3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20Bottle shared at tasting. Pours black with a thick brown head, looking like the original version but unfortunately it goes a little wrong after this. Aroma is dominated by anise and licorice, overpowering the normal aspects from the fantastic base beer. Flavour is medium to heavy sweet and medium bitter. Full bodied with soft carbonation. Really not to my taste and not a patch on the regular Stone RIS.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 12/20
(1/2012) bottle. Dry chocolate, like dark chocolate gone old. Anis, licorice. Thickish body, bitter. A bit of alc, but surprisingky easy to drink.
-- bb/h(n9)
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
2011 bottle opened in 2013. Poured black with light creamy head. Aroma of strong anise. Strong chocolate anise flavor. Anise anise anise.
---Rated via Beer Buddy
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
2011 bottle, of course, from Binny’s, $6.99, not that it matters now. Think I’ll pop this sooner than later, as anise is not one of my friends, just like pineapple and cilantro. Got a nice, small goblet for Kentucky BBA Ale, so that should be good glassware. Cap came off a bit too easily, with a slight psst. Doesn’t seem to be oxidation in the headspace, though. Pours a brownish-black, with fizzy brown foam. Smell, at least, is not overpowering as other reviewers have said. Kind of a sweet nose, with licorice candy to it, and a bit of stout roastiness. Taste does have a bit of oxidation, giving a sherry note. Nice mellow malt taste, fizzy as a coffee soda. Licorice taste remains in support. Alcohol does not seem too strong, I just know I’ll feel it much later. So it doesn’t have the coffee, roast and alcohol blast of a Dark Lord, perhaps I should try to say what the Belgian yeast adds to the mix, but it just seems like its own little beer, to be enjoyed now and then nevermore.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Bottle (22 oz) 2011. From dresden, thanks! Black with a medium creamy brown head, good retention, some lacing. Aroma is liquorice/anise, roasted malt and slight smokey notes. Taste is sweet with cloying liquorice/anise and not much else except slight roasted malt notes. Medium body. Alcohol is present and warming. No balance. I prefer not to thing how much anise was present when fresh. Low drinkability. Miles away from the regular Stone RIS.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bomber. Stored for a couple of years. Spicy nose, with the anise, dark chocolate, some esters, and yeast. Pitch black, filmy tan head. Anise and buttery notes in the initial / sweet choco and hard candy in the mid, and some other spices are either there or are emulated / finishes with a rush of spice. Medium-heavy body. Good, but the spices begin to taste a bit chemical after several sips. Still, it’s flavorful, interesting, and unusual.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle @ Aarhus tasting. Black with a dark brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, liquorice and anise. Flavor is quite sweet and rather bitter. Dry and roasted rather bitter finish. 050313
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Black with medium light brown head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, anise, liquorice and spices. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, medium sweet, anise, spices, little liquorice, hop and oak.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in Spring 2011. Pours dense pitch black color with a nice fairly dense dark tan head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, roasted malt, licorice, anise, raisin, prune, oak, light coffee, herbal, light clove, earth, and yeast esters. Nice and unique aromas with good complexity and strength, but the anise does overpower the other flavors quite a bit; very interesting. Taste of dark chocolate, cocoa, roasted malt, licorice, anise, raisin, prune, oak, toast, light coffee, light smoke, earth, and light yeast esters. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, licorice, anise, cocoa, dark fruit, roasted malt, toast, oak, light coffee, light smoke, and earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice balance and complexity of robust roasted flavors, anise, yeast, and oak; with hardly any cloying flavors present after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy, slick,. and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice and unique imperial stout offering. Nice complexity and balance of robust roasted flavors with anise and yeast esters; and fairly smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
3rd November 2011
Opaque black beer, decent brown head. Smooth palate with a little fine carbonation. Smooth dark malt, not roasty or bitter. Trace of coffee and a nice amount of aniseed. Finishes with tangy dark malt. Not bad but this experiment is lacking something to bring it all together.
4.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
his is Stone’s Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout ale brewed with anise, oak chips, and Belgian yeast. Pours a very dark brown/black with a decent light brown head. Roasted malts and sweet caramel malts are the most noticeable. You can also pick up some fruit sweetness from the Anise. Wow does this beer have flavor! There are so many heavy robust flavors including roasted malts, anise, cocoa, yeast, and you can definitely pick up the oak as well. A great sipping beer and well worth the $7. I think this is the first beer I’ve ever had that’s been worthy of a "10" in taste. A must try!
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