Stone Imperial Russian Stout

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

Bomber, Spring 09 release. Pours a lovely thick black with a nice, dense, compact head, decently lasting. Aroma is clear coffee, anise, and chocolate. Flavor matches the aroma, compounded by a delicious factor of 10. Coffee, followed by anise mixed with roasted booze, followed by sweet chocolate. Amazing palate on this beer. It’s a GOOD one.

Rating #1000!!!!!! This was supposed to be Alesmith Speedway, except we opened the bottle and it was totally cooked, so we opened my Spring 08 22oz bottle of Stone IRS to be greeted with a huge whiff of brett, lacto and some other wild bacteria... two terrible disappointments in a row, luckily funkybrewster pulled a 12oz bottle of Spring 08 Stone RIS from his bag and we were back on track. Shared with xnoxhatex and funkybrewster. Completely unexpected aroma, identical to some beer I had recently in Belgium, fruity, dry, lightly yeasty, touch nutty, nice rich varnish but not strong, very faint vanilla, some bakers chocolate. Pours an opaque very dark brown with a small fizzy dense fine beige head. Nice bittersweet chocolate flavor, dusty, hint of fruitiness, I enjoy the light black currants, coffee is minimal. This is a fantastic American beer. Medium full bodied, smooth oily and creamy body, soft carbonation, not sticky, slightly chalky.

Rating #10..... I’m legal!!!!!! Bomber from Bevmo... 2009 Release... Appearance is jet black with a one finger mocha head. Thick as all hell with no light shining through. This is what the perfect IRS looks like to me.. Aroma alot of coffee and chocolate...Alot of coffee and chocolate in the flavor as well.. Very very thick and smooth, I love this beer

None more black, tiny thin head. Aroma is big and roasty with burnt malt overtones and licorice. Robust and well-rounded with lots of chocolate and roasted malt notes coupled with a molasses-like stickiness. Heavy and smooth. Hard to make this any better.

The most drinkable Imperial Russian Stout you’ll ever taste. Pours a motor-oil black with a creamy, chocolate head. A big smell of bourbon and coffee beans emanates from the glass. A whiff unfolds layers of roasted malts, espresso, and dried fruits. Further investigation yields undercurrents of earthy hops and oak, something like cigar or leather, and a faint nuttiness. The flavor and aroma can be summed up as sweet, lightly fruity, and heavily roasted. Upfront it tastes like molasses and dark cherries, but this beer is awash in complimentary coffee, bourbon, and semi-sweet chocolate character. It even has what I perceive as a cola-like flavor, but unlike soda this beer is not sugary or syrupy. It has a rich, cocoa-like mouthfeel, and considering the alcohol content, actually finishes quite dry. It is more delicious than lapping at the blood of the unborn. Decadent and delightful. World-class!

Bottle, fresh for the East Coast. It’s been a while since I’ve had this beer althought it was one of my first Imperial stouts ever. The body pours a jet black with no light shining through at all. The tight thin head is a deep smokey brown and lurks around the edges of the glass. Aromas of rich sweet coffee and cocoa beans dominate my senses but traces of vanilla and caramel are present as well. The body feels thin on my tongue with lots of alcohol soak and the feeling of extreme over carbonation. The smokey chocolately body gets mixed up and bubbles around on the roof of my mouth leaving a dry bitter, almost hollow taste. I feel like a drank a cold fizzy cup of espresso and took a shot of vodka. There is a nice smokey after aftertaste, but the body is so hard to tolerate. This is the opposite of a sludgey IRS, it’s a seltzer water IRS. The flavors are there so hopefully time with help right this ship.

12 oz bottle. 2008 vintage. Black beer with thin, oily, tan head. Deep roasty malts with a nice sweetness roll together in the nose. Deep flavor of old dried fruits and dark chocolate but without the bitterness. Creamy full body that’s not as excessive as some RISs. A very even and pleasant impy.

The Stone IRS is a treat that I look forward to every year when I have to pay the tax man. I love Imperial Stouts and this one is a very good example of the style. I enjoy the overall flavors of this beer. Not my favorite, but with the wide availability in So. Cal. I must say this is amazing.