Cigar City Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout - Double Barrel-aged 2010

Formerly brewed at Cigar City Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle… This beer rocks!… Pitch black ale. A very hard pour creates a thin, fat-bubbled, dark brown head. I normally have an ornery sniffer, but this complex brew is easily broken down into modules of caramel, mocha, fruity apple brandy, bourbon and oak. Full-bodied with a fairly thick, creamy mouthfeel and very little carbonation. Burnt and bitter, the flavor is a carbonaceous swirl of charcoal, ash, sweet mocha and dried dark fruits. Warm, comforting finish. I’m not a big fan of apple brandy and would have enjoyed this beer more had half of it been aged in a Cognac or traditional brandy barrel, but it’s a top-notch, world class beer nonetheless.

Great, amazing beer. Everything about this is smooth. I kind of like Bourbon county stout from goose island better. This is an amazing beer. Practically perfect.

750mL yellow-wax bottle from a super generous FL BA. Pours a viscous oily black with very little carbonation - just a collection of brown bubbles around the edges. It does leave some brownish legs along the sides, almost tinting the glass a bit. The aroma is complex and fantastic. It’s all in there - bourbon, vanilla, cocoa powder, charred black malts, oak, tobacco. I mean, it’s just a massive nose. The taste doesn’t disappoint either. The burnt malt character is even more dominant than in the aroma. There is bitter chocolate, espresso and dark fruits. The barrel character hits hard in the finish and the bourbon especially burns going down. The mouthfeel is where this one falls short of excellent as it’s hardly carbonated at all. I had a regular 2010 Zhukov last week and it had the same issue. It doesn’t completely take away from the beer but does affect the overall impression. This is a massive, heavily charred impy stout that has a solid but not overpowering barrel character. If the carbonation had been a bit better this one would be a world class beer. It’s still an excellent beer.

Rating 1400. Bottle, thanks Matt. Pours dark brown/black, with a slight brown head. Aroma is bourbon, dark fruit, brandy, roasted malt, molasses, and a bit of smoke. Flavor is brandy, bourbon, dark fruit, roasted malt, molasses, caramel, and some alcohol. Start sweet and ends somewhat dry and a little bitter. Body is not as thick as I expected or as it looked like when I poured it. Great stuff.

This was a fantastic beer. I could not imagine it being any better. Pours pitch black with no head. I love the complexity of this beer, my palate was going crazy with everything going on with this. I can’t wait to try my second bottle once it ages a little more.

UPDATED: NOV 22, 2010 tasting on 7/30/10. pitch black pour with no head. I get a lot of the brandy barrel throughout this one - the bourbon barrel takes a backseat. dark fruit, chocolate, spice and brandy nose. big round body with lots of spice, roasted malts, sweet dark fruits, chocolate, light coffee and brandy. somewhat hot finish with more roast and a touch of the barrels. great barrel blend of an outstanding base beer.

Pours a jet black color with no head. Aroma is fruity, jam, oak, vanilla, grape, and toast. Flavor is caramel, sweet chocolate, coffee, brandy, oak, vanilla, and a bitter roast finish.

Thanks to GOT for making me stay and try this. Big black pour with little carbonation. The bourbon barrel takes over a lot of the aroma, with some hints of chocolate. Oak, vanilla, chocolate, soy all competing in the taste. Barrel notes just screaming all over the place. Damn good brew.

UPDATED: JUL 30, 2010 Shared by godofthunder. Huge vanilla aroma with figs and dates. Pours murky black. Rich brandy flavors plum and figs followed by bitter dark chocolate, dark raisins and wood flavors run throughout. Excellent!

UPDATED: AUG 27, 2010 Bottle. Pours a still oily black. Low carbonation. Aroma of sweet caramel from the apple brandy and whiskey. Mouthfeel has thinned out with the liquor but is still smooth. Flavor of caramel and booze, without being too sweet. The best part is the finish. Smoke, peat, chocolate malts and more caramel linger in the mouth. I don’t know where the peat comes from in the beer, but it is great. Uber-dry finish, too. Awesome.