Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Fortuna, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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1lb 6oz bottle. Pours almost opaque chestnut with a red hue around the edges. The nose is like a fruit ’n’ nut bar - as well as the sweet chocolate there is a lot of raisins going on - gorgeous! The taste has burnt black raisins and chocolate. The palate has a big structure, a nice creamy texture and not such an elegant finish as I’d have preferred. The overall impression is that the nose is excellent but it falls away from there.

The Dan Journal #466. The winner of the Blind Imperial Stout Tasting. Tasted 4/2/11. All of the stouts were poured into a taster glass, so I have no idea of bottle size nor vintage. Tasting notes were taken as bullet points, so I apologize for the brevity...Pours opaque with a dark brown, pitch hue with a thick tan head. Aromas of tea leaves, fudge and milk chocolate. Full bodied and rounded with a smooth, albeit slick and oily palate. Flavors of fudge with a modest burn. Sticky and piney and totally rounded and smooth. This was really good!

6/26/2009 I’ve had this bottle for a year or two, tonight she beckoned to me. This one pours a solid black with a smallish tan head that dissipates quickly. Chocolate syrup, candied caramel, and a touch of alcohol dominate the aroma. Some rosted malts come through as she warms, but it is faint. Luscious and creamy mouthfeel bring out the milk chocolate very well in this one. It’s almost like sipping on a thick chocolate milk. Slight alcohol midstream with a slightly roasty, dark dried fruit finish. Carbonation is low but ample, body is thick. I really enjoyed this one, its very tasty. I thought it lacked some roasted flavors that I usually associate with an Imp Stout, but I could enjoy this beer often if given the chance.

Pour dark drown almost black short lived tan head. Aroma cocoa, espresso, fake chocolate, heavy cream, coffee, slight licorice. Taste roasty, chocolate, espresso, coffee, heavy cream, licorice, cocoa, abv extremely well hidden. MF medium slightly thin body but rather creamy it works well. Overall really tasty beer that is highly quaffable even at a high abv. Thanks Manuchampions!!!

65cl Bottle at Dutch RB Meeting. Black colour, beige head. Aroma is sweet, malty, hard roasted malts, chocolate. Flavour is sweet, chocolate, liquorice, roasted malts, light creamy, bitter roasted choc finish. Medium bodied. Just OK.

Aroma is roasty, smoky liquorice, some weird sidenote, some mocca. Flavour is deep roasty smoky malt, some liquorice, spices and more. Nice stout, not really imperial but definitely good.

Bottle at UDRBM. Dark brown to black pour, thin tan head. Aroma is fruity dark with some burnt malts, some leather, caramel and chocolate. Flavor is sweet, malty, roasted and with some cookies. Not really an imperial stout, but still a nice brew.

The beer pours a super light brown, as it pours doesn’t even look black, just brown. Light carbonation, a light tan head that rises about less than a finger and gone right away. No lacing. The aroma is super light, gives off non ris notes of mostly caramel and dark fruits with the lighest whisp of coffee. The taste is pretty blah, not a whole lot going on until the fiish where there is a little coffee, but its just really light and boring. The feel is super light and the drinkability is limited just because so many options. Overall, this is a ris to avoid. This is an organic of avoid, nothing special at all here.

Black, thin tan head. Aroma of sour milk, chocolate. Taste is also unpleasantly sour. There must be some kind of infection because this is funky. Buttery, no roast character whatsoever. Slick, low carbonation, sour dry finish. Hard to drink. Need to buy again sometime...maybe.

Bouteille. A thick oily black and brown coloration. almost no head. Malts and some dark fruits to taste. A bit sour or maybe I’m having a bad bottle. OK not amazing.