Portsmouth Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Portsmouth Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Snifter

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2012 bottle into sniffer. Black with a thin brown head. Aroma of dark roasted/burnt malt, prunes, smoked meat. Flavor is burnt malt, bitterness for Hops and dark malt, bakers chocolate, prunes and smoked salty meat. Medium body with medium carbonation. Overall I was very dissapointed. I dont know if I had a bad bottle, but I thought many local off the shelf imperial stouts were far better.

Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, smoke, and some vinous notes. Roasted malt flavor with smoke, vinous notes, and hint of cocoa. Just ridiculously good!

Bottle, shared with Bergen Beer Geek Tasting Crew. Another American whale on the table! Exciting indeed. :-) Kate comes ’a runnin’ out of her bottle in the shape of a jet black beer with a smooth, medium-sized off-white head. Her scent is that of grainy sweet dark malts, nuts, hints of leather and salty licorice. She tastes very much like the classic Norwegian sweet-salty licorice "IFA", with some sour-ish corn-like bitter dark chocolate tones. Very pleasant. Medium carbonation, smooth and slightly oily body. A fine stout for sure, this woman, but am I buying the hype? Not quite, but don’t get me wrong: this is still a damn fine woman. Or beer. Whatever.

12 ounce bottle shared by Alan at Matt’s tasting, poured a dark brown color, aromas of chocolate, light moocha, booze, and some light earth. Flavors are the same with some hops added, also some weired taste in the aftertaste, which threw off my rating, dont know what it was but un pleasent.

2010 bottle. Black color with fleeting tan sheen. Nice dark pit fruit, milk chocolate, medium roast malt aromas. Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel. Tart dark fruit, vinous flavors with medium roast malt, sugar--nice balance of sweet and tart flavors

Pours pitch black with a small film of tan head. Aroma of salt liquorce and coffee. Salty liquorice dominates the flavour. Some hints of dark fruits and soy. Full body and soft carb.

Beer Bloggers Conference 2012
Dark black in color, clear with a thin head. Super chocolate and coffee aroma and flavor. Rich thick and super stout. One of the best.

OH MY where to begin with Kate? Well how about, get it, trade for it, buy it, just try it somehow (within legal/moral means...) she crushes your palette with wonderful chocolate, bits of coffee, sweet, a bit of alcohol and a blend of some amounts of oak and fruits. Please try this if you can it will not let you down.

Very dark brown. No head or carbonation. Decent roasted, slightly sour and Sweet good bitter hoppy. A bit liquorish and watery at the same time weird. Even more weird my rating dissapeared, just came across cause wanted to reread this one. No message why or something... hope this is not happening on a regular base.

On tap at Kate the Great day 2010. Woohoo! A: Very black, but not opaque. Absolutely massive, beautiful beige head with tons of lacing. The head pretty much camped out on top of this beer for the duration. S: Roasted malt, vanilla, bitter chocolate. T: Wonderful. Huge flavors of bitter and sweet chocolates, subtle coffee notes, and a very pronounced vanilla finish that I found surprising and intriguing. This is truly a unique beer. M: Perhaps the best aspect of this brew. Perfect carbonation blended with a silky smoothness and just enough of an alcoholic or big presence to remind you that this is a RIS. D: I had three drafts and am so glad I made the pilgrimage to Portsmouth Brewery. Very highly recommended.