Cigar City Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout - Bourbon Barrel Aged

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: FEB 18, 2010 The aroma is unexpectedly light bourbon (which is good, the bourbon doesn’t overpower the beer), chocolate, roasted malts. The appearance is black, brown head. The flavor is chocolate, booze, roast coffee. The finish is roasty, and a light warming boozy flavor. The mouthfeel is creamy, medium/thick to thick mouth feel (not as thick as I would have thought). Great beer.

Weird quart growler bottle courtesy of bret27. Had just after the regular Zhukov, and definitely an improvement in my eyes. Still a huge and not very drinkable beer, but the barrel aging has taken just enough of the edge off to make it pleasant all around, and add interesting wood an bourbon notes to the flavor and aroma. Super black appearance, as with the regular version, same none-more-black (well, weird ashy brown) head, though smaller, undoubtedly due to the growler treatment versus bottle-conditioning. Just a great aroma, with bourbon complimenting intense dark chocolate and roast. Not as ashy as the regular version. Most of the intensely bitter and roasty flavors carry over from the regular version, but are tempered a little by a sweeter bourbon quality. Still has a touch of astringency and alcohol, but it isn’t too detracting. Thick with lower carbonation. The bourbon is a nice element, while letting the base beer still do most of the talking. For me, it was just enough to really open things up, though drinkability was still low.

Bottle courtesy bret27. Pours black as ink with a super-dark brown head, might even be darker than regular Zhukov. Aromas of chocolate cookies, oak, and molasses, with a bourbon character that doesn’t take over but rather complements everything else. Flavor is still very roasty and bitter but it’s toned down compared to the base beer, which is exactly what the base beer needed. Unsweetened chocolate, oak, smooth bourbon. Mouthfeel is still rather astringent. Thick and oily on the palate. A huge, huge beer.

On tap at CCB at the mini grand opening. It pours inky void with forever mocha head. I mean I let this sit for over an hour before drinking and it still had plenty of foam left. The aroma has robust notes of bourbon, oak and a lighter amount of straight up bourbon booze. Well behind those barrel notes are dark roastiness and dark chocolate. The taste is rich and velvety and pervasively barrel forward for sure. There’s boozie bourbon, hints of vanilla and robust oak covering up mild background notes of dark velvety chocolate and dark roasted malts. It is hard to believe the barrel was able to overcome this much malt roastiness from this batch of Zhukov’s, but it did. Personally I’d prefer a bit less barrel time but this was a tasty experience.

Draft at gand opening of Cigar city tasting room. Poured near black with a tall, dense dark brown head. Nose is big in bourbon notes, also roasted malts, chocolate, toffee, and wood. Full body with a creamy, slightly oily or viscous mouth feel and a good amount of carbonation. Flavor is rich with roasted malt notes, lots of chocolate, and molasses, vanilla, wood, light coffee and a nice amount of Bourbon. Bourbon is pretty well balanced with the roasty malt flavors not overpowering at all. Finishes roasted with lingering bourbon and a touch of warming alcohol.

Dark pour with a head that fades after a short period of time. Aroma is subdued bourbon with some cocoa and a lot of espresso. Flavor resembles normal Zhukov but substitutes bourbon where there were previously hops. The tradeoff is perhaps slightly tastier but less compelling. Palate is surprisingly much better than regular Zhukov, less sticky and more chewy.

On tap at CCB. Pours a sinister looking pitch black color with massive dark chocolate head that settles slowly and laces the glass. Aroma is bourbon, chocolate, roast, toffee, caramel, molasses, some slight smoky and woody notes. Flavor is sweet and roasty with notes of bourbon, burnt coffee, chocolate, cocoa, molasses, light earthy notes, light notes of floral hops in the background. Generally full body, creamy, silky mouthfeel and a roasted sweet malt finish. Not as much bourbon on this as I would have expected but an amazing beer.