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Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
18154.22/5.04.21/5.0Spring10.8%98.1Snifter
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."
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
ajbitt (45), , Indiana, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/105/518/20
Jun 26, 2009  
Aroma: wow. where to start. Coffee grinds, slight caramel, alcohol heat, roasted, almost burnt malt smell, chocolate. Appearance: opaque, dark brown, basically black (as expected!). Small beige head. Flavor: wow. oats. almost sweet, gentle. caramel. chocolate. coffee. wow. Palate: lighter on the palate than I would have thought. For a Russian stout, i’d say it’s a 3/5 on weight and viscosity. Tiny bubbles! Carbonation present from start to finish giving a bubble, crisper finish to what could have been a heavy syrupy beast based on the aroma. Nice surprise. Refreshing. Overall: Wow. Just a fantastic Imperial Russian Stout.


 Guinness4Duff (507), Tallahassee (and Poconos, PA), Florida, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/105/517/20
Jun 26, 2009  
Pint on tap at the Stone tasting in Tallahassee. Dark black pour with a tan head. Aroma is coffee like, roasted chocolate. Heavy, roasted, and just pretty outstanding. If you like the roasted stouts this one fits the bill, less of the dark fruit flavors you find in many other imperials. Outstanding.


 wcampbell (576), Central, South Carolina, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/514/20
Jun 25, 2009  
Decent for an imperial stout. Mostly chocolate malts with light bitterness. Light woody presence. Minor hop presence in the finish. Highly carbonated leading to a less creamy taste than I had hoped for. Minor alcohol taste but pretty drinkable otherwise. A little overrated.


 cprochak (393), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/58/104/517/20
Jun 25, 2009  
Bottle from Malt & Vine. 2009 spring release. Tasted blind with 14 other stouts. Pours a black with frothy tan head and great lacing. Incredible coffee and chocolate aroma. Nice sweet flavor with chocolate and molasses. Medium body an d a bit fizzy. Really interesting chocolate and bitter finish. Incredible brew, but still needs to mellow. Can’t wait to taste this vintage in a couple years.


 baraciisch (138), USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/105/518/20
Jun 24, 2009  
Black in color... Coffee aroma... Flavor is massively complex, notes of chocolate, dates, citrus, coffee, with an oaky yet almost bitter hops finish, which seems unheard of for a stout... Amazing beer, want to move here.... A top 5 stout


jefe026 (37), USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/510/105/519/20
Jun 24, 2009  
strong notes of coffee and chocolate hit my nose almost immediately after the bottle cap is off, the first taste brings huge flavors of coffee, chocolate and simpler notes of cream, and a hint of citrus followed by a refreshing hop bitterness. The mouth feel is extremely thick but not syrupy. this beer has lived up to all the hype i have heard. simply amazing


 BeerBunker (607), Burbank, Illinois, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/55/103/512/20
Jun 22, 2009  
Had this at the hotel after Founders Fest 09. 22oz bottle pours black with a minimal tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, roasted malt, alcohol, dark fruit, and caramel. Taste is very chocolatey, with some burnt roastiness, dark fruit, roasted malt, and caramel. Big alcohol presence. Lingering dark fruit flavors and chocolate. Mouthfeel was way lighter than I had expected. The body was very thin and too carbonated. Finish is a harsh alcohol bite. Too boozy, and way too thin overall. The flavors took a backseat to the alcohol in my opinion. This beer just didn’t work for me, which was surprising.


 Jsawyer (282), Glenside, Pennsylvania, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Jun 21, 2009  
Bomber. Pours pitch black with a neat chocolatey head. Redolent of rich caramel, sumptuous chocolate, moderate roast coffee, subtle vanilla bean, alcohol, and just generally very aromatic. The flavor is even better, like having a piece of artisanal dark chocolate melting on your tongue with spicy additions, and a little alcoholic bite to remind you its still beer. I aged this bottle a year and was by far a better product than ones I’ve had on tap or younger. Fantastic.



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