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: 113 | Reviews: 28
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Mikhail from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
4.37 out of
5 with
113 ratings
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