Imperial Russian Stout - 10th Anniversary Blend
Stone Brewing

Had this beer at the 2014 HAF in Portland. The beer was from 2009, so it had aged 5 years. Really good beer, ages well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had on tap at Stone total takeover in Baltimore

A-pours a dark brown liquid, not quite black, with a caramel colored head.

S-big malt sweetness in the nose, notes of coffee and a fair bit of toffee in the back.

T-very sweet, lots of ripe dark fruits, plums, with hints of raisins in there as well. light coffee notes and some dark chocolate as well. loads of sweetness with a hint of oxidation.

M-medium body, creamy on smooth on the palate with a fair bit of carbonation.

D-overly sweet and slightly oxidized with tons of sugar and malt. not undrinkable but not impressive.

Had at the Stone Tap Takeover in Charlotte. Served from tap into a tumbler. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained decent lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of malt, sweet chocolate, and a slight hop note. The flavor was of malt, dark chocolate, subtle hop, and a slight alcohol burn. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this one wasn't that bad, but it also wasn't that great either. The subtle hop note just seemed to be out of place on this one. With saying that, I would drink this one again, but wouldn't have it more than once in a sitting.

On-tap at Naja's

A: The pour is dark as night with a finger's worth of khaki/tan head.

S: The difference between a regular glass of Stone IRS (fresh or aged) and this is quite noticeable. Chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and dark fruits. The coffee aroma is more subtle and the alcohol is nowhere near as prominent. Still quite roasty, however.

T: Again, a much more balanced beer on the tongue. Great sweetness, moreso than I can remember on any of the recent vintages of IRS, especially in the dark fruit category. Nice roast and chocolate with a less intense licorice character.

M: Rather full bodied with a low, smooth level of carbonation. Suitable for this sort of beer.

D: I found this much easier to drink than the regular versions/vintages. A well put together blend.

From 10/04/10 notes. Had on tap at Churchkey at their Stone 40 Tap Takeover event.

a - Pours a dark black color with one inch of tan head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, and sweet dark fruit.

t - Tastes of sweet dark fruit and sweet chocolate, roasted malts, bitter chocolate, and vanilla.

m - Medium body and low carbonation; went down easy for over 10% ABV.

d - Another very good stout from Stone. Both the smell and taste were enjoyable and well balanced. Would definitely have again.

Another beer sampled at the 40 Taps of Stone at Small Bar Fullerton. Served in a goblet.

A - Pitch black body. Served with a thin foam that settles to a tiny ring and some patchy film.

S - This is quite a bit different from my experiences with fresh Stone IRS. There's baker's chocolate, some smokiness, and well-integrated sherry-like oxidation that adds fruity notes. There's a lot more aged beer in this blend than I was expecting - definitely not the solera method here.

T - More dark fruit, lots of black cherry and prunes, oxidation, less smoke, and some earthy notes as well. It loses a lot of the balance in the nose and just tastes kind of old and stale.

M - Low carbonation, medium body, soft texture. Pretty mellow.

D - The oxidation has made this quite sweet - too much for my liking. It's lost a lot of the anise and dry roast flavors that I like in my stouts. Still, it was interesting to try.

2004 IRS, IRS 10th Anniversary Blend, IRS 10th Anniversary GK's Mad Man Mix, and IRS Aged In Bourbon Barrels all tasted side by side at Churchkey last night.

Beer is black with a brown head of small and medium bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass.

This is supposedly a blend of 10 years of IRS, its good but not great like I expected, both in the aroma and in the palate there were signs of slight oxidation, the 2004 alone was the best of the four mentioned. This one had a medium body and some roast on the back, but there was a hint of plums in the nose and in the midpalate. It finished well and I would have it again in the future, but it wasn't my favorite.

On tap at Churchkey.

Pours near black with a thin deep tan head. Moderate legs as it goes down. Nose had strong notes of chocolate and fudge alongside a good amount of roast and some coffee. Slightly creamy as well. Taste really brought the flavors together but they were muted compared with the nose. Feel was nice and creamy without much booze. Drank quite well l. The stouts really stole the show at this event.

I had this at the Stone Breweries event at ChurchKey in DC. This beer was served in a 9oz snifter and had a lovely black colour. It had a good sized head, but it went away quite quickly (I guess because of the high ABV). This beer had a lovely strong smell of roasted coffee and the maltyness was very noticeable. This is a very sweet and malty beer with a hint of coffee. The aftertaste is long and malty, but the flavour of the alcohol was very noticeable. The flavour is strong, but it's still a really drinkable beer.

On tap at Church Key today.

Black with dark brown highlights, there's no head or retention or lace whatsoever here. That's not too much of a detriment, as the nose is just outstanding. Perfection for an IRS IMO, this is a great blend with an exceptional balance between chocolate, fruity oxidation and a rich fudge like character, more so than the 12th anniversary and the BB IRS. Mild roast and a mellow heat really tie things together here.
The palate opens with chocolate, fudge and a little oxidation and rather surprisingly, a little cheesy/rancid fatty character that results in a rather unpleasant mid-palate. Drying and roasty on the finish with moderate fruitiness, this is a rather wonderfully blended stout, but the cheese character is rather flummoxing. Medium-full in body with light carbonation, these two aspects nail what I expect from the style, and the finish is pretty solid too. I'm glad I got to try it, but I think the regular IRS is a better beer.

On tap at the Alewife for the Stone total tap takeover on Friday 10/1/10. They had both the GK Mad Man Mix and this the 10th anniversary special blend.

This brew appears pretty much black in color. Some leggings of lace cling around the glassware. The head appears dark tan but receeds quite fast. A rough swirl hardly brings a ring of bubbles around the interior of the glass.

The aroma of this brew is dark and roasty with a very big chocolate character. The chocolate comes across as both dark bitter smelling but also has some more sweet and milkly notes about it as well. Also included in the nose are some scents of light citrus hoppiness and some mineral character. As the brew warms a sweet smell of fresh grain comes out along with some indications of coffee.

The taste of this brew is quite mineral filled with a citrus hop twang that is slightly herbal in character. There is a moderate amount of bitterness from a combination of herbal hops and burnt grain. The alcohol is readily evident in this brew and perhaps a bit exaggered by the mineral taste that is left inside the mouth. After the brew is warm, there is a light indication of the dark roasty grain sweetness and hints of coffee.

A medium feel to this brew with a moderate to low level of carbonation. There is a persistent character of alcohol that is somewhat fruity. That flavor coupled with the mineral aspect is a bit much and just doesn't go well together.

Overall a bit of a disappointment for a special 10th anniversary blend. The mineral/metallic aspect of this brew really took over and was distracting. I would take the normal IRS over this.