Empress Catherine
Short's Brewing Company

Empress CatherineEmpress Catherine
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From:
Short's Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 7.41%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
124
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 10, 2019
Added:
Nov 13, 2013
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  12
Empress Catherine is a dark, opaque stout with sweet aromas of molasses and black currants. Rich flavors of dark chocolate and heavy roast provide a malty balance to the pronounced bitterness in the finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutHunter:
Photo of StoutHunter
Reviewed by StoutHunter from Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
I picked up a bottle of Short's Empress Catherine last week for $2.29 at The Lager Mill. I had this beer a couple weeks ago at a local Short's tap takeover and I thought it was pretty nice stout that was a little similar to their Mystery Stout and I'm interested see how the bottles version is, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but I know it's fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- the label looks ok, it's got an old Victorian portrait vibe to it, it's a little eye catching. It poured a nice dark black color that took on some ruby hues on the edges when held to the light with two fingers worth of darker tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some nice patchy rings of lacing behind. This is a very nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness followed by the malts being the first to show up and they impart some roasted, charred, and chocolate like aromas with some coffee showing up in the background. Up next comes the hops which impart some earthy, floral, and piney hop aromas with the earthy hops seeming to stick out the most. This beer had a pretty nice aroma, it was very hoppy for the style but the roasted malts seemed like they did a good job and keeping it fairly balanced.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness followed by the malts being the first to show up and they impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma with the chocolate and charred malt flavors seeming to stick out the most. Up next comes the hops which impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma with the earthy hops still sticking out the most with a slight bit of piney and floral hops in the background. On the finish there's lower amount of high bitterness followed by a roasty, chocolate, charred and earthy hops like aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, it's very hoppy and it could almost pass for a Black IPA.

M- Fairly smooth, a little rich, fairly dry, a little creamy, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a slightly lower amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is very nice and it works well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and a nice, but very hoppy version of the style, it was on verge of being a Black IPA and i don't know if I would be able to pick it out as an Imperial Stout, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. This beer had nice drinkability, it was fairly smooth, a little rich, fairly dry, a little creamy, a little filling and the taste did a nice job at holding my attention, I could drink a couple of these, I thought the hops would hurt the drinkability a little, but I find this to be pretty easy drinking for the style. What I like the most about this beer was how well well the malts worked with the hops, they didn't seem to clash at all. What I liked the least about this beer was the higher amount of bitterness, I think it could be toned down a little. I would buy this beer again, it was a very limited release so I don't think it's still around, but I would for sure buy it again if they release it next year and I'll be putting a couple in the cellar to see how it changes over time. I would recommend this beer to anyone who likes their Imperial Stouts on the hoppy side. All in all I enjoyed this beer, it wasn't really what I expect out of a standard Imperial Stout, but Knowing Short's I figured they would put a twist on this one to make it a little unique and that's exactly what they did. It isn't my favorite Imperial Stout or my favorite Short's beer, but it may be one of the better hoppy Imperial Stouts I've had and I like it more than Victory's Storm King. Nice job guys, this was a nice and unique Imperial Stout, keep up the good work.
Feb 20, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.64 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Nov 10, 2019
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.37/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Really clearing out the 2014 Midwest reunion reviews of beer.

Man this brings me back to remembering when people were trading/paying $100 for a bottle of Kate the Great. Old money times. Pours a 80/20 mix of black and brown, brown head 1/4" deep. Roasted malt, licorice, dark fruit push this firmly in the aroma direction of a Russian Imperial Stout.

Body is either pushed by the yeast or its hopped more than expected, there is that bitter dark fruit mouth skewering thing going on. Almost tastes more bitter than the hefty base of heavily roasted malt should allow. Still felt some licorice, really wish I could get away from that. Prefer more of the chewy earthiness underneath it all. Don't mind this 4oz at a time, but it keeps getting to be a tougher out when you are going up in the consumption. Without the currant, dark fruit yeast and licorice feels, I would definitely like the beer more. In that weird situation where I think an even bigger malt body and abv might actually make the beer better by swallowing up those aspects I might not be a big fan of.
Sep 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.9 by Tripel_Threat from Michigan

Mar 11, 2018
Photo of AlarmClock314
Reviewed by AlarmClock314 from Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle, no date. Pours brownish/black with a medium sized tan head; some lacing. Smells of roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, earthy hops, sweet lactose, nuts, and molasses. Mellower flavor of roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, sweet lactose, nuts, and some earthy hops. Mild bitterness and sweetness. Thin body and medium carbonation for the style. Overall, it's a pretty good beer if you like drinkable and sweeter stouts, but it don't fit well as a RIS.
Jun 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.67 by Jackalope1977 from Michigan

Jun 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by M_chav from New Mexico

Dec 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by rjcoy06 from Michigan

Dec 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by Buck_Jones from Michigan

Jul 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.12 by Eziel from Ohio

May 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by FlyingHellfish from Michigan

Feb 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by tim007007 from Illinois

Feb 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by Chris-1911 from Illinois

Feb 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by cambabeer from New York

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jamesod from Michigan

Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Swettenham_Shire from Ohio

Oct 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4.56 by heavydetour from Michigan

Oct 19, 2014
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14%
Thanks to tectactoe for this bottle, a hardy survivor of a summertime trade. 12 oz. bottle hoarded for me, myself, & I. Split three ways.

The pour is Microsoft Mouse black with fleeting carbonation: you blink, you miss. Black licorice flows out of the aroma like a dark lava flow, & I wasn’t even sniffing yet. On closer inspection, there’s black licorice & the vague outline of blackberries. Or maybe that was just the muffin I had this morning repeating on me. Interesting, if overpowering.

Empress Catherine might be overstating her station by a good ways. The taste fits oddly on a big stout. It reminds me most of a nut brown ale, very acorn-forward. Underneath the squirrel feed is harsh bitterness, which might come from the prominent roast or accompanying hops, with bits of chocolate & grainy earthiness. The finish finally catches up to the nose, with a long trail of dark fruit, anise & black licorice lingering into forever. Thin. A bottle for myself will be enough.

Very strange take on an imperial stout that almost works, but ultimately is too schizophrenic for its own good. Decent enough.
Oct 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.16 by vetteaz89

Oct 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by HarmonMW from Missouri

Sep 29, 2014
Empress Catherine from Short's Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 124 ratings