Tsar's Imperial Stout
Chelsea Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into snifter glass.

A - Poured jet black non-transparent color with medium brown head that quickly dissipated leaving slight lacing around the glass.

S - Very subtle roasted malts, chocolate and coffee.

T - Pretty much follows the nose. Lots of roasted malts with big amounts of coffee and dark chocolate. Rich and creamy burnt and bitter taste.

M - Full bodied with high carbonation.

O - Excellent RIS with ABV well hidden. Overall I would highly recommend it.

On-tap at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem, served in a 12 oz glass. Came pitch black with a short tan head. It needed a little time to warm up, but once it did, the flavor opened up with a mix of roasted coffee, smoke, medium-dark chocolate and toasty grain. It's not too thick, but instead a satisfying stout that doesn't leave you too full.

Chelsea Tsar's Imperial Stout on cask at The Pony Bar in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. Also available there on regular draft (already reviewed).

Appearance: Served in their standard 12-oz pint. Comes with a beautiful two-finger head, brownish white, bubbly. Extremely black color, super dark. Incredible lacing.

Smell: Roasty hops, dry bitterness. Some sugary malts. Chocolate. A bit of creme brulee.

Taste: Liquid chocolate, roastiness. Also, like sucking a leather shoe, very earthy/umami-like. Some espresso aromas.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium body and flavor. Dry, bitter finish.

Drinkability: Fair enough. It is boozy at almost 10% and it goes down boozy, more so as it warms up. Still, quite drinkable.

I prefer the cask version over the draft. The flavors are out and dancing and the beer becomes more complex and rich.

This was labeled as "Russian Imperial Stout" at Pony Bar, listed at 10.5% alcohol. It was available both on tap and in cask, so I went for the cask version. I'm going to assume this is the correct beer because the reviewer below me mentioned this and it is the only Russian Imperial Stout on the list from Chelsea.

Pours a pitch black colour with thin tan head. Smells of roasted malt with lots of dark chocolate. Sweet flavour, slightly bitter in the aftertaste I find though. Very smooth mouthfeel. This beer seems to be made for cask. I wish more stouts were on cask rather than nitro.

(From notes)

A - Deep, dark black color; with a very thin bubbly light tan head; very dense looking

S - Dark fruits, almost a hint of raisins; light roastiness; deep, rich sweetness in the nose

T - Lightly roasty; bittersweat chocolate; not as sweet as in the aroma

M - Thicker, full MF; slick; not really any carbonation to speak of; very awesome stuff on cask.

D - True sipper, but certainly drinkable when treated with some respect; nice

Overall, a great example of the style and loved this on cask.

Cask at The Brazen Head, served by Mr. Alex Hall himself.

Usual appearance: black body with a thin tan cap.
The aroma displayed bittersweet chocolate and coffee grounds, burnt sugar, some dark fruit, and wood (not oak from aging in wood, but more like damp wood, or I think more like that old wood smell that you find in old buildings - and I don't mean that in a bad way, it was a mild note that was pleasant).

The flavor showed more dark caramel than the nose suggested it would, and the burnt sugar continued as a major part of the flavor profile. Of course the chocolate and roastiness were still there, but they took a back-seat. A firm bitterness backed it, and I found it well-balanced and nicely rounded. The alcohol never made an appearance, even at 9%; and it finished with a dull roastiness and notes of dark coffee.

Nicely done! One of my favorite beers from the cask festival. I've always liked the beers that Mark and Chris put out, even their basics, but this one was primo! Just a little different than you'd expect of the style. Worth trying!

I had this brew at Barcade in Brooklyn. Black in color with a limited head, no lace. Burnt wood scent to it. As you would expect, it's very smooth and very easy to drink. To be honest, there is nothing that really jumps out with this beer, but it is very good. Definitely worth a try.

Reviewed on 8/15/08. On tap at Blind Tiger, 2005 vintage. Pours black with a pretty 1/2 inch thick tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, Flavor of roasted malt, vanilla, oak, bitter chocolate. Sharp alcohol finish, also some apple skins in the finish. Nice rich malt. Delicate mouthfeel, not heavy at all. Good, complex beer.
7/4/8/4/15 (3.8/5)

'07 vintage

Pours black. Surprise! No head to show off a gravity pour. Woody sweet nose. Real smooth flavor. Vanilla. Light woody character. Very nice sweet tone. Great feel. Goes down super easy and goes down as another excellent stout from Chelsea.

Pours dark black.tiny bubbles for lace.
The aroma of cocoa,chocolate and malts.
The taste of roasted malts,chocolate and some alcohol.
The feel was full bodied,low carbonation(cask),smoky and chewy. An easy beer to drink especially as it warmed.Coffee notes and despite the ABV is was so smooth and a delight to sip on.

Notes: I had this towards the end of the night and I was expecting something bitter and heavy,well it was neither and I reveled in my pick.

had this on tap at Hop Devil Grill in the East Village. poured black like espresso with a thin, creamy, white head.
smelled of black coffee and even charcoal.
i could certainly taste the alcohol but it wasn't overpowering. it tasted like strong coffee with hints of sour cherry, smoked ham and charcoal. stacked up against another I-stout that will remain nameless, it was pretty good, but not prefect. it was lacking the robust, full-mouth effect of some others. i'd certainly get it again, though!

Poured a deep oily black hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a robust buurnt grain and some caramel sweetness. Elements of cocoa and smoke as well.

The flavor consisted of a serious burnt grain with hints of black malt, candy sugar, dark chocolate and cofee.

The mouthfeel was full and chewy.

Overall a superior RIS on cask.

Poured from a growler within about an hour of being filled. Like all RIS's, black. It has a great thick tan head that leaves great lacing. Smells like a very dark roasted coffee more than anything else...obviously dark chocolate comes out as well.

It has a nice hop taste to it that makes it pretty dry and gives it a nice little twist. Again, coffee and chocolate dominate the flavor. It has a medium to full body.

Overall great beer...this was my first Chelsea brew...they just set the bar high with this one; I hope the other beers can live up to this quality.