Squatters Outer Darkness
Utah Brewers Cooperative

Squatters Outer DarknessSquatters Outer Darkness
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From:
Utah Brewers Cooperative
 
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #339
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
91
Ranked #7,470
Avg:
4.07 | pDev: 10.32%
Reviews:
206
Ratings:
634
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 19, 2022
Added:
Dec 24, 2009
Wants:
  67
Gots:
  186
Welcome to the biggest beer Squatters Pub Brewery has ever made! A Russian Imperial Stout is one of the most intensely flavored beers a brewer can create. The combination of rich roasted barley, oak, molasses and licorice root combine to create an utterly unique and complex imperial stout experience.

We had to mash in twice to get our starting gravity of 27 plato (1.108 specific gravity). We boiled 3.5 hrs to enhance caramelization and used molasses and licorice root at the end of boil. Outer Darkness is aged with oak, has 65 IBUs and bottle conditioned. We hope you have as much fun drinking it as we did making it. Please share with another and drink wisely.
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Ratings by acevenom:
Photo of acevenom
Reviewed by acevenom from Louisiana

4.06/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
The beer cap comes off with an audible pop and lots of smoke emerged from the bottle. The beer is poured into a large snifter glass. The beer pours dark chocolate brown out of the bottle. The beer collects opaque in the bottle with a dark tan head that slowly builds as it climbs the glass. The head retreats slowly and there are lots of tiny bubbles that can be seen rising from the side of the glass. Lots of sticky lacing gets left behind on the glass during consumption. I get some chocolate and vanilla in the nose. The beer doesn't smell too roasty, but I do get some of those roasted malt notes along with some sweetness. There's also some alcohol. There's a nice interplay of sweet and dark roasted malt notes. More of that roasted note lingers in the back end. I get some of that alcohol, but that's no surprise at 10.5% ABV. There's those chocolate and vanilla notes in the flavor that I picked up in the nose. The body is full and creamy and it is on the moderately carbonated side. The beer goes down very smoothly and the alcohol provides some nice warming qualities. This is a very good beer.
Mar 16, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.27 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 19, 2022
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 oz can poured at 53° into an oversized snifter. 2020 vint.
Pours deep black, small dark tan head.
On the nose, it’s char, molasses, cream sherry, licorice, coffee.
Taste and mouthfeel is glorious, chewy, oily, dates, molasses, a hint of black licorice strand, coffee, dark cacao and quite sweet. Bingo alcohol bite on the finish.
Overall, a beautiful Russian Imperial Stout that I’d put up against Destihl Dosvidana head to head.
Aug 12, 2022
Photo of NevadaBill
Reviewed by NevadaBill from Nevada

4.52/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Drinking from a 2 year old 12oz. can. Pours black, Dark head, but not much (1/2"). Good lacing / ring activity during the drink. I've been cellaring this now for about 3-4 years and it is hard to keep my hands off it that long. Just getting to the 2 year old stuff lately. RIS style being my favorite; I love roasted, burnt, toasted, hoppy, chocolate'y, RIS bombs. Even mellowed, Outer Darkness still doesn't hide the alcohol completely (just a bit boozy), but I like that! Not too thick of a body. I love drinking one with some of my Irish dark chocolate w/sea salt. Pairs perfectly. Because of the release availability I end up drinking these in the Summer. Great! One of my favorites.
Aug 09, 2022
Photo of JokersAce
Reviewed by JokersAce

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a pitch black with a dark caramel head. Upon shining a light I can see some red shine through all the blackness. This stout is delicious, very smooth, smoky, and malty with hardly any bitterness despite having a BTU of 65. I think the molasses has melted into the caramelized mix of malts, but I can sense a little bit of licorice in the aroma. Otherwise there's some dark chocolate, rum raisin, sherry, black coffee, vanilla bean, and cordial notes here. Solid stout with unique characteristics.
Jun 18, 2022
Photo of blazerkor
Reviewed by blazerkor from Nevada

4.16/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This one smells like bready malts first and foremost. Then I smell some dark chocolaty bitterness. Lastly I can smell the alcohol.  This one smells pretty good.

The taste as they say follows the nose. Sweet and malty up front and then bitter and chocolaty comes out just after.

The mouthfeel is medium and pretty smooth.  It has just a mild carbonation that provides a little prickly. The finish is bittersweet dark chocolate and alcohol. The alcohol and sweetness quickly fade but the bitterness lingers seemingly forever.

This is a good imperial stout. It lacks a little balance due to the predominance of bitter alcohol but it's still complex enough to be tasty. It's good with an overall score of 4.9 out of 6.
May 09, 2021
Photo of Malacant
Rated by Malacant from Louisiana

3.83/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Grew on me. Good stout
Aug 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.12 by Argail from Louisiana

Jul 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Mar 14, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

Mar 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3 by MrCPMJ from Texas

Feb 10, 2020
Photo of KevinL
Reviewed by KevinL from Michigan

3.96/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 9/2013, opened January 2020.

Pours oily black, fluffy head that reduces to a thing ring around the edges of the glass. Smells of roast, malt, very nice overall. Taste is similar. Alcohol is not very present, likely in part due to the age. First time I’ve had this beer, and being aged it somewhat reminds me of Expedition Stout with age on it. Quite good, though I wonder if it would be less rounded and balanced when fresh.
Jan 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.8 by Agriverbear from Texas

Nov 30, 2019
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.87/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a can into a tulip glass
Appearance -. The beer pours a pitch black color with a tiny head of off white foam. The head fades fast to leave a little bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell- The aroma is big of a roasted malt smell with lots of molasses and caramel as well as a decent hit of coffee. Along with these smells comes a little bit of chocolate and a touch of vanilla.
Taste - The taste begins with a big toasty and sweet taste with lots of caramel and molasses sweetness. There is also a big showing of char and a bit of vanilla sweetness. As the taste advances some more roast and a touch of coffee come to the tongue and leave one with a toasty and sweet taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel- The body of the brew is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is average. A little thicker body may have been slightly better but overall the feel was OK.
Overall - A decent imperial overall. A little sweet, but good overall.
Oct 28, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From old, undated notes. Poured from the bottle.

Pitch black; hint of ruby when held to the light.

Dark khaki head; a curtain of lace.

Booze, chocolate & black licorice in the nose (mostly booze).

Thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Booze bomb up front, but dark chocolate and licorice reveal themselves as it warms.

Too over the top to have any kind of balance; this is a rarity: a beer I think would improve with age. Harsh.
Oct 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.03 by BAsbill from California

Sep 26, 2019
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pretty good stout out of a can.

Poured into a tulip glass. Very dark brown color with a nice brown head and good lacing. Pleasant mocha smell and taste. Dark berries and nice malt background. Very flavorful beer!
Sep 19, 2019
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, molasses, milk chocolate, light licorice and oak, somewhat boozy. Flavor is dark toasted malt, milk chocolate, licorice, molasses and mild dark dried stone fruit; licorice forward with light char. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A full flavored stout with a malt body appropriate for a RIS. Nice, but subdued, chocolate and dark fruit character. The licorice is a bit bigger than the other flavors, effecting the balance somewhat. Still rich and satisfying and worthy of the Russian imperial name. Enjoyable.
Aug 15, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by zbooks from Texas

Jun 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.98 by Kolb from Montana

Apr 29, 2019
Squatters Outer Darkness from Utah Brewers Cooperative
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 634 ratings