Blind Tiger Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Blind Tiger
Style: Imperial Stout
Topeka, Kansas USA

Serve in Snifter

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This was not what I was expecting or hoping for, and despite the fact that I think this batch is "off", it was still interesting from the standpoint of flavor combinations.

Served in a standard shaker, it pours jet black with a thin, creamy, tan head that reduces to a still, oily surface. The aroma is very different from any impy stout that I’ve ever tried: dark chocolate covered strawberries, plums, and faint alcohol blend into a fruity combination. No roast, no coffee. Medium to full-bodied with fine, lightly prickly carbonation coming through the oily texture. It finishes with a lightly dry woodiness. The flavor is of bright, fresh plums and dark, bittersweet chocolate with a fruity/tart, dry, almost woody finish and just a touch of roast at the end. After the first few sips, however, something undeniable and quite bold began to take hold of and dominate the flavor profile: green apple. What a shame. I think that this beer certainly has potential to be great, and from what others have written, other batches have been. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to find out if I’m right.

Growler shared thanks to Set. Black with medium body. Nice taste of coffee and roast. The lower ABV (9%) and sweetness, though, sets it off as not exactly a RIS. Good.

On tap at brewpub deep black color when poured Aroma begins surprisingly faint, with a touch of molasses . Flavor has a hint of syrup no lingering aftertaste mouthful was pleasent. Overall a beer I can drink on everydat basis.

On tap at the brewpub. Served in a shaker glass. Dark black with a slight light brown head. Some purple edges. The nose is plummy, with some cherry cordial and alcohol. The flavor starts off with plums, chocolate, and alcohol. Is it warms, green apple takes over and make this beer almost undrinkable. It reminds me of 06 DL. Not good. Medium body. Rich, gritty mouthfeel. Medium carbonation. Dry finish.

UPDATED: JAN 19, 2008 Tap, pint glass pour(!), dark black, with a minimal dark brown head, no lacing. Aroma is strong of plum, prune, chocolate cherry cordial (credit to tjthresh for this one), with other dark fruits, strawberry(?) and just a hint of molasses - interesting and odd at the same time. Flavor is equally unique, with lots from the aroma present - plum, dark fruit juice, very few of the telltale signs of an IS in either the aroma or flavor. Unfortunately, as it warms, a strong presence of green apple takes over everything, and things go south from there...

UPDATED: DEC 9, 2008 I got a growler of this again in December 2008. An excellent and solid brew with well hidden alcohol. Excellent. Older reviews follow. This was my favorite beer when I regularly drank here 6 years ago. It is still the best of the bunch. The body was perfectly black with a light brown colored head. The aroma was soybeans with some Karo corn syrup. There was also some hazelnut aroma. The taste was dark chocolate with some coffee. There were also hazelnuts in the sweet finish. The body was relatively thin for the 10-11% alcohol. At least that is the ABV the bartender told me it had.

Growler (1 day old). Poured essentially black. There was a touch of brown during the pour but in the glass its as black as night with a thin layer of brown foam. Aroma begins surprisingly faint, with a touch of molasses and pruney fruit. On the first sip - whoa, big time smooth. Awesome soft and light mouthfeel without being thin in the least. Towards the finish, a acrid style burnt malt and chocolatey raisins soaked in rum and soy sauce blend into a rich semi-sweet finish. Despite this complexity, the flavors are nearly as faint as the aromas, and its pretty weird! The lingering aftertaste features an acrid bitterness that seems to combine the bitterness of a lingering hop (maybe Chinook but thats just a wild guess) with that of heavily roasted malts. The further in, the beer seems drier, featuring more of the roast and less of the fruity molasses character. I think this combination of complexity and fullness of palate while being subtle, understated and easy-drinking makes this a thoroughly world-class imperial stout!

Moderate chocoately roasty aroma, with just a bit of coffee. Rich and malty, with a lively texture on the mouthfeel. This is very smooth for the alcohol level is really undetectable. Highly recommended

LET IT BE KNOWN THAT TAR IS THE MAN OF IMPY’S! Black Coloring with Small Head. Possibly Bad Bottling on This One. Wasn’t Quite As Impressive as Other Rates Suggest. Sweet, Some Malt...Syrapy and Agreeably Grainy. Not Sure What to Think.

Bottled from a growler thanks to TAR: Pours black with a thin tan head. Aroma is of strong sweet dough, coffee, raisins, sweet chocolate. Flavor of raisins, chocolate, coffee, sweet dough. Bitterness comes in the finish to almost balance the huge sweetness. This beer is very unique. The best way to describe it is raisinettes mixed into sticky bun dough and sprinkled with some expresso. So strong, so chewy, so good.