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: 118 | Reviews: 29
4.4/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.48/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Black as night with a small tan head that faded slowly and left minimal spotty lacing. Smells like an espresso with fresh ground coffee, roasted grains, charred wood and burnt coffee grinds. Flavor followed suit with tons of coffee mixed with roasted grains, chocolate, brownie batter, charred wood, maple syrup, vanilla and molasses. No milk qualities except for the smooth feel and ease of drinkability as this slides down and hides the ABV masterfully. An excellent brew that went down easy and had no bitterness, just enough bourbon barrel influence and a lot of rich malts and coffee in the mix.
600 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Black as night with a small tan head that faded slowly and left minimal spotty lacing. Smells like an espresso with fresh ground coffee, roasted grains, charred wood and burnt coffee grinds. Flavor followed suit with tons of coffee mixed with roasted grains, chocolate, brownie batter, charred wood, maple syrup, vanilla and molasses. No milk qualities except for the smooth feel and ease of drinkability as this slides down and hides the ABV masterfully. An excellent brew that went down easy and had no bitterness, just enough bourbon barrel influence and a lot of rich malts and coffee in the mix.
600 characters
4.54/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
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
4.34/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours with an inky black appearance and very little head. Has a coffee and chocolate smell with some of that caramely bourbon barrel influence. Taste follows the smell. Strong coffee forward with cocoa and bourbon mingling in the background. Not much dark fruit flavor to be found, which is fine with me. Mouthfeel is full with just enough prickly carbonation, but not too syrupy. Overall a very enjoyable beer. On par with a other top flight barrel aged coffee stouts in my opinion, but not necessarily my favorite.
516 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours with an inky black appearance and very little head. Has a coffee and chocolate smell with some of that caramely bourbon barrel influence. Taste follows the smell. Strong coffee forward with cocoa and bourbon mingling in the background. Not much dark fruit flavor to be found, which is fine with me. Mouthfeel is full with just enough prickly carbonation, but not too syrupy. Overall a very enjoyable beer. On par with a other top flight barrel aged coffee stouts in my opinion, but not necessarily my favorite.
516 characters
4.46/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.77/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours a one-finger head that finishes without leaving any lace. Black color, no highlights. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Coffee nose and flavor is coffee and hints of dark fruit, decent RIS. Higher ABV (13.5%) is nearly hidden. Seriously pricey at $15.99 for a 500ml caged & corked bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
333 characters
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours a one-finger head that finishes without leaving any lace. Black color, no highlights. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Coffee nose and flavor is coffee and hints of dark fruit, decent RIS. Higher ABV (13.5%) is nearly hidden. Seriously pricey at $15.99 for a 500ml caged & corked bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
333 characters
4.51/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.13/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Doesn’t look any different than any other RIS I’ve had, as the pitch black beer produced a short lived dark copper head. Nose starts up with carob, caramel and vanilla but ends abruptly with what, sassafras? Wish that I could have realized more depth before the sassafras overwhelmed. Taste starts off with the sassafras (have I said sassafras enough yet?) but finds its way to to a silky European chocolatey vanilla, finishing with the boozy side. Probably mostly a heat factor as by the time I get to the barrel its just an alcohol taste. Never got anything coffee-like out of it though. I think they really nailed the feel though, as its got a real Goldilocks balance.
681 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Doesn’t look any different than any other RIS I’ve had, as the pitch black beer produced a short lived dark copper head. Nose starts up with carob, caramel and vanilla but ends abruptly with what, sassafras? Wish that I could have realized more depth before the sassafras overwhelmed. Taste starts off with the sassafras (have I said sassafras enough yet?) but finds its way to to a silky European chocolatey vanilla, finishing with the boozy side. Probably mostly a heat factor as by the time I get to the barrel its just an alcohol taste. Never got anything coffee-like out of it though. I think they really nailed the feel though, as its got a real Goldilocks balance.
681 characters
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
Mikhail from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
4.37 out of
5 with
118 ratings
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