Blackout Russian Imperial Stout
River House Brewpub

 

On tap at the brewpub served in a 10oz glass. This brew appears a very dark color of brown with lighter brown clarity around the edges when held to the light. A finger of creamy brown head forms about a finger strong and slowly fades leaving patches of lacework on the glass.

The smell of this brew is dark and fruity almost like raisins and light notes of citrus hops through the background. There is a mellow vanilla incorporation that comes in through the back and gets increasingly more noticeable as the brew warms up. This is quite a roasty smelling brew that is also lightly nutty.

The taste is dark and roasty with plenty of dark burnt grain flavors that imparts a pleasant bitterness. The roasted level of the grain imparts a light nutty flavor through the body. A character of fruity alcohol and citrus hops provides a nice contrasting balance to the roasted bitterness. A taste of vanilla gets increasingly more evident and lightly sweet as the brew warms up. The roasty character of this brew lasts on the tongue.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Quite drinkable, this makes for a very enjoyable sipper. It is well balanced and imparts a nice warming effect down the back of the throat. The alcohol is well integrated in this brew making for a very nice representation of the style. I usually dislike attempts at RIS that are overly hopped or have too much fruity alcohol character. This one is pleasantly roasty and while at times comes off quite fruity, it has enough roasted quality to make it very enjoyable.