Anastasia Russian Imperial Stout
Barley's Brewing Company

Unfortunately I missed the unveiling of this beer at the Afternoon with the Brewers, but at least I got to try it later. I was looking forward to this beer because I think Barley’s version of an Imperial Stout falls a little short (probably mostly due to the fact that the recipe pre-dates the law that allowed for higher-ABV beers). It is indeed better than Alexander’s but not a whole lot. The beer is an inky black with a miniscule off-white head and very little lacing. I had to bury my nose pretty deep in the glass to get the aroma but it is there: Roasted malt, coffee and hops. The body is rich and somewhat sticky, with a strong roasted malt character. Bitter coffee and chocolate are also apparent. The finish is high on the hops, being a little more bitter than most Imperial Stouts (not as much as Great Divide Maverick though). Overall this is a pretty good offering to the category, and it is always nice to try a homebrew (courtesy of Jay Wence) that has "graduated" to being brewed for local beer lovers like myself.

This is the lastest in the annual winners of the contest for the home brewers. This imperial poured as black as night and formed a dark tan foamy head that left trace lace as it subsided. An aroma of malt, chocolate and coffee. The flavor was of malt, heavily of milk chocolate and a touch of coffee. The body was creamy and the finish was extremely sweet. This imperial had quite a kick at the end, but was a little too sweet as well to be one that you would have more than one or two at a sitting.