Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout | Cigar City Brewing
Brewed by:
Cigar City Brewing
Florida, United States
cigarcitybrewing.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.00%
Availability: Summer
Notes / Commercial Description:
This Russian Imperial Stout is dedicated to Georgy Zhukov, arguably one of the finest generals of World War II. Opaque black in color, with notes of espresso, chocolate, dark toffee and hints of backstrap molasses. The English hop varietals provide a subtle herbal dryness, and finishes with a hearty slap of roasty espresso. Pair Marshal Zhukov’s with Mushroom Solyanka, dark chocolate, cherries and ground wars in Russia.
We brew and release Zhukov's in the summer knowing that a beer of this heft reaches its full potential a few months after release. So save a bottle for the cold winter!
80 IBU
Added by BigMcLargeHuge on 11-17-2008
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 2,735 | Reviews: 569
4.32/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.06/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.5/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.99/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.41/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.55/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a thick viscous pitch black color. Thick tight foamy brown head dissipates steadily leaving no lacing or residual head.
Smell has notes of espresso, chocolate, roasted malts, smoked bacon, dark fruits, brown sugar, and toffee. Incredibly complex aroma and very aromatic. Initially you get those dark fruit and sugary notes - it smells a bit sweet. But then that gives way into a smoked/roasted malt aroma with a bitter espresso finish.
Taste follows the nose with a sweet red wine, dark fruit, and chocolate array of flavors that slowly gives way to a peak of roasted malts, barley, smoked meat that gently gives way to some hoppy bitterness, bitter espresso, and some lingering charred malts. As the beer is consumed you get a real nice umami flavor that builds. The flavors on this are incredibly complex.
Feel is thick, viscous, oily, and full bodied. Medium carbonation provides a prickly tinge in the mouth. Bitter finish leaves a pretty dry finish. The alcohol provides a hint of heat that warms the insides, but it never gets to be too much.
Overall this is a fantastic Russian imperial stout - one of the most complex and flavorful RISs out there. A must try.
1,181 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a thick viscous pitch black color. Thick tight foamy brown head dissipates steadily leaving no lacing or residual head.
Smell has notes of espresso, chocolate, roasted malts, smoked bacon, dark fruits, brown sugar, and toffee. Incredibly complex aroma and very aromatic. Initially you get those dark fruit and sugary notes - it smells a bit sweet. But then that gives way into a smoked/roasted malt aroma with a bitter espresso finish.
Taste follows the nose with a sweet red wine, dark fruit, and chocolate array of flavors that slowly gives way to a peak of roasted malts, barley, smoked meat that gently gives way to some hoppy bitterness, bitter espresso, and some lingering charred malts. As the beer is consumed you get a real nice umami flavor that builds. The flavors on this are incredibly complex.
Feel is thick, viscous, oily, and full bodied. Medium carbonation provides a prickly tinge in the mouth. Bitter finish leaves a pretty dry finish. The alcohol provides a hint of heat that warms the insides, but it never gets to be too much.
Overall this is a fantastic Russian imperial stout - one of the most complex and flavorful RISs out there. A must try.
1,181 characters
4.6/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.62/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.63/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
This is what an imperial stout is supposed to look like! Incredibly dark motor oil body, topped by a very dark brown, thick, viscous head. Retention is quite good.
Strong, boozy, roasty aroma. Char, chocolate, cream, toffee, grapes, nuts. It's deep and inviting and even a touch intimidating.
Flavor follows, with huge amounts of roasted barley (a la DFH WWS), slight sweetness in the form of brown sugar, toffee, and red grapes, and a creamy sense of chocolate. Pretty darn bitter. Slightly nutty char on the finish.
Feel is on par with the best imperial stouts. Think: Ten Fidy and Founders Imperial Stout. It's thick, chewy, and creamy; while the booze isn't exactly hidden, it becomes a part of the mouthfeel and hangs along for the ride, never becoming an unwanted passenger.
If ever there were a perfect successor for Old Rasputin, this is it. It reminds me of some of my absolute favorite RIS: Narwhal, Old Raspy, Ten Fidy, and FIS. It's a big, big, big bold brew, yet is wonderfully drinkable. For a non-adjunct RIS, this is superb.
1,044 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
This is what an imperial stout is supposed to look like! Incredibly dark motor oil body, topped by a very dark brown, thick, viscous head. Retention is quite good.
Strong, boozy, roasty aroma. Char, chocolate, cream, toffee, grapes, nuts. It's deep and inviting and even a touch intimidating.
Flavor follows, with huge amounts of roasted barley (a la DFH WWS), slight sweetness in the form of brown sugar, toffee, and red grapes, and a creamy sense of chocolate. Pretty darn bitter. Slightly nutty char on the finish.
Feel is on par with the best imperial stouts. Think: Ten Fidy and Founders Imperial Stout. It's thick, chewy, and creamy; while the booze isn't exactly hidden, it becomes a part of the mouthfeel and hangs along for the ride, never becoming an unwanted passenger.
If ever there were a perfect successor for Old Rasputin, this is it. It reminds me of some of my absolute favorite RIS: Narwhal, Old Raspy, Ten Fidy, and FIS. It's a big, big, big bold brew, yet is wonderfully drinkable. For a non-adjunct RIS, this is superb.
1,044 characters
3.88/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4.17/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.63/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.44/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.37/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from tap into sniffer, 1 finger tan colored head, good retention and lacing. Jet black in the glass. Smells of chocolate, roasted malt. Taste of chocolate, roasted malt, very rich creamy mouthfeel. Great beer, no alcohol detected.
241 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from tap into sniffer, 1 finger tan colored head, good retention and lacing. Jet black in the glass. Smells of chocolate, roasted malt. Taste of chocolate, roasted malt, very rich creamy mouthfeel. Great beer, no alcohol detected.
241 characters
4.75/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.55/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This was poured into a snifter. Thanks Willie. The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a tan pinkie finger’s worth of foamy head. Slims out nicely to a concave rim around the glass. The aroma starts off with some nice dark roasty coffee bean, subtle sweet milk chocolate, dried chocolate, some sweet black and red cherries. Light dark chocolate slides in too. Dried dark fruits also come in as it warms. The flavor is rich and warming, smooth malty sweetness, pure and roasty. Blissful and roasty with a semi-sticky yet roasty aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a nice sipping quality for a cold night. Stickiness is there with the roast imparting a kindful delicious smooth feel running over my tongue. Overall, damn nice RIS with some youth to it. Did I just have it at the right time? If I had another bottle, would love to have another to age.
915 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This was poured into a snifter. Thanks Willie. The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a tan pinkie finger’s worth of foamy head. Slims out nicely to a concave rim around the glass. The aroma starts off with some nice dark roasty coffee bean, subtle sweet milk chocolate, dried chocolate, some sweet black and red cherries. Light dark chocolate slides in too. Dried dark fruits also come in as it warms. The flavor is rich and warming, smooth malty sweetness, pure and roasty. Blissful and roasty with a semi-sticky yet roasty aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a nice sipping quality for a cold night. Stickiness is there with the roast imparting a kindful delicious smooth feel running over my tongue. Overall, damn nice RIS with some youth to it. Did I just have it at the right time? If I had another bottle, would love to have another to age.
915 characters
4.47/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout from Cigar City Brewing
4.29
out of 5
based on 2,735 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
**
08/21/17
22oz. bottle to snifter.
LOOK: thick, motor oil like dark dark black pour. A small dark brown head forms and recedes quickly as the thickness of the beer eats it up quickly. Does reform on josling, but fades again just as fast.
AROMA: Roasted barley is king here, notes of coffee, dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather.
TASTE: roasty goodness. the bitter malt flavors are well balanced here and this is very tasty. Simple and straightforward.
FEEL: thick, thick, thick. Maybe the thickest stout I've ever had. How can you carbonate a solid? Yet there is some bubbly. Like a carbon fiber composite.
One of the best straight up Russian Imperial Stouts. Bells Expedition and OB Ten Fidy are probably 2,3 now for me.
Very nice.
**
774 characters