Two Beers Switchback Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Two Beers Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bomber from Malt & Vine. Handy pull tab to get the wax removed. Pours very dark brown/black with a dark tan head. Aroma is full of rich dark malt, fruits, coffee and chocolate. Full bodied and more. Heat is barely perceptible. Probably because all the other flavors are so strongly present/pleasant. I doubt the Russian court got anything this fruity flavored. It’s something of a fruit/sugar bomb, but that’s not necessarily bad, unless you were looking for a same ol, same ol. IS. With the passage of time I think I’m getting some vinosity from the brandy barrels, and it seems to come with a little heat build up. This is a very different and relatively complex ale. Glad I’m into it before summer heat gets a good start. Extremely tasty ale.

pours like black crude with a very small brown head that dissipates quickly, and little to no lacing. smell is of roasted malt, cocoa, dark roast coffee, and slight vanilla. taste is smooth, thick, chocolate, a little smoke, coffee, vanilla, cherries, and some hops. ends smooth and just a little bitter.

Hahaha ok look at all these amateurs rating this shit 4 and up. Hey welcome to rate beer, now go back to where ever you came from rare beer over rater audi driving amazon.com dipshit. Nose of underattenuated sweet sugars soft maraschino cherry roast smoke and belgian yeast. Holy shit this is sweet. Pours black tan head nice legs. Not a bad looking beer. Flavors of underattenuated sweet sugars soft maraschino cherry roasted malt some acrid notes. Not sure where the vanilla or cocoa are under the diabetes bomb here. Maybe some brandy boozey notes. Thick hot somewhat tough to drink.

Nice, smooth brew. Pours black as night with thick tan head. On the nose: dark roasted malt, cherries, cacao, mild hops. Same on the tongue, plus coffee, plus plums. Hangs out for awhile--a little sticky. A bit of boozy burn going down. Cool bottling with a little metal beer dog tag. Hang it up out of respect for yer fallen soldier bottle and salute. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle, I believe it was 765/1000. The pour is a dark thick, oil like beer. Might be one of the darkest beers I’ve come across, midnight black in color with a small to medium reddish brown head. Immediately upon pouring strong brandy notes come wafting through the air. Upon closer examination, the aroma is more complex, with notes of chocolate, vanilla, port, and coffee. Thick and smooth on the palate with flavors of brandy, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and alcohol. Real nice but at 12% alcohol, a bottle packs a wallop

22, capped and waxed, with a cool little die-cut metal hangtag thing that lets you pull a string out of the wax and break it open a little bit. Very attractive presentation. Pours jet black with a nice surging dark tan head that goes away damn near immediately. Boozy, pruney, soy sauce nose. Creamy medium body with soft carb. Prunes, soy sauce, and vodka on the mid palate, along with some ash and campfire smoke. Really all over the map, and underattenuated. Long sticky ashy finish.

Black pour and light brown head. Aroma is primarily roasted malt with chocolate and a hint of cherries in the background; aroma is subtle, which is not something I really welcome in a big, barrel-aged stout. Flavor is also a little too subdued for such a (12.5 ABV!) beer. I get mostly roasted notes, a little dark chocolate, some barrel flavor, and some sort of spicy note that I really do not care for. Far more interesting as it warms up, but that spice comes in even stronger, and it is not for me. Over all this is not bad, but for this style and it’s lofty price, I think it falls a little short. I would love to see this local brewer nail it, I love their IPA, but this one does not work for me.

UPDATED: FEB 21, 2013 Black as night with a tan two finger head that recedes quickly into a lasting ring. Thick, oily body which supports flavors of huge dark chocolate, vanilla, raisin, blood orange, cedar shavings, coffee, cherries, whiskey, brandy, port, clove, kumquat and banana, and a touch of smoke in the rather lengthy, luxurious finish. This strikes me as almost a Quad (in the Rochefort 10 style)/Russian Imperial Stout hybrid, and I mean that in a really good way. I agree with the prior reviewer that it’s a bit hot, but I find that heat quite pleasant, and more than a bit of a flavor-binding catalyst... I also think that when it dies down a bit, and the flavors have a better chance to blend, this will improve with the additional aging. Along with Fremont Bourbon Abominable, this is at the top of my list of Washington State brews. Kudos, Two Beer Brewing!

On tap @ Noble Fir. Pours viscous inky black with just a wisp of head that fades almost instantly. Aroma is charred, peaty malts with oily dark chocolate, Belgian yeast, and brandy notes. Huge thick mouthfeel. Taste is big aggressive charred malts, and lots going on behind that - raisin, tart cherries, vanilla, dark chocolate, and notes of both whisky and port. The only real complaint is that there’s so much going on here, none of these flavors really shines. Finishes smooth. This is big, and a bit hot, but clearly well-aged already so not sure if more time would help much there. Impressive effort from Two Beers.