White Label Imperial Russian Stout - Sorachi Ace Single Hop
Brouwerij Emelisse

 

Review for a bottle that had almost two years in the cellar on it.

Chocolatey/smokey aroma, but it also certainly smells hoppier than their regular IRS. I find their regular IRS a bit too bitter, so the additional bitterness from the Sorachi Ace doesn't improve it, just IMO. Bottom of a cup of Turkish coffee-type bitterness. Nice creamy mouthfeel, though.

Edit: After drinking, I checked the bottle for BBD. It was 9 months past. I would think an 11% IS would still hold up, but maybe this isn't the fairest rating.

 

33cl bottle - best before 12/15, hence 3 months off the mark. Mahogany pour, with a thin and fine-grained beige head that is slow to rise to the surface. Smells of roasted malts, a bit of smoke, dark chocolate, cocoa, sour cherries and a bit of bourbon, as well as some bubblegum-like smell that can only be the Sorachi Ace. The taste follows the same notes, big on coffee and dark chocolate. Super smooth texture with a chocolate bitter aftertaste.

 

 

 

Pours black with a small head.
Nose shows heavy roasted malt, liquorice, soft custard sorachi notes, herbal hops.
Full-on flavours, loads of roast, some spicy and piny hops, a little coffee and some hot booze.

 

 

Picked this up at the Emelisse brewery during ZeeBra Fest. Pitch black pour with a creamy one finger caramel-colored head with good retention and great lacing. The nose is roasty and smokey with hints of burnt toast, cocoa, espresso, chocolate fudge, and the distinct Sorachi Ace hops. The taste is rich and bold with a ton of chocolate fudge along with hints of cocoa, espresso, dark chocolate, subtle smoke, and a good amount of hops on the finish. The mouthfeel is thick, creamy, and mouth-coating with some prickly carbonation and a nice dry, bitter finish. The 11% ABV was not in play as this was incredibly drinkable. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. With the Sorachi Ace hops mentioned in the name, I almost expected it to be more of a Black IPA. Although the hops were very prevalent, this was one hell of a rich and chocolaty stout. Very impressive! Kicking myself for only picking up two of them...

 

 

 

Does no one else appreciate the irony in this pitch-black Imperial Stout being part of Emelisse's "White Label" series?! The only place this beer isn't entirely opaque is along its trim... if held directly into the light... and at just the right angle. And even then it exposes all the little particles of sediment that look an awful lot like coffee grinds.

First thought: This isn't bourbon barrel-aged? Could have fooled me. The nose has plenty of oakiness as well as undertones of vanilla and, not so surprising for an 11% beer, alcohol vapors (the esters of which are reminiscent of dark, dried fruits). The hops are hard to appreciate amongst heavy burnt coffee aromas.

Single hop aside, this stout has all the classic RIS features such as bitter espresso, burnt grain, unrefined cocoa and traces of black licorice. Imagine melting a block of 72% dark chocolate into a heavy bowl of steel-cut oats, then sprinkling it with burnt breadcrumbs. It's OK, but the finish is astringently sooty; it starts to feel like I'm sucking back coffee grinds.

Some people have remarked Sorachi Ace hops lend a "buttery" component. I'd never noted that until now. This stout definitely has a browned butter flavour, especially on the finish. As for the hop's more common, notorious "lemony" characteristics, I don't get much of any. I do, however, note a long-steeped green tea-like quality in flavour and bitterness.

Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout (Sorachi Ace) is rare enough to make it memorable, which is good because its flavour, drinkability, and overall quality are fairly forgettable. For those of you who won't get to try this hard-to-find variation don't feel so bad - the beer's ratings are far more impressive than its actual content, and the Sorachi Ace goes largely unnoticed.

 

 

Damn...this is one heavy I.R. stout! I promised Kees Bubberman, the owner and head brewer i would buy me a bottle and try it. Here you go Kees...

Poured in my small Struise tasting glass this beer shows itself very nice. Pitch black fluid and a lightbrown head. Smell of coffee and the sorachi hops.

This is a pretty balanced beer where the sorachi hops make the beer special. The alcohol is nicely hidden with the first sip, after that it get's more noticable.

Good beer.

 

On tap at 't Arendsnest in Amsterdam.

Gloriously thick and gloopy, with a dense creamy deep-tan head.
Pitch black and syrupy.

Immensely fascinating nose, with the coconut blending in marvelously with the woody/bubblegummy/lemony freshness of the Sorachi Ace. All this layered with the warm, boozy tones of the stout, which is takes a bit of a back seat but is rewardingly rich, focusing on mild coffee/roast.
Flavours are a wild mix of mild coconut (think macaroons maybe, rather than a Bounty bar), with that odd nasal wonkyness of the Sorachi Ace, again firmly supported by a sturdy, masterfully brewed RIS.

It packs quite a punch but is remarkably drinkable. Not something to drink plenty of, but definitely something to have again.