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Score
10099
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 2227   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."


4.4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
VTHopHead (1331) - Barre, USA - SEP 14, 2008
Bomber - Poured a very black/brown with almost not head (tan) or carbonation. Aroma is strong of bitter chocolate, coffee, dark roasted malts and a bit of dark fruits. Flavor is quite bitter with lots of coffee, lots of dark chocolate and plenty of dark fruit (prune, date, raisins) and roasted malts. Very thick, chewy and really smooth... palate is amazing. Finish is lingering, medium bitter and full of chocolate. This is an AWESOME beer!

4.3
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
JB84 (635) - 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+

4.6
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
MBrausen (63) - Minnesota, USA - FEB 1, 2012
Reviewed from notes. A. Pours a pitch black color, thick 1 finger head, mocha head, long lasting with lots of good lacing. S. Smells of lots of chocolate, oates and malt T. Tastes of strong chocolate, light lactose, and malty rich grains. M Thick bodied, very chewy and long lasting bold mouth flavor. O. A great beer time and time again. I have a few bottles of this same vintage aging in the cellar. I can’t wait to open them in a year or two.

4.4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
PoppaK (1) - - FEB 1, 2012 does not count
Once I tried it, I couldn’t talk myself into buying anything else. Th eonly problem is limited supply.

4.2
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
DasBierChef (683) - Lucan, Minnesota, USA - JAN 29, 2012
Glorious. Truly glorious. Thick, black, heavy, and full of flavor to completely mask the alcohol. Yum.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Bragesnak (3668) - Aarhus, DENMARK - JAN 27, 2012
From voldby, dk Bottled, 270112. Black with beige head. Aroma of complex coffee, chocolate and liqourice. Flavour Nice balanced with caramel.

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
TheJestersBeer (523) - SWEDEN - JAN 22, 2012
335 bottle, 2008 bottling. Pours a pitch black, with a brown rim, and a brown head. The aroma is stupendously complex, nicely matured and developed, loads of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, tobacco, tar, licorice, hops, and a smokey touch. Semi-sweet, full bodied, high bitterness, creamy CO2, very thick and silky. The taste is just massive - heavily roasted malts, tar, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, licorice, a light touch of smoke and ashes. The balance in this beer is fantastic, the texture is so smooth and silky, and the finish just lingers on, shifting the palate amidst layers of chocolate, tar, coffee and malt. This, my fellow Ratebeerians, is stunning beer perfection. Liquid sex, no less. (2012-01-21)

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
Thisis12ptfont (87) - Los Angeles, CA, California, USA - JAN 21, 2012
Aroma is dominated by coffee, toffee, bread and black liquorice. Appearance is dark black with a thin foam top. Taste is mainly coffee with other subtle flavors of bread and black liquorice. Very thick texture on the palate with a chocolate finish. Overall, this is a very solid beer. I’m not a big fan of stouts but this is a very nice and full-bodied brew. I’d give this a B+ rating.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
rbrazell (290) - Tallahassee, Florida, USA - JAN 20, 2012
Black pour with a small beige head. Nose is cocoa, roasted malts and assertive hippiness. Flavor is light roast, lots of chocolate and cocoa with gracious amounts of piney hops on the back end all the way through a dry finish. Mmmmmmmm.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Stone Imperial Russian Stout Rating Avg: 4.21 No. of Ratings: 2227
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