Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
Cigar City Brewing

Marshal Zhukov's Imperial StoutMarshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
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From:
Cigar City Brewing
 
Florida, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #42
ABV:
11.8%
Score:
97
Ranked #653
Avg:
4.37 | pDev: 8.92%
Reviews:
688
Ratings:
3,050
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 19, 2024
Added:
Nov 17, 2008
Wants:
  1,157
Gots:
  958
This Russian Imperial Stout is dedicated to Georgy Zhukov, arguably one of the finest generals of World War II. Opaque black in color, with notes of espresso, chocolate, dark toffee and hints of backstrap molasses. The English hop varietals provide a subtle herbal dryness, and finishes with a hearty slap of roasty espresso. Pair Marshal Zhukov’s with Mushroom Solyanka, dark chocolate, cherries and ground wars in Russia.

We brew and release Zhukov's in the summer knowing that a beer of this heft reaches its full potential a few months after release. So save a bottle for the cold winter!

80 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by wordemupg:
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.36/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750ml bottle poured into tulip 24/10/14, big cheers towards alfie for the bottle

A motor oil black before it hits the glass, two fingers of super dark foam quickly ends up as a thin film leaving no lace

S bruised plum, chocolate covered raisins, chocolate syrup, faint coffee and smoke, some licorice, more chocolate syrup, some earthy notes, smells rich

T faint spicy notes but it could be left over from some my pork chop seasoning, lots of chocolate of all sorts, no booze anywhere, more coffee then the nose but its still mellow, some molasses and more licorice, a more intense version of the nose

M very thick and syrupy, low carbonation but not flat, sticky on the lips, no booze and an intense coffee and char finish

O thick and rich, lots of chocolate and bonus points for completely hiding the booze, there's zero at every point

well put together RIS, could use some more carbonation but that's my only complaint and its a minor one
Oct 24, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of papposilenus
Reviewed by papposilenus from New Hampshire

4.27/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
From a… I don’t know what size bottle this is - maybe a 22oz bomber? It’s been awhile. At any rate, the volume’s not shown on the label. Bottled 09/25/19. Discovered tucked away somewhere-or-the-other while cleaning out Brewtopia. Served in a preternaturally fragile Spiegelau BA tulip-sort-of-gobletty thing.

Pours molasses-black with burnt caramel highlights and a scant finger of fizzy, muddy-brown head. Head retention is on the order of maybe 10 seconds before imploding, leaving pretty much the narrowest collar possible and a thin, oily film in lieu of any actual lacing.

Nose is rich, sweet and majorly boozy. Aromas of brown sugar caramel, black licorice and molasses.

Taste is sort of roughly in line with the nose but less sweet than anticipated and more herbal and earthy. Tasting blackstrap molasses, leather and cedarwood. Soy sauce is notable but not unbearable. The long, slow, mellow finish is an unctuous melange of buttery toffee and aromatic woodiness.

Falls down a little on the mouthfeel. Slick, slippery and mouthcoating. A bit flabby feeling albeit with fine, prickly carbonation. An enormously belly-warming, boozy finish.

Just the ticket for a bitterly cold February night in New Hampshire when I’m not running the woodstove because I’m leaving the house for a few weeks to drive south for the rest of the winter… there, see now, when I type a run-on sentence like that, I know to check the bottle for the abv and, sure enough, there it is, it’s 11.2%. A little fore-taste of Tampa. In summation: doesn’t look like anything special which no surprise, smells fucking awesome, tastes pretty darn good barring a slightly tacky aftertaste not previously mentioned, and the mouthfeel leaves me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. So, a mixed bag.
Feb 19, 2024
 
Rated: 5 by doctorgary from New York

Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by brpendergast85 from District of Columbia

Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.33 by not2quick from Missouri

Nov 20, 2023
 
Rated: 4.28 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Jul 16, 2023
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

4.39/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Dug deep into the cellar for this one. There is no date on the bottle but my guess is that I have had this for about 10 years, maybe more. It’s the yellow label version.

Pours a motor oil thick black color. This thing is as dark as the night in Hades. No light penetrates this at all. It is topped with a one finger sized, lightly milked coffee color head and presents wonderful lacing down the side of the glass.

Aroma is still quite special. Dark fruit and figs, coffee, tobacco, and soy sauce.

Flavor profile is a slight let down. It is a little sweet. Flavors of astringent coffee, more tobacco, raisins. Even a little bit of smokiness to it, kind of like cigarette ash.

I have never had this fresh but the 10+ year old version held up remarkably well. Probably not the best beer to drink in a 90F afternoon but it was still enjoyable.
Jul 10, 2023
Photo of woemad
Reviewed by woemad from Washington

4.44/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
EDIT: The flavor of this beer fooled me into thinking it was bourbon barrel aged. It's not. Nevertheless, I thought it was when I reviewed it. Bear that in mind.

22oz bomber received courtesy of Roguer. Bottled on November 6, 2018(!) Georgi's smiling face is gazing out from the label.

Poured into a stemless wine glass, this was a deep, dark brown, to all intents and purposes black. Big, creamy,mocha colored head initially, but it dropped away fairly quickly. Spotty lace.

Nose is is of bourbon, fudge, vanilla (probably from the bourbon barrels), brown sugar, and a maduro cigar.

Boozy up front, with the flavor from the bourbon barrel aging most prominent. There's also flavors of fudge, coffee, molasses, vanilla (undoubtedly from the bourbon barrel aging), and even a bit of something that reminds me of marshmallows. Really well balanced. Big, but approachable.

A little thin in the body for the style, but not to a deal-breaking point. Creamy mouth feel.

I was initially thinking it might be interesting to lie this down for a couple years to mellow, but it appears that has already happened, and then some. Makes me think that when fresh, this had a hell of a big barrel blast to it. The booziness, while noticeable, is not over the top, so it's not something that I'm finding unpleasant. Apart from the body seeming a little thin the only criticism I can make is that I'd rather have this in a 12 oz or 16 oz format, then a full bomber. But, hey, beggars can't be choosers, and I'm thrilled to scratch this one off my wants list.
Feb 25, 2023
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.57/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle poured into a small snifter. No date on the bottle that I saw, but I've owned it for 3-4 years and had bought it on the fresh side.

A: Oily black in color. An aggressive pour manages to kick up an inch and a quarter of dark brown head. It settles out into a very thin cap after a few minutes. Very fine-bubbled and thin lacing.

S: Chocolate fudge sauce and brownie batter, dark chocolate, bit of espresso, lots of woody roast with some soot and char. A good dose of earthy hops. Dark fruit esters manifest in the form of black cherry skins and blackberry.

T: More or less follows the nose. There's a sweet brownie batter/fudge sauce impression up front, but that quickly gives way to roast. A lot of woody roast and espresso-type flavors take a firm hold. Great dark fruit flavors of black cherry skin, blackberry jam, and just a touch of black currant sauce. A very quick brush of stiff alcohol it nestled in amongst the dark fruit. Earthy and piney hops ride up on the back end and close out a drying finish alongside some trailing roast and smoke.

M: Thick and rich in body. Almost but not quite coating, though there's a definite viscosity to the feel. Chewy. Amply carbonated with a fine-bubbled lift. There's a definite sense of heft, but it's fermented well enough that there aren't enough residual sugars left to tip it into sludgy territory. It strikes a good balance in that way.

O: Cigar City has nailed the Russian Imperial Stout style. This has a brawny, yet very classic feel. Style purists that eschew the pastry stouts and want a more no-frills, perfectly executed RIS will want to find a bottle to appreciate. It really doesn't get much better than this.
Oct 23, 2022
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured that lovely black into the snifter and provided a light brown head that took its time to dissipate.
Aroma was dark fruit, molasses, malts. No hint of bitterness.
The taste started where the nose left off and went from there. The malted base is definitely in command but the dark fruits steeped in sweet molasses were layered in quite nicely. There was just a touch of bitterness that seemed to punctuate the flavors and keep it all from actual sweetness.
The feel was smooth and viscous, I've had thinner BA stouts. Nicely done.
Worth seeking out, or at least picking up a bottle if you can find one.
Oct 04, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dovers from Wisconsin

Sep 02, 2022
Photo of Roy_Hobbs
Reviewed by Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut

4.19/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance is pretty spot on for the style. The deepest of browns / bordering black, and fully opaque. A fairly aggressive pour produced roughly half an inch of deep khaki colored head that receded to a thin ring. Aroma is fairly rich, with molasses and faint toffee complementing some base roast notes. Taste and feel are where this beer really starts to shine. There's a nice complexity to this. Bitter roast leads the way, but is well balanced by some sweeter flavors that I can't call out individually but that definitely add to the experience. Almost a little bit of cinnamon spice on the finish. Full bodied and smooth. Very tasty.
May 07, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by BeerDreadz from Florida

Mar 19, 2022
Photo of CarolinaCardinals
Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Picked up a 22 oz bomber from The Fresh Market in Hendersonville 12-10-21 for $21.99. No bottling date; consumed 3-18-22. Guessing this is a 2020 or 2021 edition.

Beer poured black as night with a nice brown head.

Nose is lovely, full of roasted malts, dark fruits, and floral hops.

Taste is really well done. Malt base is huge with a nice medium to heavy roast that emits notes of espresso, cherry, and some licorice. Finishes very well balanced with no suggestion of sweetness and a nice warming with each sip on a cool rainy day.

Mouthfeel is awesome as i look for in this style. Full bodied and near perfection with the viscous and smooth mouthfeel.

Overall a world class imperial stout that is right up there with the best non BA versions i have had! Worth the splurge, will look for this in cans next go around.
Mar 18, 2022
Photo of sjrider
Reviewed by sjrider from California

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
On tap at the source - dark like used motor oil with quickly dissipating khaki head leaving a ring of tiny bubbles. Nose is bittersweet with chocolate ,coffee, roasty malt and molasses. Taste follows to a T. Slight alcohol creep lingers on the finish. Damn tasty!
Feb 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.67 by TastyIsBeer from Illinois

Jan 24, 2022
Photo of Craig-er
Reviewed by Craig-er from New Hampshire

4.39/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Purchased at Berts Better Beers in 2019. It did have an opportunity to rest for 3 yrs. The head quickly dissipated after a few moments. A heavy bodied stout. Smell consisted of bittersweet chocolate, taste was of cinnamon, espresso, that lingered on the palette for over 2 minutes. A spectacular RIS.
Jan 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.27 by EdFed from Illinois

Dec 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.35 by SViterileroux74 from Texas

Nov 26, 2021
Photo of trevormajor
Reviewed by trevormajor from Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
22 oz bottle, probably a 2021 vintage but not sure, poured into a pint glass at 55 degrees F:
L - black as night, with a soft hazelnut head that quickly disappeared into the Russian night....
S - molasses, chocolate, coffee
T - the blackstrap molasses dominates, but also notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt
F - very thick with almost no carbonation, just the way a big stout should feel
O - excellent beer, picked this up in a bottle shop in Largo, FL. Makes me really want to try the other Cigar City Stouts that are so hard to find in the midwest
Oct 01, 2021
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout from Cigar City Brewing
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 3050 ratings