Real Ale 15th Anniversary (XV)

Brewed by Real Ale Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Blanco, Texas USA

Serve in Snifter

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From notes. Pours a rich black with hints of dark brown around the edges where the light comes through the thin beige head that left a moderate lacing down te glass. Nose hits me with chocolate, raspberry, a tiny bit of coffee, I detect no booze which is surprising due to the relatively high ABV. This guy is surprisingly sweet, lots of chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, booze is more present than in the nose. Nice creamy mouth feel, awesome smooth finish, nice light to medium carbonation, nice full body.

Pours inky black with one finger of burnt tan head. Nose is very roasty with notes of molasses and bitter chocolate, acidic and charred with some smoked character. Bitter and acidic chocolate with lots of char. Full bodied.

Black with a little head. A story in coffee, very fresh tasting. Good for what it is. A nice very coffee tasting IS. thanks for sharing Pino.

Dark pour, a finger of head. Coffee in the aroma, sweet, fig. Sweet tasting - Fig, coffee, dark dried fruit, some booze, Somewhere between a stout and old ale. Lighter mouthfeel.

Bottle, shared by emacgee. Dark brown with no head. Nose is heavy roast, bittersweet cocoa, light molasses, light pine. Flavor is super ashy and bitter amidst a light mouthfeel. Almost undrinkable. Strange, after the semi-promising nose.

Pours an expresso color with a very light brown soapy head. Notes of cola, styrofoam, fudge, and ash. Creamy yet supple mouthfeel. Enjoyable.

Roasted, inky nose, burnt coffee, a little chocolate, red wine, caramel, a nice nose; full-bodied, balanced bittersweet flavors throughout, quite pleasant, this is well-crafted, great mouthfeel, definite delicious factor, finish leans sweet and lingers .. this isn’t a game-changing stout, but simply very well done and lovely to drink. This is a real pleasure. I’d venture that coming from Real Ale, in Texas, it’s being a bit underrated.

Tasted from 12oz bottle into tulip, thanks Dak! Cool graphic design, layout and fonts. Poured an opaque motor oil black color with a thick tan head, long-lasting with excellent Belgian lace. Aromas of caramel, brown bread, coffee and cream, berries, molasses, unusually high level of grapefruity American hops. Malty sweet flavor, not too much residual sugar, and tart with a nice crispness I’m not used to in Imperial Stouts (again, perhaps from higher hops levels.) Hints of bitter chocolate, espresso grounds, burnt toast, a bit of chalk and mushy bread in the mouthfeel, lingering fruity aftertaste. Rich, complex and delicious. Who knew such an interesting Russian Imperial Stout could come from Texas?!

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Aroma: Deep bold smell of chocolate, toffee, anise, roasted malt and a touch of fruit. Appearance: Jet black with a foamy one finger tan head that quickly dissipates. Taste: Chocolate up front transitioning to heavy roasted malt and raisins closing with bitter espresso. Palate: Fairly well-bodied but I would like just a bit more in a RIS. Silky mouthfeel that disappears just a bit too soon. Overall: A solid RIS that hovers above average, but falls short of being great. Very much enjoyed trying my first offering from Real Ale.

2/24/12. On tap at the brewery during RBWG 2012. Not quite opaque black pour, lots of ruby edges, all under a nice tan head. Nice robust aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruits. Nice flavor of sweet and dark chocolate, a bit of roast, a touch of tart acidity, and a hint of hoppiness and dark fruits. Not bad!