Russian Imperial Stout
Triumph Brewing Company

 

 

It's more of a BIG Irish Dry Stout than any RIS you've had. Imagine Beamish all grown.
For that reason, I wish they called it an Export Stout, though I guess that's mere semantics to many. Just tryin to put this beer in as best a light as possible since critics may ravage it.

Flavor and aroma are marked by present but subdued Roasted Barley. No delightful twang of Guinness FES. Definitely no dark fruits or acrid bite of RIS'S. Some alcoholic burn levels out the finish.

Mouthfeel sells this one. Spot on creaminess. However, its not enough to make up for the lack of flavor. Eventually, you come to realize its role is as substitute for more substantial malt character.

I see what they did here, the married an inoffensive Irish Dry Stout with big ABV. This is the furthest thing from Sam Smith's Russian Imperial Stout. That doesn't make it terrible, but it makes it difficult to evaluate this beer mercifully.

More of a go-to than must-have.

Triumph- New Hope- Imperial Stout

Appearance- Dark black with a fine/ thin tan head.
Smell- Strong burnt hops, sweet molasses malt, and fruit.
Taste- Big cherry flavor is immediately noticed along with a thick molasses and a nice burnt earthy hop. No 1 flavor is too overpowering. All finely balanced.
Mouthfeel- Smooth and warming. Alcohol was nicely masked!!

Overall- Similiar to another reviewer it paired up nicely with the vegan dumplings. A very good stout on a cool afternoon. Might not be as bold or strong as some Russian Imp's but it suited me just fine!

This was just tapped before I ordered it. I ordered the "Coffee & Cream Stout" on the menu, and they brought me a snifter, explaining that the Stout on the nitro-tap was now the Imperial. Anyway. Inky black with a creamy dense nitro-infused off-cream/kakhi-colored head. Nose is largely vinous dark fruits, like Bing cherries, prunes, and fresh currants, but there is a slight black-roasted malt aroma mixed with a clearly noticeable alcohol scent. The taste also bursts with dark, vinous fruit flavors (cherry, raisins) and alcoholic roastiness. Some chocolate and coffee linger in the aftertaste, preceeded by a dry, alcohol-vapor finish. Sort of slick, but not really, the palate on this one is a bit thin for the style. This lends to its drinkability, particularly when I ordered a stout to pair with food, not to drink on its own as a dessert. It worked okay with the vegan dumplings, mostly because of the sweet dipping sauce. In all, a decently refined stab at a Russian Imperial stout. If it had more roasted flavors and more girth, I'd have left with a growler.

On tap at the New Hope location, I believe Triumph Imperial Stout Debut. Extremely rich beer with a clear kick of alcohol, as there should be in imperials. Hints of coffee and slight licorice (though not a lot) come through as the beer warms. The head is long lasting and a dark brown color as it gets to the table - all sips are tasty, strong and clean finish. Quite filling brew with tremendous flavor. Absolutely black as night. Truly awesome.

Opaque black colored beer with a creamy light brown nitro head that lasts forever, and leaves ring of lace as I drink the beer. Solid chocolate and roasted malt aroma. Rich flavors of roasted barley, bitter chocolate, and vanilla. Burnt malt finish with a slightly tobacco flavor. Plenty of flavor, nitro tones down what would have been one thick beer. So tasty and drinkable.

My seventh and last sample of the day. This is a good representation of the style. It is a dark black with reddish hints. The head is dark bronze. The smell is full of berries and alcohol over a base of malt. The taste was very complex. The first bite was one of malt, but as I drank more a dark cherry came to dominate. It was creamy and wet with a nice mixture of sweet and malt aftertastes. The fact this beer is in rotation left me wanting to find out if a growler would keep until Christmas, another IRS that I will have to drink again.

Served as part of a sampler tray at their brewpub in New Hope, Pa. This one looked rich enough. Midnight black in color with a very dark creamy tan head. From the beer rises the sweet aroma of roasted grains. Complex and rich.

The taste is very rich with dark chocolates, which give way to an alcohol punch in the finish. I’m getting scorched caramel, coffee, treacle and some fermented fruit like notes. Medium bodied with some roasted bitterness in the finish, also. A very enjoyable and flavorful Imperial stout. Not as heavy as the style suggests, but fine on the whole.