Courage Imperial Russian Stout
Eagle Brewery

Courage Imperial Russian StoutCourage Imperial Russian Stout
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Eagle Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #134
ABV:
10%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,142
Avg:
4.24 | pDev: 10.61%
Reviews:
330
Ratings:
975
Status:
Active
Rated:
Saturday at 09:51 PM
Added:
Feb 11, 2002
Wants:
  192
Gots:
  191
No description / notes.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by megamass:
Photo of megamass
Rated by megamass from New Jersey

4/5  rDev -5.7%

Jun 16, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of moysauce
Reviewed by moysauce from Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2012 Vintage - drank 3.16.24

12 year old bottle. Obviously there was some oxidation. However there was still some roasty coffee bitterness, slight soy sauce umami character, and light cherry or prune fruity finish. Very pleasant.
Saturday at 09:51 PM
 
Rated: 4.44 by Prospero from Colorado

Jan 05, 2024
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
1993 vintage

Happy New Year BA!! This beer is officially 30 years old, and I can’t think of a better occasion to crack it open. I picked this one up from OEC in late 2021 who had been cellaring it since 2004, so even for being 30 years old it’s probably kept in pretty good condition over the years. Let’s see how the oldest beer I’ve ever had is

Pours still and slightly cloudy dark reddish brown, no head or lacing to be found

Honestly on smell alone, you could tell me this is only about 15 years old and I’d believe you. Definitely oxidized, but I was expecting much worse. I’m picking up on aromas of prune, burnt caramel, port wine, cacao nib, black licorice, molasses, acrid coffee, and a touch of soy sauce

It definitely shows its age much more in taste, but it's honestly better than I expected going into it and is still just as enjoyable as the aroma suggested. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting black cherry, oxidized sherry, caramel, light coffee, fig, and molasses. The swallow brings notes of black cherry, port wine, soy sauce, molasses, acrid coffee, cocoa powder, light prune, and burnt caramel

A medium body and no carbonation results in a watery yet boozy beer. Finishes mostly dry with a significant roast

I'm genuinely shocked at how much I find myself enjoying this one. I picked it up out of sheer curiosity, having a beer older than myself just seemed like a novel idea. Obviously it's well past its prime, but it still held up nicely after 30 years
Jan 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by BMBCLT from South Carolina

Nov 10, 2022
Photo of StoutElk_92
Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.41/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2012 vintage

Dark espresso, burnt black coffee, dark toffee, baking chocolate, black licorice, soy sauce, dark fruits, fig, prune, pear skin, cigar leaf, with mild earthy hops. Feels medium bodied, smooth carbonation. Overall a nice English imperial stout.
Nov 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.49 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Aug 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by Hawkfish from Washington

Jun 05, 2022
Photo of trevormajor
Reviewed by trevormajor from Ohio

4.49/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
275ML bottle, born on 8/16/2012, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - muddy and oily with no head
S - molasses, fig, raisin
T - follows the nose, molasses, fig, raisin, leaving a sweetness on the finish
F - thick mouthfeel with no carbonation
O - great beer, at almost 10 years old the flavors are still magnificent. This is a beer that's known to age very well
Apr 07, 2022
Photo of MrOH
Reviewed by MrOH from Maryland

3.59/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2013 vintage
Inky black, no head
Aromas of chocolate, espresso, burnt sugar, prunes and raisins
Bitter chocolate, burnt sugar, prunes. Kinda like a ruby port with some dark chocolate mixed in.
Heavy bodied, next to no carbonation
I liked this beer better when I had it fresh
Apr 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by doctorgary from New York

Nov 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4.43 by ajdemma from New York

Oct 17, 2021
Photo of Emichaelbray
Reviewed by Emichaelbray from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
250 ml bottle 2013 vintage. Poured 10 cl into a Pilsner glass for this review. The rest I drank from the bottle, a practice men have evidently abandoned in late stage capitalist dystopia.
L: this one is attractive! Opaque black, wisps of a tan head that lasted slightly longer than a typical BA reviewer in Nicole Kidman’s bed.
S: I read the bottle. Don’t read the bottle if you have never tried a beer but might want to review it. I have my nose in this glass searching for the purported pear notes and ignoring what I do pick up. It’s sharp and rich; good cacao, roasted malt, raisins. I can smell that 10%.
T: oh this is good. More bitterness than I expected but not in a gross IPA way. More like bakers chocolate. A little coffee - dark roast, not espresso. Raisins are present but it’s not sweet.
F: never know what to say here. Not thin but definitely not the heaviness I expected. Almost zero carbonation. Smooth.
Overall: I am impressed. Added it to a Drizly order on a whim. Glad I did!
Aug 23, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.42/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Shared 250 ml bottle, brewed by Courage 1992. ABV is 10.0%. Black colour, no head nor carbonation. Aroma of roast malts, molasses and dark dried fruits, oxidised of course, but not bad. Sweet flavour with the same elements. No acidity.
Mar 19, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by micada from New York

Mar 18, 2021
Photo of q33jeff
Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

4.42/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
**
11/22/20

Bottle to snifter. 2012 vintage though I just picked this up a few weeks ago, so god knows where it has been.

LOOK: thick black, full look, small tan head fades quickly, but reforms admirably.
AROMA: super pungent, very nice mix of cocoa, fig, dates, prunes, roasted malt, red wine.
TASTE: roasted malt comes through more here than the dark fruit notes, but they are also present.
FEEL: super smooth, a little flat, but to be expected with an 8 year old thick stout.

Very Impressed. This is a beautiful and simple beer from a time before Pastry Stouts and Hop-Bombs, and Super Sours. not to disparage those other things too much, but you have to respect getting so much flavor and mileage from a simple recipe.

**
Nov 22, 2020
Photo of Manta200
Reviewed by Manta200 from Kentucky

3.99/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Vintage double pack from Jungle Jim's. 2013 and 2012 vintage
Poured into snifter, pitch dark, no head at all.
Dominant boozy smell with coffee notes.
I am tasting dark chocolate and coffee, like it!
Aug 03, 2020
Photo of edthehead
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
1977 Vintage. Dark medium body. Espresso, bakers chocolate, raisin. Little bit of oxidation from the years, but can definitely see its former greatness.
Jul 24, 2020
 
Rated: 3.88 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Jul 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by generallee from Virginia

Jun 13, 2020
Courage Imperial Russian Stout from Eagle Brewery
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 975 ratings