Count Zaroff's Russian Imperial Stout
Royal Oak Brewery

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Royal Oak Brewery
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
10.8%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.95 | pDev: 4.56%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
5
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 25, 2014
Added:
Feb 08, 2012
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 3.75 by Mxsluis from Michigan

Mar 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dustin_A_Stoutdrinker from Michigan

Feb 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Jas45678 from Michigan

Jul 04, 2013
Photo of TheBrewo
Reviewed by TheBrewo from New York

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
This beer was served from the tap at Royal Oak Brewery in Royal Oak, Michigan. It arrived in a generic snifter, showing the darkest cola coloring, letting up ruby flecks around the edges. It held a one finger head of mocha colored bubbles, showing okay retention, and leaving patterned lacing all around the glass. No haze or sediment was appreciated, and carbonation appeared to be medium. The aroma gave heavy fruitiness of black cherries, plum, figs, and vegetal molasses. To balance were notes of brown sugar, milky chocolates, soy sauce, Band-Aid phenols, gingerbread, and massively roasted chocolate and coffee malts. Our first impression was that the flavoring was very impressive and full, showing a great blend of fruitiness and rich chocolates. As we sipped, the taste began with black cherry sweetness, milky lactics, fig seeds, and an obliterating, rich wash of rich chocolatey malts. Moving to the peak was more bitterness of cocoa nibs, brown sugar, and enhanced roastiness of the malts, but this was the mildest part of the sip. To finish came all of that aromatic spice, with licorice, cinnamon, sweat, fusel booze, chalked yeast, blackberry sourness, and that massively roasted chocolate grain. The aftertaste breathed of peppery booze, richly roasted coffee and chocolate malts, Hershey chocolate syrups, white sugar, vanilla extract, and hints of grassy hops. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium, but felt a bit thin for the style, lacking that nice syrupy thickness. Each sip gave nice slurp, pop, and glug, with less thickness to the cream and frothiness. The mouth was left with little more than a bit of chalky dryness and heat from the booze. The abv was appropriate, and the beer sipped easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its nose. This showed beautiful complexity, with the deep and roasty malts seeming inseparable from the inherent syrupiness of the fruity inclusions. The flavor follows comparably, but was a bit more simplistic in depth, with a nice upfront blend of salt, roast, fruit, chocolates, and nice coffee dryness. If we had to complain about one thing it would be the feel, as it was quite light and thin on the sip for the style. It also lacked that bright heat of a true Russian imperial, taking a touch away from the final picture. Regardless, this was a great surprise, and an otherwise excellent execution.
May 16, 2013
Photo of divineaudio
Reviewed by divineaudio from Michigan

3.76/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
on tap as of 2-3-2012. served in a pint glass.

a - came to the table a deep, dark brown with a thin cap of light brown head. after calming i get a thin film and rings of lacing in my glass.

s - typical roast and dark chocolate.

t - big roasted malt with lots of dark chocolate. plenty of herbal hop character to balance it out. noticeable alcohol taste in the finish.

m - medium body, lighter carbonation, slight alcohol warming.

o - quite enjoyable and a solid example of the style. certainly holds it's own against many other big stouts that i have tried. also, might be the best beer royal oak brewery makes. highly recommended.
Feb 08, 2012
Count Zaroff's Russian Imperial Stout from Royal Oak Brewery
Beer rating: 3.95 out of 5 with 5 ratings