Itchen Valley Russian Winter

Brewed by Itchen Valley
Style: Imperial Stout
Alresford, England

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Cask conditioned Reading BF 2012. Black beer. Lasting beige head. Some coffee. Some yeast on aroma. Youngish coltish beer. Some hop on end. Its ok but needs either a bit more time or a bit more flavour a bit tight

Cask@The Pineapple, London. Black colour, small beigeish brown head. Aroma is coffee, some roasted malts, liquorice and mild berryish notes. Flavour is rather similar with some mild wooden and caramelly notes. Big dark berries/fruits in the finish.

Cask @ O’Connell’s Irish Pub
Forms a small, but lasting bright beige head. Aroma is slightly sour with some oat and roastiness. Flavour is sourish and somewhat tart with some oat, Dry finish. Nice and smooth, but should be less sour. Or then I just got the end of the cask.

Cask. Very dark ruby beer, almost black. Loose, medium sized, tan head. Malty nose, nice roasted barley notes, some biscuits and caramel. Light herbal hoppiness and dark fruits. Milk chocolatey finish with light milk sugary acidity. Medium body, velvety texture.

This was ok. Thin tan head disappears quivly. Aroma of burned caramel and coffee. The palette starts like a nice roasty stout, but the lack of alcohol means this is nowhere near a true RIS. The mocha and black treacle palette fades quickly leaving a hoppy bitterness with a bit of chocolate. Good pint and pleasant alternative from big grain bill/mad IBU Imperial Stouts around, but expect no fireworks.

Cask (Angleterre, Helsinki)
Coffee mocha - yum! Black, large tight bready coffee-coloured head. A touch less wow in the mouth, a little bit astringent. But still blasting into my 7 zone, and taking a peek at 8. Darn good, a very heavy roast, and again some mocha. Finish is quite liquoricey, and again a touch astringent, but otherwise smooth mocha. A whole pint of this slipped down very easily indeed. Very, very nice, but didn’t quite live up to the wow from the aroma. Unusually, and unfortunately for her, Anna didn’t share this.

Cask at Oluthuone Leskinen. The appearance was very dark as you would expect from an imperial stout. Sadly the head was minimal.T he body was medium with a creamy mouthfeel, which partially overwhelmed the actual taste. Russian Winter is relatively light for its style.

Cask at The Hop Pole, Aylesbury. Very black. Aroma of caramel and tar. Mid sweet with treacle and butterscotch. Medium bodied with rounded mouthfeel. Heavy sticky pudding. Low bitterness.

Good beer with a distinct coffee taste. A must for all stout drinkers. Best enjoyed not to cold

Hand pulled at the Court House, Dudley, with the King of Halesowen. Thick black beer, with a neat white topping. I thought the Russian reference was just an affectation, certainly didn’t pick this as an Impy. Lovely Stout though - firmly flavoured with ashy goodness and really well balanced.