Motherland Russian Imperial Stout
Hopworks Brewery

*archived rating*

Consumption date: 11.18.15

This is a beer that they brewed a few years back and came back with a slightly different recipe. This beer pours a dark brown color with almost no head, just a tan ring around the glass. The aroma is chocolate and caramel with some sweetness. Taste is chocolate and dried stone fruits and a bit of molasses. Nice sweetness and almost no bitterness. Very good sipping beer for a cold night. Rated 1-20-2024

Hopworks Urban Brewery 'Motherland RIS' @ 9.8% , served from a 650 ml bottle
A-pour is a dark cola brown from the bottle to a near black in the glass with a small tan head leaving a fine spotty lace along the pint
S-chocolate , star anise
T-roasted malt , some smoke
MF-ok carbonation , feels full bodied
Ov-a not so smooth RIS ,
prost LampertLand

 

 

Dark cola. You know this song. Small latte coloured head dissipates pretty quick. Light at the corners.

Nose has everyone's favourite bouquet of licorice coffee dark chocolate entangled in a dangerous dance with that whiff of alcohol to raise an eyebrow.

Flavour brings no surprises there. Alcohol heat previews a highly carbonated body that doesn't quite have as much heft and chew as I'd prefer personally. Dark chocolate and acrid coffee and while the alcohol is omnipresent, it sits comfortably around the other flavours, not distracting or completely overwhelming. There's an almost ashy quality hiding under all the carbonation too. Interesting.

Overall, it's got some things going for it that are more of the 'they better have that going for it given the style' so I like it in that regard. Within the scope of RISs... eh it's ok. Nothing to write home about, but not unpleasant either. In that perfectly respectable if unexciting realm of 'I'd drink one if offered or there wasn't anything better on tap, but wouldn't really prioritize it'

 

 

 

Had on tap at the brewery. Pours a dark brown with a light tan head with some decent lacing around the glass. Smelled of dark chocolate, caramel malt, slight burnt notes and bitterness. Allowing the beer to warm a little accents the nose even more. The taste was very good! A great interpretation of the style. Checks all the boxes for me; you can taste the same flavors you suspected in the smell and they are very well balanced. So easily drinkable and highly enjoyable.

 

On tap at Black Friday. Inky black pour, with sparse beige head. Nice rich roast grain aroma, chocolaty taste, hints of burnt toast. Plenty of lingering warmth for the colder season.