Marshal Zhukov's Double Envelopment
Cigar City Brewing

 

 

 

Got this one from Claaark. Cheers man!

From a 750 into a snifter
Rum and Cherry Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

APPEARANCE: Pours out pitch black and yields a 2+ finger, medium looking, crackly, fizzy, dark tan head with decent retention. Head crackles away to a faint wisp and ring. Jet black body and no carbonation evident. Thing ring remains leaving no real lacing on the glass as it empties.

SMELL: Lots of rum barrel, oak, and heavy boozy aromas on the nose. Lovely notes of vanilla cream, pure dark chocolate, brownies, some caramel and butterscotch and hints of molasses. Like a boozy chocolate brownie cake. Lovely.

TASTE: Very flavorful up front, with lot of sugary rum barrels, woody flavors, and some rich chocolate brownies and vanilla cream into the swallow. Very bold and persistent finish of rum, chocolate brownie cake, vanilla, caramel and butterscotch, and plenty of boozy flavors. Some light roasted bitterness as well, though this is mostly sweet barrel and cake flavors.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. A little bit prickly on the palate, though creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes rather sticky, like it should. No real burn and only a bit of heat lingers. Good stuff.

OVERALL: The Marshal does it again. This is a fantastic stout without any extras, and for that reason, it’s the ultimate base for anything, beverage, foodstuffs, or otherwise, worth consuming. There’s no reason to eat breakfast in the morning, a sandwich at lunch, or anything remotely close to being called dinner, if it hasn’t got The Marshal as it’s base. Froot Loops in the morning? Not without the Marshal. In the mood for a Japanese miso soup? First of all, shame on you for that. But the soup is sans Marshal? It’s mandatory that you reject it outright. Thanks again Claaark! Lovely.

 

 

 

Poured a black body with minimal head that quickly died. There are aromas of dark fruits, stuff like plums and cherries, maybe chocolate covered cherries, along with some oakiness and something akin to red wine. The beer is boozy, sticky, oaky/woody, has a touch of smoothness to it so not a chore to drink. Dark fruits like cherries intermingle with mildly dry chocolate and touches of vanilla sweetness. Good balance and the beer finishes a little boozy to let you know to slowly sip.

 

 

750ml bottle poured into an El Catador club snifter. Bottling date of 3/19/19 etched on the neck of the bottle. Double Envelopment is Zhukov aged in rum and sherry barrels. Overall, you take an iconic base beer and add in really nice barrel characteristics from two different barrels and you have a winner all day in my book. Tasty!

 

750 at home w Lisa

 

Novare Res Stoutfest 2020.

A- Pours from the taps into a snifter with a black body that has minimal light penetrating only at the edges of the beer. A small foamy cap forms but dies fairly quickly and no lacing is left behind.

S- Begins with big burnt and charred roast barley but as things open up the rum and sherry barrels begin to take over. Notes of oak wood, toffee, toasted nuts, bitter burnt grain and brownies. Sweet rum and vanilla notes. Fruity sherry is big with warming.

T- A blunt force slap in the face with fruity sherry from that barrel. Surprising since it wasn't in the forefront in the aroma but here it destroys the palate alongside some fairly raw, sweet rum notes. Alongside that are massive raw oak and sweet fudge character that lead to a flavor that lacks balance. Somewhat boozy and the roast barley is cast aside by the barrels here

MF- Very thick, holding up with the rest of the Zhukov series as some of the biggest beers out there. Creamy and foamy texture with medium carbonation. Ends with warmth and roast bitters.

Just over the top with the sherry and to some extent the barrel character in general. Double barrel does not have to mean fruity sherry destroying your taste buds and leaving what is a great base stout in the dust.

On tap at Novare during stoutfest 2020

Poured from a 750ml Catador Club bottle dated 3/29/19 into a Cigar City Spiegelau Barrel Aged Beer glass.

Beer is pitch black with a dark mocha head that recedes into a ring with no lacing. Alcohol legs are thick and clinging.

Aroma is dark fruits, eye stinging alcohol, baker’s chocolate, and oak barrel.

Taste follows the nose with a dry oaky red wine finish.

Overall I’d never guess this is rum and sherry barrel aged, but the barrel aging is prominent. It’s still boozy and hot 10 months in the bottle. Not the best BA Marshal Zhukov’s I’ve had, but fantastic nonetheless.

Had on tap. Now this is a beer to behold, savor and enjoy. Midnight black with some brown foam that fades away. Big oak, with sweeter booze immediately in the nose, hard to distinguish between rum and sherry aromas. Dark fruit, coffee, soil, dark bitter chocolate, tobacco, and molasses intermingle in both smell and taste. Taste has more of the rum cola, leather, and sherry must mixed in but otherwise a complex, boozy, earthy, and chewy stout. A true sipper.