Tzarista Stout
Hereford & Hops Restaurant & Brewpub

The bartender warned me when I ordered this, “If you’re used to stouts…you might find this one a little surprising. You should get some really sweet fruity flavors out of it.”

Arrives a dark redden brown with almost purple hues and a thick off white head.

Aroma is sweet and fruity with deep bitter chocolate malt and cherries.

Taste/Mouthfeel are extremely cloying. Booze is heavy, syrupy and extremely sweet. Red fruitiness is the only flavor. Cherries, plums, and strawberries come through but they are soaked in sugar syrup and booze. Not very appetizing and completely unbalanced. This gets worse at it warms.

Undrinkable.

This is a very intersting and suprising offering in June. Russian Imperial in summer-excellent. This beer is completely opaque--black with a fluffy brown head with small, tight bubbles that threatens to jump the edge of the 10 oz snifter. The nose is of strong roasted malt, dark fruits underneath, and a strong lace down the glass with the first sips. As the beer warms and I get further down, the dark fruits and malt sublimate the roast for a nice combination of roast in the nose but lighter on the tongue. An almost chewy mouthfeel lightened by a sweet, oily texture. Very fun beer--extremely well done.