Imperial Russian Stout - 10th Anniversary Blend - GK's Mad Man Mix
Stone Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Served up a near black body with a very, very thin, beige head.

Smell: Roasty malts, some chocolate, some coffee, and a sliver of vanilla bean. An opened can of chipotle in adobo sauce sprinkled with dried sage. Meager hints of dark fruits and citric hops.

Taste: Dark, roasty maltiness, moderately sweet, with tastes of chocolate and coffee. Then, some citrusy accents and some smokey, heated pepper character gives the tongue a little singe. Traces of dark fruits and berries. Thin hint of vanilla. Curious touches of sage leaves. Roasty, earthy bitterness. A bit more baker's chocolate and pepper on the finish. Huh?

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Lightly carbonated.

Overall: An oddity, really, one to be poked at and prodded, maybe even shunned from civilization, and, if you're daring, given a sip or two.

Had on tap at the Stone Total Tap Takeover in Baltimore.

A-pours a jet black color with little to no head, of what you can conjure up you get a thin bubbly tan topping.

S-burnt plums, lots of sweetness, burnt stale coffee, more sugar with notes of toffee and caramel.

T-big malt sweetness, loads of roasted and slightly burnt flavors with burnt plums and some stale coffee behind. the coffee bitterness lingers for a fair bit.

M-medium body, smooth and creamy on the palate. carbonation is a little light and the finish is a little thin.

D-a little stale and singular, big time roasted and burnt malts with a lot of sugar and malt sweetness.

Enjoyed this on-tap at Duckworth's in Charlotte, NC during the Stone Tap Event. This review is from my notes from that night, 10/07/10.

- black with tan head; not much retension; very heaving lacing on glass

- coffee with faint floral and herbal aromas

- dark roasted coffee, almost burnt, leather and some herbal spice; not hot, but smooth alcohol

- not the thickest stout; somewhat on the burnt and bitter side; complex flavor but not personally my favorite; one glass was enough for one sitting

Had at the Stone Tap Takeover in Charlotte. Served from tap into a tumbler. Poured pitch black with a minimal dark tan head. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, bourbon, and subtle chocolate. The flavor was of roasted malt, sweet chocolate, subtle alcohol, and vanilla. It had a medium feel on the palate with light carbonation. Overall the flavor on this was quite awesome. The vanilla aspect to it really sets this one apart. I would really love to see a bourbon barrel aged version of this one (hint, hint).

On tap at Small Bar into a goblet for the Stone 40 tap take over...Black pour with a medium carbonation...The aroma is sweet, spicy, and herbal. Vanilla, cherries, spice, and fresh herbs (sage?!) that broke up the sweetness but not a great addition...The taste is also very malty with an aftertaste of the herbs.

This is an ok beer, but a blend that was probably left unblended. I wouldn't give it a try unless your a ticker.

On-tap at Naja's

A: The pour is inky black with a minimal tan head forming on top.

S: Smokey and earthy notes come through right away, which I was not exactly expecting. A little bit of a vanilla and oak flavor along with plenty of roasted malts. Coffee and a subtle spice aroma (likely the sage).

T: Alcohol, chocolate, and considerable sweetness. A bitter, roasted malt character as well as the same smoke and earth character on the nose.

M: The body is not as full as I would expect for a beer like this. A bit of a watery feel at times with a smooth, medium carbonation.

D: The chipotles come through quite strongly and the sage notes on the nose were sort of strange. I liked it more as the beer warmed up a little bit, but still not my favorite.

From 10/04/10 notes. Had on tap at Churchkey in DC.

a - Pours a dark brown color with an inch of tan head.

s - Smells of chocolate, oak, roasted malts, and spices.

t - Tastes of spices, pepper, roasted malts, chocolate, dark fruit and alcohol. Much more spice than the nose.

m - Medium body and low carbonation.

d - An interesting and pretty good RIS variation. There was some definite spice in the smell and taste but it worked pretty well. Would try again.

served the other day at Rattle n Hum, 8 ounces in a small wine glass.

The beer pours ink black, with a thin caramel head (due in part to the pour I suspect) that leaves lacy spotting. The blend of aromas in the nose are great, a big rich dark chocolate, a hint of bourbon, and a dash of pepper. The problem is the nose is just a little weak. The flavor has no such problem. The beer starts off with somewhat standard RIS flavors, big chocolate and then some coffee in the mix as well as the same faint suggestion of bourbon. A brief note of herbal qualities comes through next thanks to what I believe was some sage. The peppery flavors from the chipotles close out the beer and Stone/Greg Koch really nailed it as far as balancing the amount of spiciness. Enough oomph to be a major part of the beer, without ruining it's innate RIS malty nature. Carbonation is nicely subdued, but the body comes off as being just a little bit thin. There's no harsh alcohol heat and the great flavor and wiell balanced chipotle influence make this a very drinkable imperial stout.

On-tap at Small Bar Logan Square. Served in a goblet.

A - This had less foam than the Belgo IRS I had next to it. The foam settles to a thin ring and patchy film, leaving behind no lace. It's black, like all the other stouts from Stone.

S - Coffee, faded hop aroma, some spice (apparently there is sage in here?). Some dark roasted grains mingle with dark fruit (particularly cherry) sweetness.

T - Pretty sweet, reminds me of chocolate-covered cherries, but notes of citrus hop as well. There's some bitterness in the finish, so I can see how the Subelimely Self-Righteous fits in.

M - Smooth, medium-low carbonation, medium body that's thinner than the regular IRS.

D - It was probably too late in the night to order this type of beer, but I think it was a fairly successful blend. I'd probably give this another shot if it showed up on-tap again.

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.

The description of this beer is a mess but it came together somehow in the end. Beer is medium bodied and black in the glass. The brown head of medium and small bubbles leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is oddly spicy but overall weak. The beer itself has some nice sage / thyme flavors but the IRS breaks through and takes over finishing with some nice roast and some sweetness on the front. A very odd concoction, but it came together rather well.

Wow, what an interesting brew. On tap at the churchkey last night. Apparently this is a blend of the imp stout vintages, the sublimely self righteous, and aged with chipotle and sage. Sounds like a bit much, but it was actually pretty delicious. Pours like the stout. Near black, with reddish tints as the beers thins and is put up to light. Nice deep tan head, decent retention and ok lacing. Smells a lot like the imp stout, but with a touch more hop presence in the form of pine. The pine adds a great touch.

Taste starts off with deep chocolatey notes and then shows the dark fruit. All malt at first, it shows the piney hop profile towards to end of the flavor. Very complex. There's a ton going on here. Decent mouthfeel, but a bit thinned out. Nice interesting brew.

On tap at Churchkey last night.

Pours jet black with a tan head and a moderate amount of lacing. Nose brings strong notes of chocolate, pepper, and spice. I was afraid that this was going to be really over the top after reading about its composition, but GK brought it together quite nicely. I really enjoyed the interaction between the chocolate and spices. Feel was nice and smooth along with the slightly herbal taste. The finish with heat from the peppers was absolutely spot on--the best I've ever had from a beer with chili peppers. Drinkability was really nice, as each section of the palate seemed to be getting a different beer. Thoroughly enjoyable.

On tap at Church Key today. Apparently, this is a blend of the 10 year IRS blend, Sublimely Self Righteous Ale and was aged with sage and chipotle. It sounds like a trainwreck, but it was actually pretty good.

Black with dark brown head with good retention and moderate lacing, this looks good. It smells great, though! I'm struck by the pine hop character right up front, along with a blend of what appears to be chamomile and sage, herbal and delicious. While not as heavy handed as the Stone/DFH Victory Saison du BUFF, this still does have a prominent herbal character. Moderately tea-like, there's some chocolate, a little toast and a little roast. A little heat too. Almost excellent.
The palate opens spicy and herbal with the sage really coming through. The pine hops are also present, and the chocolate and roast make for an interesting flavor combination when coupled with the herbaceousness. There's an herbal tartness on the finish which works when paired with the chocolate. Full in body with mild hop character, the pine bitterness and roasty chocolate linger on the finish along with the sage. This is solid stuff and would be a wonderful beer to serve with a cheese course, but is not particularly drinkable.

Had on tap at the Rattle n Hum in NYC for the Total Tap Takeover Tour. Served in a wine glass.

Look: very black with the only highlights being a reddish brown when held up to the light. There's a very thin head that dissipates quickly but no lacing is left behind. I don't see any carbonation.

Smell: lots of chocolate and roasted malt flavors in the smell. There's also some hop bitterness in there and a hint of booziness.

Taste: very sweet with roasted malt flavors dominating. There's some hoppiness towards the end of the taste, which is surprising yet good. The alcohol, especially as the beer warms up, is present in the finish.

Feel: medium bodied and very silky. Not much carbonation. There's an alcohol bite at the finish.

Drink: though its hard to drink more than one of these, I'll rate this high because of the style. It was also much more drinkable than the bourbon barrel aged IRS I had a few rounds before!

Overall, it was good and I liked it. It was one of my favorites of the night. Definitely worth a try if you get the chance.