Sierra Nevada Empire Strikes Black Imperial Stout

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Chico, California USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Bottle shared at the big Hair of the Dog PreSale Tasting... Poured pitch black with a moderate, off white head. Fairly hoppy in bitterness with roasted coffee tones and an alcohol mouthfeel towards the finish. Some tobacco, molasses, and resinous qualities.

Draught at Burger. Black with a tan head. Espresso and dry dark chocolate aroma. The flavor is all bittersweet dark chocolate and espresso with ample but balanced hop bitterness. Substantial but not too sweet into the finish. Another great imperial stout form SN. Nothing mid blowing, but very drinkable and well-made stuff.
Earlier Rating: 12/28/2010 Total Score: 4
75cl bottle from the brewery. Thanks Mike! Black color with a thick and dense tan head that leaves lots of lace. The aroma is a nice mix or piney, resiny hops and thick, chocolatey malt. Also a bit of dried cherry and mint. The flavor is nice balance if dark chocolate and resiny hops, but the malt is a little thin overall compared to many beers of the style. The hops are very prominent, which help along the leaner malt flavors. Alcohol is still very subtle. The body is full but still on the lean side; definitely not thick and syrupy stout. The kind of RIS that you can drink a pint of, though you might still want a half.

2011 Seattle Beer Week – Back n Black – Brouwers Café
Dark Brown in color, with a thin tan head. Big coffee and dark chocolate flavors and aroma. Thick and roasty. This warms up perfect and is dry tobacco finish. Huge big dark beer.

Chocolate and coffee in the aroma. Very black color. Actually not as thick as the Snowed-In imperial stout. A light middle, hoppy finish and roasty. A very spicy/tangy finishing bite.

On tap at Urge. Thick black with brown head. Nose stale malt and cocoa. Mouth not as thick as in the glass. Big burst of flavor however has Lotsa roast malt and cocoa and creamy molasses. Finish is sharp and rather plain. Light and empty both for feel and leftover taste. Not bad, but not much more than that.

Draft @ Rattle ’N’ Hum SN event. Dark pour with tan head. Rich chocolate, roasted malt, some sweeter malt, and some fruit tones. Flavor is sweet with coffee, chocolate, vanilla and light roasty notes.

(draft @ Tap and Mallet - Rochester, NY) Dark black with a thick and long-lasting tan head. Roasted and rather sweet aroma with some dark fruit undertones. A little sweeter than I expected at the start of the flavor. Some light and mild roast underneath, but surprisingly well-balanced.

Since it’s my 200th beer, I needed something special and a bottle of Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Russian Imperial Stout that I got from the brewery fit the bill! Absolutely opaque black, and even with a strong halogen light directly behind it there is only a little ruby coloring at the very edges of the glass. Starts off with a fluffy, billowing dark tan head that eventually settles down to something manageable. Leather and chocolate come floating off this followed by a slight nuttiness. Immediate flavor of milk chocolate hits you on the first sip. This is followed by a light licorice flavor and then dry, roasted coffee and woody notes. The body is so creamy with a lingering sweetness that it’s hard not to compare this to a chocolate milkshake. That sweetness is balanced by a light, dry bitterness, but it’s hard to tell what’s hops and what’s heavily roasted malt. Whatever it is, it’s absolutely delicious. The aftertaste is actually quite different than the initial flavor, leaving a dark/bittersweet chocolate truffle taste behind. Although it’s 9.2% ABV, the alcohol is really subdued by all the flavor in here which would make this dangerous to drink if you had enough of it. This is an incredible dessert beer, but it also went surprisingly well with the Shepard’s pie I drank it with. Although I’m jealous as hell that I haven’t been able to go to Beer Camp yet (even though I’m an honorary Chicoan :), I’m glad they shared this delicious labor of love with us!

The beer pours dark chestnut with a decent dark caramel head. The aroma is a bit too light with some malty roasted notes. The body is rich and delicious with roasted malty notes and a light bitter finish with some light coffee notes.

750 c&c as Beer Camp 6 from the shop at SN. Pours black with a 4 finger creamy tan head (tulip glass). Aroma is mostly coffee. Full bodied. Flavor strongly suggests bacon and coffee. It’s a little sweet, and there’s a good dose of hoppy bitter. Chocolate develops with some time. It’s just plain mouth smacking. Another brilliant ale.