Mikhail | Stone Brewing
Brewed by:
Stone Brewing
California, United States
stonebrewing.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 13.50%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout with Espresso.
Added by gatornation on 03-04-2017
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 106 | Reviews: 25
4.33/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pour is black with a dark tan head that recedes as quickly as rainwater down an open gutter with a fizzy flourish. The nose is equal notes rich coffee, vanilla (from the barrel), and earthy stone fruit.
The taste, though, has a healthy rich cocoa component, which I love. This combines very well with the coffee, vanilla, and stone fruit flavors. I only wish the mouthfeel was a bit more substantial, but this is still really good, IMHO.
441 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pour is black with a dark tan head that recedes as quickly as rainwater down an open gutter with a fizzy flourish. The nose is equal notes rich coffee, vanilla (from the barrel), and earthy stone fruit.
The taste, though, has a healthy rich cocoa component, which I love. This combines very well with the coffee, vanilla, and stone fruit flavors. I only wish the mouthfeel was a bit more substantial, but this is still really good, IMHO.
441 characters
4.29/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.16/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
500ml corked and caged bottle poured into willybecher.
A: Head disappears as fast as the beer is poured, it was tiny and mocha colored. Body is pure moonless night with no light getting through.
S: Lots of cold coffee, some green pepper and a little oak and whiskey very little barrel presents itself in the nose.
T: coffee is in your face with nice roasted flavors and then you get the bourbon with its smooth toffee coconut caramel and some oak. There is a stout here to which you get light hints of roasted malts and some light licorice. A little alcohol comes out in the finish.
M: nice full body not as thin as you’d expect a BA stout to be, but it isn’t a robust body either.
O: this beer looked dead flat when I poured it, but it tastes wonderful and is as expected from sampling their other BA beers.
817 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
500ml corked and caged bottle poured into willybecher.
A: Head disappears as fast as the beer is poured, it was tiny and mocha colored. Body is pure moonless night with no light getting through.
S: Lots of cold coffee, some green pepper and a little oak and whiskey very little barrel presents itself in the nose.
T: coffee is in your face with nice roasted flavors and then you get the bourbon with its smooth toffee coconut caramel and some oak. There is a stout here to which you get light hints of roasted malts and some light licorice. A little alcohol comes out in the finish.
M: nice full body not as thin as you’d expect a BA stout to be, but it isn’t a robust body either.
O: this beer looked dead flat when I poured it, but it tastes wonderful and is as expected from sampling their other BA beers.
817 characters
4.18/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.73/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.83/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
5/5 rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This just popped up in my local liquor store in KBS day. It's about 6 months old but when it came around in October I was unable to get my hands on.
Poured into snifter at about 48 degrees (10-15 mins in fridge):
L: dark as oil, fudgey, thick chocolate syrup with bubbling brown coffee, espresso hot cocoa, mocha head that quickly dissipates
A: fudge, espresso, mocha, dark fruit, bourbon, incredibly delicious. I could smell this all day and enjoy this beer with zero consumption, that's how good it smells.
F: velvety smooth, bourbon forward but really beyond that hard to detect alcohol. Not thin, not watery, not chewy, good medium. Wouldn't want it thicker or thinner. Fits the beer.
T: Pure delicious. Tastes how it smells with some vanilla creaminess. Hits with chocolate covered dark fruit that's been soaked in bourbon coffee and topped with cream.
O: I don't know if extra 6 months contributed to the dynamics but this is a treasure. It could probably age longer too. Very smooth beer you want to drink slow and cherish but really hard to do so as it's really really good. Better than Fyodor. Perhaps espresso really contributes. What I don't understand is how Fyodor is on top 250 and this is not. This is much better.
1,258 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This just popped up in my local liquor store in KBS day. It's about 6 months old but when it came around in October I was unable to get my hands on.
Poured into snifter at about 48 degrees (10-15 mins in fridge):
L: dark as oil, fudgey, thick chocolate syrup with bubbling brown coffee, espresso hot cocoa, mocha head that quickly dissipates
A: fudge, espresso, mocha, dark fruit, bourbon, incredibly delicious. I could smell this all day and enjoy this beer with zero consumption, that's how good it smells.
F: velvety smooth, bourbon forward but really beyond that hard to detect alcohol. Not thin, not watery, not chewy, good medium. Wouldn't want it thicker or thinner. Fits the beer.
T: Pure delicious. Tastes how it smells with some vanilla creaminess. Hits with chocolate covered dark fruit that's been soaked in bourbon coffee and topped with cream.
O: I don't know if extra 6 months contributed to the dynamics but this is a treasure. It could probably age longer too. Very smooth beer you want to drink slow and cherish but really hard to do so as it's really really good. Better than Fyodor. Perhaps espresso really contributes. What I don't understand is how Fyodor is on top 250 and this is not. This is much better.
1,258 characters
4.35/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.79/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pitch black in color with just a suggestion of some brown head barely around parts of the rim. The aroma is a decadent blend of espresso, dark roasted barley, and sweet bourbon. I'm tasting espresso, sweet boozy bourbon, and dark roasted barley. The mouth is thick, chewy, and sticky. My throat was warmed by the alcohol.
325 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pitch black in color with just a suggestion of some brown head barely around parts of the rim. The aroma is a decadent blend of espresso, dark roasted barley, and sweet bourbon. I'm tasting espresso, sweet boozy bourbon, and dark roasted barley. The mouth is thick, chewy, and sticky. My throat was warmed by the alcohol.
325 characters
4.75/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.28/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours pitch black, opaque in the glass. Only a few tiny bubbles indicate carbonation. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, plums and a hint of cocoa; mostly bourbon to be honest. Flavor is dark toasted malt with a slight char, bourbon, dried plums, cocoa and mild coffee (not quite espresso intensity) a little oaky vanilla. Finishes with bourbon infused malt and residual plumy dark fruit. Medium bodied with a slight creaminess and adequate carbonation despite the nearly still pour. A rich, bourbon forward coffee stout that has a profile closer to a American strong ale without the hopping of that style, probably due to the good bourbon from the barrel. Although bourbon is quite dominant here, it is not unbalanced, melding with the cocoa flavor from the malt and the light coffee flavor. The coffee has probably faded a bit, but I got this anyway because I was so happy to run across both this and Fyodor in So. California on my last trip. Finally get to try the latter and this newish variant. Big, full flavored and almost boozy, but with a robust body that carries the big ABV beautifully. Really nicely done. Glad to have found this.
1,181 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours pitch black, opaque in the glass. Only a few tiny bubbles indicate carbonation. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, plums and a hint of cocoa; mostly bourbon to be honest. Flavor is dark toasted malt with a slight char, bourbon, dried plums, cocoa and mild coffee (not quite espresso intensity) a little oaky vanilla. Finishes with bourbon infused malt and residual plumy dark fruit. Medium bodied with a slight creaminess and adequate carbonation despite the nearly still pour. A rich, bourbon forward coffee stout that has a profile closer to a American strong ale without the hopping of that style, probably due to the good bourbon from the barrel. Although bourbon is quite dominant here, it is not unbalanced, melding with the cocoa flavor from the malt and the light coffee flavor. The coffee has probably faded a bit, but I got this anyway because I was so happy to run across both this and Fyodor in So. California on my last trip. Finally get to try the latter and this newish variant. Big, full flavored and almost boozy, but with a robust body that carries the big ABV beautifully. Really nicely done. Glad to have found this.
1,181 characters
4.41/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.44/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.29/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
An excellent effort here:
25 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
An excellent effort here:
25 characters
4.86/5 rDev +11.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.37/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled in 10/2017. Impossible to remove cork without a wine key as usual with this series. Pours dense opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Slight spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge nutty dark roasted coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of smoke, raisin, plum, cherry, marshmallow, licorice, leather, char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight touch of booze in the aroma as it warms, but the coffee still dominates. Incredible complexity and balanced of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge nutty dark roasted coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of smoke, raisin, plum, cherry, marshmallow, licorice, leather, char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of nutty coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, dark fruit, marshmallow, licorice, leather, light smoke/char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal chalky roast, oak tannins, or dryness. Alcohol is extremely well hidden; a mildly increasing warmth of 13.5%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Russian imperial coffee stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; with the very mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Amazing enormous fruity/nutty coffee vibrancy with rich malt complexity; perfect barrel balance and integration. Never boozy, tannic, or drying. Hop presence is nearly non existent after the barrel aging. A really amazing offering, and spot on style example.
2,576 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled in 10/2017. Impossible to remove cork without a wine key as usual with this series. Pours dense opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Slight spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge nutty dark roasted coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of smoke, raisin, plum, cherry, marshmallow, licorice, leather, char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight touch of booze in the aroma as it warms, but the coffee still dominates. Incredible complexity and balanced of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge nutty dark roasted coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of smoke, raisin, plum, cherry, marshmallow, licorice, leather, char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of nutty coffee, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, vanilla, toffee, fudge, molasses, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, dark fruit, marshmallow, licorice, leather, light smoke/char, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal chalky roast, oak tannins, or dryness. Alcohol is extremely well hidden; a mildly increasing warmth of 13.5%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Russian imperial coffee stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV; with the very mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Amazing enormous fruity/nutty coffee vibrancy with rich malt complexity; perfect barrel balance and integration. Never boozy, tannic, or drying. Hop presence is nearly non existent after the barrel aging. A really amazing offering, and spot on style example.
2,576 characters
4.25/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Mikhail from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
4.37 out of
5 with
106 ratings
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