Based on the very forward roast and abundant bitterness, I surmise the beer is relatively young. I suspect with aging some of the angular  character would diminish, sweetness in the balance would emerge, along with some complexity. As it is, it is very "stouty" and fresh with clean ale flavors dominated by roast elements and high bitterness. It makes for a flavorful digestif or a complement to a dessert after a savory meal.