Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Escondido, California USA

Spring 2008 release. Bottle at The Penguin in honour of Nuneaton Borough’s heroic 10 man comeback against Chesham Utd in tonight’s play off semi final. Just wait and see what’s coming out if we win in the final. Think this is one of the highest rated beers in my ’cellar’, and it’s a disappointment. Pours a light-swallowing pitch with a chunky, dissipating tan collar. Aroma chocolate ice cream, charcoal, margarine, oak and faint burnt toast drenched in harsh spiritous alcohol; blended whiskey and rum. Tiny hint of raisin after it’s been standing half an hour. Reminds me of some kind of ill- advised Kahlua, rum and ice cream cocktail sucked through a straw. Slick, woodsy, spiritous but oddly thin body exuding oaky booze and fumes; the deep bittering roast, espresso, faint yeast extract and lush oaky cocoa tones which are there struggling to make themselves heard over the FAT HUM of alcohol. Could really use an infusion of hops or fruit or.. anything to complement the really simple charred flavours, and distract from the ABV. It’s not even a very good stout, never mind a good 10.8% US imperial stout. Watery Marmite notes amongst the bonfire embers. Alcohol-sodden, charred impy without finesse or complexity- glad I didn’t save it for a big rating milestone. A typical 3.5% mild has got more going on than this.

2008 Vintage that I’ve saved since last year. Pours jet black with minimal head that dissipates to just a few wisps of carbonation. Aroma is deeply complex, featuring lots of fig/plum/dark fruit character, alcohol, molasses; it goes on and on. Taste almost exactly matches the aroma - Dark fruits, complex alcohol, molasses and burnt sugars. A tad bit fusely as it warms up. Just the right amount of carbonation for the style (low). This is what got me into RIS’s a few years ago. Definitely worth the price.

Bottle @ BA Järntorget. Pours with a big brown head. Huge aroma of licorice, chocolate, cofee, apricots and red berries. Lively and very fresh taste. Nice mousse. Medium bodied and burnt balanced by a sugary and bready malt base. Almost weak body, probably due to high carbonation. Very fresh, yet complex beer.

Bottle. Thick dark brown-black with rich lasting, lacy tan head. Killer peat in the aroma is super inviting. Some pleasant asphalt, and roasted chestnuts. Very nice aroma! Killer body, gentle carbonation. Substantial and sturdy. Great balance of flavors, everyone showed up to the party. The peat is there, the fruitiness is there (cherry), the roastiness too. Flavors come in all at once, and are fairly subdued. Has a lingering finish with slight acidity. Diggin it.

22oz bomber poured into a pint glass - 10.5% ABV Appearance - Pours pitch black, with minimal head. Head has a slight tan hue, but nowhere as dark and tan as stone’s 12th anniversary stout. Nice lacing down the side of the glass. Smell - hints of roasted coffee, bitter chocolate, roasted (but not burnt) malts. Real nice and appealing aroma. Taste - Super complex -- can definitely taste the roasted malts and coffee. The malts come on pretty strong and taste slightly burnt. The slightly bitter finish is done pretty well. Real bold flavor that stays strong from start to end. Slight hoppy taste, but nothing like most of the stone beers. There is a bit of a thick syrupy taste, but it’s not sweet, but rather a roasted and smoked taste. Mouthfeel - thick and carbonated -- tends to stick to your mouth afterwards, but executed above average. A little bit too much carbonation for my tastes. Gets better the further you drink, although still not exceptional (partially lending to the thick, burnt, syrupy like texture). Drinkability - Smooth, complex, and a real in your face flavor. A little bit more complex than most Stone beers, but definitely tastes like a Stone beer. As with most Stone beers, the high APV isn’t apparent in the taste, but hits you later. The high carbonation also puts this slightly back a bit. Overall -- Some of the more complex flavors probably will come out better with aging, but definitely worthwhile. Overall, the burnt tone is a little excessive, but regardless on the good side. I’m a big fan of complex beers (and a bit of a hophead on the side), and although this doesn’t have the hops (I wouldn’t expect so in a stout anyways), it does get high marks. However, from stone’s selection, I’d probably prefer the everything but the kitchen sink stout (pilot beer #5) or the 12th anniversary bitter oatmeal chocolate stout much more over this one. Finishing Notes -- Recommend pouring this into a pint glass straight rather than against the side to take off some of the carbonation tones. I have yet to try this on tap, but it probably would be significantly better than the bottle in my opinion. The burnt taste is a little much, but the other complex flavors make up for it.

Pours thick dark black with a big lasting tan head. Spectacular dark chocolate, roasted coffee, licorice and a faint soy aroma. Strong roasted flavor, wood, chocolate and licorice balanced by coffee and hop bitterness. The high alcohol content is only noticeable through the warmth of this extremely smooth beer. I would recommend this beer to anyone.

Is this beer oaked? In any case, pour was the typical motor oil thick black. Head was very small and tan with a long lasting ring of film. Aroma was great with a bit of chocolate and a hint of soy, though heavily outweighed by coffee. Flavor was really quite good; a fine balance of coffee, chocolate, some type of wood, and just a bit of alcohol. Heavy without being overly so, and a nice dry roasty finish. Nice!

Bottle. Pours a rich, black color with a moderate sized, brown head. Aromas of chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, and a touch of hops. Palate is very smooth with a nice touch of carbonation, slick mouthfeel at the end. Tastes of chocolate, milk, and a nice hoppy finish. This is one of the best so be sure to enjoy it!