Iron Hill Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Iron Hill Newark
Style: Imperial Stout
Newark, Delaware USA

I know I’m going to be a dissenter on this one. Poured dark brown with ruby highlites with an off-white head (looks more like a porter). Aroma of whiskey, molasses, and, oddly enough, cigarette smoke. Taste is cheap whiskey, stale coffee grounds, and a bit of old dark chocolate. Finishes dry and astringently bitter. Not sure what happened with this one, but I wasn’t all that impressed.

Bottled takeout from restaurant. Apple roast malt-fuel-fume coffee. Sticky to the touch, thick black brew with no head. overpowered murk. sweet roasts with faint fruit, roast nutty finish. mucky-sticky palate. rather tired of this kind of beer due to the many entries of this nature sticky, fuely, over-roast burnt, lacking subtlety, lacking enjoyment.

Rating #1200. Bottled at the Milwaukee YeHA thanks to 1FastSTi! Poured a lovely shade of black with mahogany highlights and a tall, well-retained cap of caramel head. Aroma was of rich dark chocolate paired with airy, grainy coffee and espresso.. full and enchanting with an oh-so-subtle hint of smoke. Deeply-roasted coffee and dark chocolate all the way through the flavor!... grainy feel with lots of power and other complimentary dark sugars. Very smooth on the palate.. rich and heavy with a strong roasted finish and some coffee bitterness.. long, warm finish. Fantastic! This was one of the highlights from a fantastic night for me. Thanks a bunch Blake!

Mostly opaque with some cherry-mahogany lightening at the edges. Boisterous aroma is accented by black licorice, unsweetened chocolate bricks and espresso grinds hammered into substantive brownies. Alluring aroma, and matching flavor delivery. Flavor seeps in with a charred chocolate brick avec espresso grinds characteristics. Dance of the dark traits moves into burnt espresso getting spatulad out of a sauce pan previously containing burnt caramel and brown sugar, ceaselessly adhering to the bottom of the pan and palate alike. Mocha cinnamon sticks impart a mildly roasted cigar wrapper flavor while a hint of burnt chocolate malt balls clings to its tips. Enchanting bitterness drums with the heavily emphasized French roast grinds, leaving the mouth with a memory that’s deceptively light, despite the full bodied percussion. Big thanks to Blake for this one!

Milwaukee YeHA! 2006

Thanks to 1FastSti by way of The_Epeeist. This has been a beer I’ve wanted to try for a while now. Since it is neither barrel aged or brett-infused, it made a perfect choice as the night wound down. This was an excellent beer overall but in the crowded field of imperial stouts I think it falls just short of a 4.0. If I could give thousandths of a point, this would be a 3.95 (just about what its average is).

Aroma / Appeaarance - Smoke, malt, expresso, cherries and a very light amount of hops form an enticing bouquet. The body poured midnight black with a mocha colored head. While not the same thickness as Expedition or Dark Lord, this one still had some heft to it as it swirled around the glass.

Flavor / Palate - There is a slightly hoppy initial taste that soon fades. When it does, expresso, malt and smoke come to the forefront. The finish is a little sweeter and fruitier before a creamy feeling coats the palate. Overall this is a pretty complex beer with alot going on. I would easily split this with one other person if given the chance (750 ml might be a bit much but 375 would be just the perfect amount).

Cheers to Fantomas. Tons of coffee and chocolate in the aroma. Pours black! The flavor is filled with roasted barley, burnt coffee, chocolate, some vanilla. Very nice.

This beer was a cold dark black. Light chocolate is present in the aroma. The body of the beer was roasted and loaded with chocolate. It was much sweeter then I anticipated. Overall pretty good.

Thanks 1FastSti for sharing this one. Incredible aroma that is freaking loaded with chocolate and coffee. One of the strongest aromas of the night. Dark, dark black in color with a thin brown head. Rich bitter dark chocolate flavors,with some spicy coffee and pine hop bitterness. Full bodied, nice and creamy texture.