Espresso Imperial Russian Stout
Stone Brewing

Espresso Imperial Russian StoutEspresso Imperial Russian Stout
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
11%
Score:
96
Avg:
4.34 | pDev: 7.83%
Reviews:
383
Ratings:
2,739
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.
Photo of Rschis16
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
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, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

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, 2020
 
Rated: 4.31 by JoeLacy from Ohio

Sep 15, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
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
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, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Dec 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.31 by OtisCampbell007 from Tennessee

Dec 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 03, 2018
Photo of Dspader1
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
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, 2017
 
Rated: 4.44 by Erik-P from Canada (BC)

Mar 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.44 by sanitarium16 from New Jersey

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by npachl from Wisconsin

Jan 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.48 by bcsbeer from Florida

Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4.24 by Superheatnsubcool from Washington

Dec 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by jkhobbs99 from Texas

Nov 26, 2016
Photo of Hyptochrons
Reviewed 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
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, 2016
 
Rated: 4.78 by Wenzl from Massachusetts

Nov 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by Doomcifer from Rhode Island

Oct 15, 2016
Photo of SoCal_Matt
Reviewed by SoCal_Matt from California

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, 2016
Photo of Bierliebhaber3
Reviewed 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
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
 
Rated: 4.5 by sposter4 from Pennsylvania

Jun 04, 2016
Espresso Imperial Russian Stout from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 2739 ratings