-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Espresso Imperial Russian Stout
Stone Brewing
- From:
- Stone Brewing
- California, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 11%
- Score:
- 96
- Avg:
- 4.34 | pDev: 7.83%
- Reviews:
- 383
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Feb 05, 2021
- Added:
- Apr 17, 2013
- Wants:
- 205
- Gots:
- 399
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jlindros:
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.52/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I've been excited to try this for a while now, and finally got around to it.
Pours a nice dark creamy frothy thick 1 finger mocha colored head that fades semi slowly, a nice lacing, pitch black beer with not light coming through, kinda reminds me of the kaffee I got in Belgium.
Nose is great, just as expected, lots of dark malts, a little roast, with hints of dark chocolate and super dark intense cocoa. then loads of coffee and espresso, fresh roasted ground coffee beans, super pact espresso rich nutty like, a nice roast without being super acrid either. It also brings a light smoked malt character which is also interesting, and a light nutty caramel aroma somewhere under that, and even a faint vanilla character. So much fresh coffee and espresso roast!
Taste starts with loads of dark malts as expected, big creamy dark chocolate, so much chocolate, dark cocoa, a little thick milk chocolate, nice melting Belgian chocolate, a little vanilla and some nice caramel as well. Roasted malts are there but barely, but they lead teh way for the big coffee flavor, and fresh espresso beans, freshly ground and somewhat freshly roasted coffee, and a nice rich coffee flavor. It doesn't get acrid, at all, which is really interesting for how much fresh roasted espresso is in this, I can almost feel the caffeine seeping into my tongue. There is also a hint of warming booze, but not much, and with the mild sweetness and huge roasty coffee and dark chocolate, drinks like the abv is closer to 7%. Besides a mild bitterness from teh roasted coffee, there is also a light earthy hop presence, but barely. Finish is drier but a little sticky as it really coats the mouth, with more earthy bitterness, long fresh roasted espresso beans lingering for a long time, and a bit more dark chocolate.
Mouth is full bodied, nice and creamy, thick and somewhat lush, just a touch of booze.
Overall lives up to the hype, this beer is awesome! It's no Vietnamese Speedway, but it's not too far off. No flaws in this beer, everything in the right proportions, very tasty, and way too drinkable!
Jun 14, 2013Pours a nice dark creamy frothy thick 1 finger mocha colored head that fades semi slowly, a nice lacing, pitch black beer with not light coming through, kinda reminds me of the kaffee I got in Belgium.
Nose is great, just as expected, lots of dark malts, a little roast, with hints of dark chocolate and super dark intense cocoa. then loads of coffee and espresso, fresh roasted ground coffee beans, super pact espresso rich nutty like, a nice roast without being super acrid either. It also brings a light smoked malt character which is also interesting, and a light nutty caramel aroma somewhere under that, and even a faint vanilla character. So much fresh coffee and espresso roast!
Taste starts with loads of dark malts as expected, big creamy dark chocolate, so much chocolate, dark cocoa, a little thick milk chocolate, nice melting Belgian chocolate, a little vanilla and some nice caramel as well. Roasted malts are there but barely, but they lead teh way for the big coffee flavor, and fresh espresso beans, freshly ground and somewhat freshly roasted coffee, and a nice rich coffee flavor. It doesn't get acrid, at all, which is really interesting for how much fresh roasted espresso is in this, I can almost feel the caffeine seeping into my tongue. There is also a hint of warming booze, but not much, and with the mild sweetness and huge roasty coffee and dark chocolate, drinks like the abv is closer to 7%. Besides a mild bitterness from teh roasted coffee, there is also a light earthy hop presence, but barely. Finish is drier but a little sticky as it really coats the mouth, with more earthy bitterness, long fresh roasted espresso beans lingering for a long time, and a bit more dark chocolate.
Mouth is full bodied, nice and creamy, thick and somewhat lush, just a touch of booze.
Overall lives up to the hype, this beer is awesome! It's no Vietnamese Speedway, but it's not too far off. No flaws in this beer, everything in the right proportions, very tasty, and way too drinkable!
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Rschis16 from Maryland
4.37/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.37/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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.
Feb 05, 2021Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.97/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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.
Jun 03, 2020Pours 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.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.25/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
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.
Mar 17, 2019Minimal dark khaki lace; minimal lace.
Coffee bean nose. Nice.
Thick, chalky mouthfeel.
Bitter dark chocolate gives way to sweet roasted coffee. Complex & delicious.
Reviewed by Dspader1 from Minnesota
4.44/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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.
Mar 21, 2017Reviewed by Hyptochrons from Massachusetts
4.35/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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.
Nov 10, 2016Reviewed by SoCal_Matt from California
4.88/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.88/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
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.
Jul 17, 2016Reviewed by Bierliebhaber3 from Massachusetts
4.63/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.63/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
This stout pours a pitch black color with a medium dark tan head. The smell is a potent mix of espresso and alcohol. I’ve tried the classic Stone Imperial Russian Stout and it is fabulous, so I was excited to try this. It has a really nice full, malty body as any good stout should have. The taste of espresso is strong, but unlike most flavor additives to beer I don’t necessarily mind that, though I would have perhaps made it very slightly more subtle. There is also a roasted malt, molasses, slightly chocolate aftertaste and a slight bitterness that is by no means overpowering. The taste of alcohol is present, which isn’t at all surprising considering this is 11%, however it is not at all overpowering or even as strong as the smell suggested. There is a creamy mouth-feel that lingers in your mouth even after a minute or so. This is really a great coffee stout. I don’t know if I necessarily like it better than the original, which is probably a top beer for me, but it is certainly complementary to it and undoubtedly worth trying in its own right.
Jun 12, 2016
Espresso Imperial Russian Stout from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
2739 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!