Hales Pikop Andropovs Rushin Imperial Stout

Brewed by Hales Ales
Style: Imperial Stout
Seattle, Washington USA

Bottle Pours about as black as it gets witha lively, short lived foamy red-brown head. In fact, in about a ninute, the head is gone. And I mean GONE. No lacing. Even after a swirll. Aroma is wonderfull. Sweet, chocolately, and there is that Purple Grape jelly again. Some whiskey barrel notes as well. Flavors are a smokey sour fairly dry taste. Not much else. A bit boring and simple actually. Why cant these taste as good as they smell. A big tease. Not bad after all just a bit of a let down. Finish is slightly chalky, carbonation is a bit lively. A smokey, not too bitter aftertaste. I’ll be trading away the others I have probly.

Pours a viscous BLACK with a brown head. Aroma is nice, smokey and roasty. Taste is of roasted malt, coffee, hops and cherries. Slightly bitter. What I didn’t like was that it was very sour on the back end. Needs more sweetness. Mouthfeel is full, round and creamy but not as thick as you think it would be. Decent.

Pitch black with one of the darkest brown heads I've seen in a while. Sweet, milk chocolate, roasted coffee, vanilla and perhaps a hint of molasses in the nose. Pretty damn full in the mouth with lasting sensations. Fairly roasted flavors of coffee and burnt malts. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel and maybe some lactic acid come through as well. The finish is long and dry with some hints at hops, but mostly dominated by the thick, rich malts. While this was fairly pleasant, I would have preferred a bit more sweetness and maybe some fruit notes. However, the roasted coffee accompanied the Birthday/King cake quite nicely.

Black with a dense, brown head. Flavor and aroma of burnt and roasty malt, light smoke, bittersweet chocolate, coffeee beans, subtle vanilla, and just the right amount of hops. Medium/full palate, balanced. Solid brew.

sample @ cask fest and 22 oz. bottle - nice to see this brewed again; jet black with tan head; lots of roasted aromas and flavors; bitter chocolate in there too; smooth drinking with slightly dry finish

22 oz bottle: dark, syrupy blackness. Thick, rocky dark brown foam. Wonderful roasted nose with smooth vanilla, creamy chocolate covered bananas, lactic acid, and bittersweet toffee. Dark roasted coffee flavours and a burnt banana maltiness. Light lactic build-up on the palate, but this adds to the creaminess. The sweet fruity flavours come in during the finish – black cherries, sweet plums, raisins. Coffee bitterness lingers, along with some mint. Solid Imperial, complete with vinous qualities and a nice caramel coating of the glass.

May have been a bad bottle, because this was pretty aweful. Burnt rubber nose and worse flavor. Attractive dark brown pour with dark tan head.

Dark thick blackish brown pour. Frothy brown head. Lightly fruity and caramelly roasty malts, cherries, chocolate. Okay, light aroma. Tastes like crap. Sorry. Upfront overly roastly pile of malt, burnt coffee and chocolate. Unpleasant. Too roasty, taints the complexity, if there is any.