Moa Imperial Stout (Aged In Pinot Noir Barrels)
Moa Brewing Company

Moa Imperial Stout (Aged In Pinot Noir Barrels)Moa Imperial Stout (Aged In Pinot Noir Barrels)
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From:
Moa Brewing Company
 
New Zealand
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #453
ABV:
10.2%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,980
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 15.09%
Reviews:
153
Ratings:
576
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 18, 2022
Added:
Mar 23, 2010
Wants:
  14
Gots:
  66
Moa Imperial Stout Barrel Reserve is a very strong, upfront and rich offering of this famous Moa style. Aged in oak Pinot Noir barrels, this beer not only displays coffee and mocha characters but also some sweet and savory notes unique to Moa Imperial. This award winning Stout is seasonally produced and available for short periods each year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by acurtis:
Photo of acurtis
Rated by acurtis from New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

Jun 22, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.83 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Apr 18, 2022
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Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.19/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Moa Brewing Co., 500ml Imperial Oak Aged Stout. Bought from Cold Storage supermarket in Singapore. 10.2% ABV
500ml bottle. BB date completely without trace on the bottle/label/cap/top/bottom/anywhere.
L- Inky black. 1cm tan head.
S- Toasty, deep molasses
T- Deeply toasty, heavy treacle, pungent, with smoky dry finish.
M- A rich smoky mouthfeel, coupled with a full-on 10.2% flavour/body. Might work better in winter than 35C Singapore.
O- Hefty brew. But at that level it balances with it's mouthfeel. Not your standard issu 'tropical refresher', but very interesting to try. Drunk 9/Feb/2019.
Apr 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 03, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by StoutAtTheDevil from Alabama

Jul 02, 2018
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Reviewed by Outsider_Brewing from Japan

4.55/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Have seasonal beer tastings at one of my bars, The Vault. We had this in our winter tasting.
Pours jet black with no head. Good deep aroma with oak at the forefront. Taste is strong, stout with a lot of barrel and late bitterness. Mouth feel is quite viscous.
Very nice beer but wouldn't want too many.
Jul 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by smcel371 from New York

May 11, 2018
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Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Decanted from a 12.7 oz (376 ml) bottle into a snifter glass; no production information.
A: Pours pitch black color with virtually no head formation, just a slight rim of bubbles, and no lacing. Rudimentary legs.
S: Aromas of espresso, unsweetened chocolate, pitted fruit (plum, cherry), berry, molasses, tobacco. A little nutty.
T: Semisweet and booziness evident. Flavors basically mirror the nose. Could I pick up pinot noir? In truth, maybe. Tobacco bitterness a nice offset to the sweet malts.
M: Full bodied and thick with virtually no carbonation.
O: This was an ambitious effort and certainly a complex flavor sensation. I tend to like high carbonation in my stouts and that was not an element of this bottle of Moa. Perhaps that is simply a product of barrel aging. Production information when the plan is to export would be helpful.
May 06, 2018
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Reviewed by Greywulfken from New York

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Vaguely translucent black pour into the center of a large snifter didn't produce any head at all... No idea about the bottling date, but this was really wine-forward beer! I'd almost go so far as to say it simply tasted like someone mixed pinot noir with a stout...

Lots of tannic berry and cherry-like impressions - not too tart, not too sweet, but very reminiscent of a dark red wine, with ample barrel notes - and then more traditional cocoa and coffee-like suggestions of stout ale... The body was very thin, smooth and easy-drinking - not heavy at all, and very slick and quick across the palate...

As it warmed, it became more stout-like, and I gotta say, I'm really liking it, but as a RIS, it may not be what you're looking for, but as an interesting brew... well, really cool...
Jan 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.71 by SkyyNapalm from Massachusetts

Jul 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by PSU_Mike from Pennsylvania

Jul 02, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by BrentMcQuirk from Texas

Jun 20, 2017
Photo of bwood06
Reviewed by bwood06 from Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
My wife and I took a trip to New Zealand recently and as is per the norm with our trips, the vacation turned into a wine and beer tour of the county (along with some triathlon racing and sightseeing too). This was a beer that was hard to pass up for me since I found it rather difficult to find stouts while we were there (it was late spring, but still...).

This beer pours a pitch black hue with mahogany edges and no carbonation is visible. A thin khaki colored head dissipates quickly to a thin lacing that is retained nicely. 3.75/5 The aroma is very malty with dark roasted grains, wheat bread, dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, and a light oakiness to round things out. There is a bit of an herbal hoppiness but this is rather muted and more of an undertone. 3.75/5 The flavor profile is just like the aroma with the same malt and hop notes. The intensity is moderate but flavorful with each note standing out quite nicely. Bitterness is moderate and lingers for a good while after swallowing. 3.75/5 This beer is a full bodied stout (as expected) that features a light carbonation tickle up front before transitioning to a light dryness that lingers after swallowing. Prior to the dryness kicking in, slight wetting sensation occurs. 4/5 This is a good stout that has a flavor profile that works well. Each flavor really has its moment in the sun and they all jive together nicely. The ABV is not noticeable to me, but this may be due to the fact that I regularly drink Imperials in the US. 3.75/5
May 25, 2017
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.52/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and an opaque texture. There was a small amount of foamy, tan-colored head that quickly dissipated. Pretty sparse lacing.

S: A quite subdued aroma of chocolate, malt, a vinous quality, and caramel.

T: Tasted of a lot of roasted malt, a bit of dark chocolate, the aforementioned vinous quality (the advertised pinot noir), a lot of lactose notes, a hint of caramel, and a woody quality. None the ingredients, save the lactose, really shine through. Kind of a low impact flavor.

F: An average amount of carbonation with a dry as dirt finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not one of the more memorable RIS's I've tried. Could have better.
May 23, 2017
 
Rated: 3.6 by FBarber from Illinois

Feb 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.52 by BrewNoob1 from Minnesota

Jan 29, 2017
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Reviewed by constantine_272 from Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Thin and blackish brown with no head, highly viscous. Kinda looks like used motor oil. The nose brings chocolate rapberry and vanilla bean. The taste starts sweet with chocolate syrup, and a smooth the buttery oak. Red raspberry was prominent at first but receeds as you keep drinking giving way to fascinating eucalyptus herbal brightness and heat. Long cocoa nib finishes. Just the right amount of dryness. I was disappointed at first by the low carbonation but more might have overpowered the more subtle buttery flavors. This is a smooth sweet sipper. At first I didn't get it but its more of a liqueur or an apperetif then a beer. Hard to believe the ABV considering how easy and smooth it is.
Dec 17, 2016
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Rated by brap from New York

4.6/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Loved this beer.
Nov 25, 2016
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Reviewed by q33jeff from New Jersey

3.47/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
**
03/02/2014

Aroma Is raspberry, chocolate, plum. Dark black color. Thick. Small white head. Taste is cola, wood, earth, dark chocolate.

I’m a tad disappointed, but this is still a very good beer.
**
Nov 22, 2016
Moa Imperial Stout (Aged In Pinot Noir Barrels) from Moa Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 576 ratings