Espresso Imperial Russian Stout
Stone Brewing

A: opaque; very dark brown in color - almost black; less than a 1 finger light brown head that receded quickly to a pencil thin collar; no lacing;

S: deeply roasted grain with black coffee behind it;

T: follows the nose from start to finish; a bit of vanilla at the end; moderate bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; low to moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; a little boozy, but not hot;

O: 13 years old; past its prime, but still quite good;

 

Half finger dark cream colored head, awesome retention for an 8 year old beer. Black in color. Aroma is highlighted by dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate with a rich coffee and roasty malt underbelly. Complex flavor, especially as it warms. Dark and semisweet chocolate mingle with rich dark roasted malts and give an illusion of coffee flavors. The coffee itself is muted, potentially due to the age, but the aftertaste is still there and leaves you with a rich creamy bitterness lingering in the back. That helps balance the richness of the malt bill and even overpowers any hot booze flavors, creating a mellow but complex flavor profile. There's a vanilla flavor in the creaminess there too that's such a perfect little relief note. This is a big and bold sipper, lots of great stuff going on in there to enjoy.

Review from October 27, 2013.

Pours the immense used motor oil descriptor that was all the rage a decade ago. Firm brown head, 1/2". Tough to imagine this style looking much better than this. The aroma was less of the mild dark fruit presence from the base RIS, and more of the roast and coffee like presence.

Taste was another big ass chewy massively roasted stout that leaned more American than Russian thanks to the espresso addition. Big, bitter, bold notes of roasted barley, coffee, chocolate malt.

I really should check my Stone rack in the cellar for one of these. They were about the first brewery to get good at hiding double digit alcohol. This must have led them to decide to make that super awesome Mikhail's Odd barrel aged version. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw this on a shelf.

 

Pitch black.

Minimal dark khaki lace; minimal lace.

Coffee bean nose. Nice.

Thick, chalky mouthfeel.

Bitter dark chocolate gives way to sweet roasted coffee. Complex & delicious.

 

 

 

Vintage 2013.. Worthy of a review for sure.. looks very dark no head whatsoever.. smell of coffee and vanilla.. taste starts very bitter from coffee and ends with a boost of vanilla.. overall very enjoyable surprise for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

well this bottle from 2013 has held up really well. pours dark brown with a creamy white head that hangs around and leavs some lace. aroma is intensely roasty, burnt malts, espresso, raisins, pipe tobacco, leather, dark chocolate, hint of dark fruits. on the palate is molasses, chocolate, mouthfeel is medium-full bodied and pretty chewy. still, a touch of booze comes through, but in my opinion its subtle enough that it adds to the overall profile.

 

This has to be one of my favorite beers. I have had it bottled, on tap, as well as several growler fills. Pours a very dark brown with a good amount of khaki head. Pure coffee on the nose with hints of chocolate, vanilla/cream, and alcohol. Taste is bitter espresso, chocolate, some burnt sugar, and slightly creamy finish that has a hint of vanilla. Feel is thick with more carbonation than you would expect, and finishes very smooth. Overall, I love this beer. It is not longer bottled so anytime that it is available for pours or fills, I rush to Stone to get some. If you love coffee in your beer as much as I do, this is about as good as it gets.