Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout

Light toast aroma with a buttery chocolate scent as well as notes of leather and peat moss. Opaque brown body with a sizable fluffy brown head and heavy lacing. Medium bodied stout, fairly sweet with a bitter aftertaste. Roasted malts with a nutty flavor. Milk chocolate and toast as well as dry cocoa. Good stout, but nothing imperial about it.

16 oz bottle courtesy of the brewery (Glendale, WI) picked up on my February trip up there. Pours a thick black pour, pretty much opaque, with moderate brown head, darker, bubbly, laces some. Aromas are noticeable a fair distance away: roasted malts and cocoa, milky chocolate, cream, light coffee, caramel, minor anise feel. Initial is thick, a decent body, creamy with chocolate and coffee, roasted malts help through bitterness, some light burnt, caramel, and a good creamy smoothness. Well balanced, for sure. Smokiness is more burnt ash, not BBQ. Light, but there. This is pretty good overall, could use a touch more bitterness in the finish. Not bad at all though. Cheers!

Bottle. Pours a dark brown with about an inch of fizzy cola like head. Aromas are odd for the style... caramel and toffee... a little bit of dates. Flavor is also an interesting take. It starts off with a bunch of caramel sweetness but finishes with charcoal and peat, while still remaining fairly sweet. The base flavor is not nearly dark enough for my tastes on this style.

Appearance: Pours a suitable black body with a smallish, light tan-hued head. Smell: Malt-minded nose of chocolate, dark caramel, roast, and a light-handed pinch of anise. There’s a big whiff of dark fruits present as well. Taste: Flavors of roasted barley, semi-sweet chocolate, dark caramel, and even licorice greet the tongue on the first sip. A soft background dark fruitiness gently slides in. Fairly restrained hop presence only provides an ill-defined bitterness as you round the corner to the end. Then, it’s back to the roast and chocolate until the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel. Drinkability: While it’s not the most exemplary example of a Russian Imperial Stout as it simply lacks the verve and gusto of the style’s stalwarts, it’s still enjoyable and worth a try. So, why not give it try?

Bottle. Dark black pour, little bit of carbonation. Aroma was bourbon, vanilla and plum. Flavor walt roasted malts, smoke a little chocolate and finished bitter and dry on the palate. Ok, but I wish they’d try updating the recipe to make it bolder.

16 oz. bottle - Poured black with medium tan head that faded quickly. Aroma - burnt smokey coffee, dark fruits and also slight merlot scent. Flavor - ashtray, licorice, pencil shavings and black currant. Palate - thin mouthfeel with little carbonation. Finish is very dry and aftertaste is like an ashtray. Overall - A decent Imperial Stout except for dry ashy taste. Probably would not purchase again!!

Pours a midnight black with a burnt coffee aroma. Smooth,complex flavor of the darkest malts. Finishes very well, without being bitter. Not to be taken lightly or for amateurs. Overall, very good russian stout and worth trying again. Thanks CB.

From the bottle, pours black with a thin foamy tan head. Aroma is of figs and chocolate and cocoa powder. Taste is silky smooth, with flavors of dark malts, cocoa paowder, currants, and finishes ever so slightly bitter. This is a very drinkable impy stout, and therefore potentially dangerous. I’d get this again.