Big Sky Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Missoula, Montana USA

Serve in Snifter

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Never rated a Montana brew - cool. Shared by drowland (and Tim + Rachel) at Proof. pleasant big roasty leather and licorice aroma. taste is chocolate, bourbon, wood, light smoke, dark malts - warm all the way down - really nutty - good sipper - tobacco - 7.6

Pour is dark and heady. Aroma is very powerful oak vanilla raisons. Taste is slightly sweet lots of vanilla a little bit of cherry.

9/2/11. 750mL bottle thanks to deftim13! Opaque black pour with a nice tan head that lasts. Big BA aroma on this puppy - buttery vanilla, bourbon, and wood - with a touch of fudge and coffee. Bigger chocolate in the flavor with a bit of BA in there and way bigger lingering roast/coffee. There’s a hint of sour and nuts as well. Surprisingly light and maybe a touch over carbonated.

Shared 750 ml bottle, thanks to gunnar. Vintage 2010, ABV 10%. Bottle No. 3495 out of 3800. Pitch black colour, rich tan head. Intense aroma of bourbon and vanilla, oak and molasses, roasty notes in the background. The fairly sweet flavour is roasty with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, also molasses, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Lovely stuff.

2009 release A: Pitch black body. Large, frothy dark khaki colored head. Good retention and nice lacing left behind after each sip. A damn good looking beer. S: A light, smooth, refined bourbon highlights the malty base. Light vanilla, molasses, chocolate, and warmed caramel. T: Delicious. Bourbon, oak and vanilla are present from the barrels. Not hot, abrasive or overwhelming. Well integrated with the roasty sweet malt backbone. Caramel, molasses, chocolate, and a general roasted vibe. M: Medium-full bodied. Good even carbonation throughout. No excessive heat. Lingering roasted sweetness in the finish. D: A very nice beer that epitomizes subtlety in bourbon barrel treatment. A real find that people should try to seek out.

Vertical of 2008 (bottle 289 of 1152), 2009 (1304 of 3000) and 2010 (2443 of 3820) numerical rating is for 2009, the highest rated for me. All were black with a brown head. All had a lot of traditional Imperial stout flavors, but the 2009 was the stand out because the bourbon was still there, but not dominating everything, and wasn’t as sweet. Some of the booziness had settled down, as well. Really tasty, I could’ve drank a lot...

Pours black with a thin tan head. Has a vanilla, malty smell to it. Has a bourbon, vanilla taste it with a touch of coconut.

Bottle shared by badnewsbeers; #2828/3800, vintage 2010. Deep opaque brown body with reddish highlights, medium creamy light brown head. Nose of coffee and coconut. Body with toasted coconut, coffee, chocolate, and lots of molasses/dark sugars, imparting a firm sweetness that nicely balances the barrel flavors and alcohol. Pillowy and complex; pleasant but not world-beating.

2010 bottle shared with silphium. 2828 of 3800. black with small beige head. thin. big bourbon, vanilla, lactose, chocolate, roasted coffee, nuts, caramel, and butterscotch in the nose. awesome. again, huge bourbon punch with vanilla and massive caramel in the flavor. insane milkiness...sweet and bold. chocolate heaven

UPDATED: OCT 28, 2011 Bottle @ Brouwers. Deep black appearance with a light brown head. Very nice, amazing bourbon, sweet oaky, light vanilla, roasty chocolate malty aroma. Amazing chocolate malty, sweet chocolate toffee, dark chocolate bourbon, light vanilla flavor. I’m really surprised that the Jim Beam barrels complement this so well.