Plevnan Siperia Imperial Stout

Brewed by Koskipanimo
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampere, Finland

Serve in Snifter

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This is a very good beer. Probably my first Imperial Stout, but it was a perfect beer almost. NO complains there.

Cask Handpump at the GBBF, Earl’s Court 02/08/2006 Fruit and hop aromas. Black strong in alcohol and hoppy. Smooth on the palate with some dryness and roast in the finish.

Cask, GBBF 06. Very dark brown with a capuccino head. Aromas are grassy and smoky with vegetable notes. Earthy coffee with chocolate and liquorice. Flavours are viscous black coffee with root vegetables. Some cola sweetness with earthy, liquorice notes. Bitter and dry on the finish with warming alcohol. Good stuff.

Cask @ GBBF 2006. Rating #900. Pours a black colour with a tan head. Roasted malty slightly fruity aroma, hints of chocolate and licorice. Roasted malty bitter flavor with lots of chocolate, licorice and coffee. Long bitter finish.

What could have been a tasty imperial stout was totally ruined by the hopping, for me. Any roast or dark malt flavours - the sort of thing you would expect in a stout - are totally overwhelmed by very prominent, citrusy American hops. To me it tasted more like a black and tan made with a Double IPA. A great disappointment, especially as this is one of my favourite styles. I don’t object to the bitterness - there should be loads in a strong stout. (Tasted 7th September 2006, on draught in Wildeman, Amsterdam.)

Cask (GBBF 2006): Grassy, herbal hop nose. Brutal chocolate and roast flavours. Lovely and sweet, yet so balanced. Seriously full bodied with lovely hoppy citric notes. Pitch black, with a lasting short brown head. Top stuff.

Cask@GBBF 06’. Truly delicious stuff. Pretty much pitch black in colour. Lots of roasted malt, mocha, licorice, chocolate in the aroma. These come aromas come through in the flavour. The palate is very full, and the finish is very long. Lots of roasted malt bitterness. Its is quite rich, yet it maintains a wonderful soft mouthfeel. The flavour just seems to go forever. A fantastic imperial stout.

(Draught at GBBF, London, 2 Aug) Colour is pitch black with a brown frothy head. Nose is roasted, but mainly hoppy with notes of pine needles and resin. Taste is roasted with chocolate and lots of hops, notes of citrus, pine needles and resin. Bittersweet finish with espresso (with lots of sugar), liquorice, juniper berries and some dried apricot. Hmm! Very complex, surprisingly hoppy. Quite lovely actually.

UPDATED: OCT 11, 2008 Cask at GBBF 06’: wow!, this beer is something else..., one of the most extream beers that i’ve ever tasted if not the most. Black as the night with a brown head that stays on. This beer is not for everyone, certainly not for beginners. Very very bitter, very strong cirtusy hoppyness in the aroma and flavor in a way that shocks and numb your taste buds for the first few seconds and sips, heavily roasted, strong concentrated espresso like flavor and extra dark chocolate notes, some mild caramel sweetness underneath the bitterness, full bodied and extreamly rich, what an experience!

Cask (gravity dispense) at GBBF, August 2006. Day 1, beer #25. A good catch for GBBF. Entirely black with a thin beige head. Good rich chocolate and coffee aroma with a faint medicinal edge. More rich chocolate on the palate with hints of tar and (again) medicine. Distinctly bittersweet character with lots of resinous hops to go with the chocolate and malt elements. Strong, roasty aftertaste. If I have any complaint its that the hoppy bitterness detracts from the smoothness of the mouthfeel and makes it feel a touch lighter than it is. But that would just be nitpicking. Overall a damn fine beer that shone out amongst a host of more insipid offerings; whether it would have impressed quite as much pitted against a range of impy stouts is open to question.