Imperial Russian Stout
Stone Brewing

beautiful beer: taste, smell

 

I thought this beer was nasty but damn it sure is beautiful in the glass.
Syrupy boozy whiskey barrel (or wine?)
Beautiful cut with a knife thick long lasting dark head.

 

 

Stone Imperial Russian Stout pours a deep, dark black, with a 2 finger dark tan head perched above. nicely carbonated and beautifully laced, this beer is a visual treat for stout lovers. As bold as the beer looks, the nose is surprisingly muted, but I do detect coffee, chocolate, and malt in equal measure, which is reassuring. The taste is bounces right back to the boldness of the look, and is complex. Coffee, chocolate and malt notes are there, but hops push right in. This is one of the hoppiest imperial Russian stouts I have ever had, and I find that amazingly appealing. As you swallow, a fully rounded sweet aftertaste arises... bold, like molasses. This brews' balancing act of coffee, chocolate, malt, hops, and molasses is artfully composed, and unique. Each flavor stands out, and taken as a whole, this is a fascinating brew. I have been wondering for a decade why everyone speaks lovingly of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and now that I have tried it, I believe the rave reviews I have read are all fully justified. What can I say? I WILL be stocking up!

A jet black pour produces a deep tan, creamy head. Lacing is streams and spots with varying stickiness. Feel is pretty aggressively bitter, fitting in with Stone's reputation but it has the effect of roughing up the nearly full body of the beer for me. Aromas open with chocolate and coffee emphasized in the dark malts, with the piney hops starting to play in as the beer warms up. Bitterness is up front in the taste, seeming at first coming from the hops, but the roasted notes of coffee, hiagh-cacao dark choclate, and even a little campfire ember combine and take over by mid-taste. Carbonation level is nice, keeping the dark malt richness from weighing down each sip too much.

 

Haven’t had this in a very long time. Found it on draft in Dallas.

Poured into a snifter. Absolutely beautiful beer. Dark brown color with a gorgeous brown head and excellent curtain lacing. Smell and taste of dark chocolate and burnt rye toast. Licorice and dark berries. Bold bitter finish. Dry and old school. Very nice!

Can. Certainly fits promotional description and some of the recent reviews. Very dark, black, lots of head, dry bitter chocolate and coffee taste. One reviewer compared it to soy sauce which I can see. Apparently a top selection of this style which I don’t seem to resonate to. My ratings reflect my preferences, would omit if I could. I think I like sweeter stouts like Oatmeal Stout better, and those with caramel notes or less bitterness.

Pours black with a little head. The aroma is dark malts, maybe some vanilla and hops. The taste is citrus hops, dark malts, licorice, some bitterness with a little bit of vanilla and a tad bit like soy sauce. This is an OK stout but drinks somewhat like a strong black ipa and I’d just prefer having one of those over this. Now the Espresso IRS was something special but this is a one and doner and I did have a higher opinion when I had it a few years back but many good stouts later my palette has probably shifted as it has with other beers as well, cheers!

 

Canned 10/2022 (4 months ago)

Appearance: Pours a completely dark, black color with a massive dark tan head. SRM of 23-24. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, some bitter coffee roast underneath. Somewhat dry.

Flavor: Strong and rich flavors of dark chocolate, cocoa, some vanilla, dark fruit, light espresso roast. Yeasty in the middle and ultimately finishes with lingering dark chocolate notes.

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation. Somewhat clean on the palate. Surprisingly dry.

Compared to Sierra Nevada Narwal 2/2023: Pours similar with a larger head. Milder aromas. More dark chocolate and roast. Less pine. More of a roasty bitterness with less pine.

Compared to North Coast Old Rasputin 3/2023: Pours similar, darker head. Stronger aromas. More Dark chocolate, and bitter pine. Less bittersweet chocolate, English black malt and cream. Darker, heavier, and more bitter pine.

Overall: A very-well made Russian Imperial Stout. Dark chocolate, coffee roast, yeasty, yet incredibly dry and drinkable. The drinkability and dryness is the key here and how it hides the alcohol. Only this one and Old Raspy are the two that I've had that can do this. This may be a close second to Old Raspy. (Rating: 4.17+)

 

 

Never rated the original legend, and I will not bore everyone with my history. Looks like stout, aroma (this is canned, which kills aroma, and I hate, 99% of the time, cans). Taste, bitter chocolate, black currant (I'll buy that, If I knew what it was), molasses (slightly, I've had better), no coffee whatsoever. Hugely malted, smooth, satisfying, but thin. Massive beer, but I much prefer the old days $6 an bomber for this, and at $19 a six pack, no need to have again. One and done, the pathetic state of craft beer these days ...

I do really enjoy this one. It's just plain good, not really mind-blowing but satisfying enough and good for the style. Idk why they removed the word "Russian" from the name for this re-release, I mean I can assume why but it's silly when you know the history of the style. Anyways I agree they shouldn't have taken this away. I know they're known as an ipa brewery but I've genuinely enjoyed their other beers as well