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Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Score
10099
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 2233   WEIGHTED AVG: 4.21   SEASONAL: Spring   EST. CALORIES: 315   ABV: 10.5%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
"There’s no question that Stone Imperial Stout is revered among enthusiasts," states Stone CEO Greg Koch. "I know, because I’m one of ’em and I can hardly wait for it to come out each year!" Some may think that a late Spring release for a special brew of this sort is an odd time for it to come out onto the market. Koch justifies this with the rationalization "What better than a warm time of year to come out with a brew that tastes great as it warms up!" That’s because "ice cold" is certainly not the appropriate way to serve the beer. Nearly without exception, the darker, richer and more alcoholic a brew is, the warmer the serving temperature should be. The Stone Imperial Stout label describes the brew as being "intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate...expect this mysterious brew to pour like used motor oil and taste even heavier! Serve at 55 degrees."


3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
TheWolfofDusk (6) - Texas, USA - FEB 21, 2012 does not count
A great Stout, Stone beers tend to be hit or miss for me, their IPA being a good example of what a good brewery they can be. however their Stout is amazing. wish the stuff was available year round. Dark and Heavy. really tasty.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Camons (1542) - Hasselager, DENMARK - FEB 20, 2012
Bottle @ Timbers, Denver. Pours pitch black with a huge tan head. Aroma roasted malts, sweet and dark chocolate, caramel, coffee. Taste is roasted malts, licorice, dark chocolate, caramel, light coffee, dark fruit, light boozy. medium body to full body, soft carbonation, long rather sweet nougatlike finish. 200212

3.5
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
weihenweizen (642) - Charleston Area, West Virginia, USA - FEB 16, 2012
Refrigerated bottle set on the counter for a time. Poured into a red wine glass. Pours black with very small dark hightlight and half finger light brown head. Not much lacing, medium carbonation, and light roasted malt aroma. Taste is burnt malt, some coffee, a little chocolate, some alchohol (more as it warms), and bitter hop finish. Not a big fan of this one.

4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
Peacehammer (127) - California, USA - FEB 12, 2012
2009 Vintage on tap at Stone. Thick black. No head at all. Aroma of caramel, light toffee and chocolate. Some roasty notes, fairly smooth.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
Anova167 (39) - Manhattan Beach, California, USA - FEB 12, 2012
2011 vintage into snifter. Pours thick pitch black with a tan head that looks like crema on an espresso. Aroma is coffee, licorice, bread, roasted malts, as this is a young batch, a bit of piney hops on the nose as well. Flavor fulfills the aroma’s promise with coffee, dark cocoa, and roasty flavors. Not much of the hop notes in the flavors and probably completely disappears over time as this gets older. Impressive lack of booziness for such a massive beer. One of the best IRS I have had (which isn’t saying much) and makes me try to get my hands on other top rated beers of this style.

4.9
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
grunx (212) - - FEB 11, 2012
Xocolata, cafè, regalèssia, mentolats, anisats, torrats, especies... Cal dir alguna cosa més? Gran, enorme...

4.6
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Smurf2055 (165) - Seattle, Washington, USA - FEB 11, 2012
2010 vintage on draft at Uber. Pours black as night with about a finger of tan head. Smell was amazing chocolate and hints of coffee. Taste was much the same, very rich and full bodied, complex and luxurious. I had tried this early on in my craft beer adventure. It was a current vintage, and I remember it being bold, rich, and super thick. Either my palate has expanded or a year of aging mellows it quite a bit, because this beer can go tooth and nail with any other RIS I’ve tried.

4.3
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
JB84 (641) - Kitchener, Ontario, CANADA - FEB 4, 2012
Pour dark black coffee brown head good retention and decent lace. Aroma roasty, cocoa, coffee, espresso, bakers chocolate, heavy cream. Taste heavenly chocolate, cocoa, roasty, rich malts, light malt bitterness balanced well by hops, espresso, fresh ground coffee. MF super full creamy body with solid carb. Overall excellent RIS has it all roast, chocolate, coffee, body. A+


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Stone Imperial Russian Stout Rating Avg: 4.21 No. of Ratings: 2233
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