Raspberry Imperial Stout
Jack Russell Brewing Company

This 12 oz bottle cost 1.49 and came from Corti Bros in Sacramento. Poured black with tan head and average lacing. Nose of raspberry, roasted malts, and a relatively light mouthfeel. Flavor is burnt coffee, and the finish has a sour aftertaste. I see this is retired. Probably a good thing.

Jet black and opaque. The head fizzles into a thin, soapy layer of foam. No lace remains. Luscious wafts of chocolate dipped raspberry and buttery fudge. Softer milk chocolate notes and lightly burnt cookie notes surface as the beer warms. Trace diacetyl. Very appetizing aromawise. In flavor, sweet fudge upfront yields to tart, underripe raspberry and dryish baker's chocolate. Mid palate soft mocha and notions of grape skin astringency arise concomitantly. Gentle hop bitterness offsets coca sweetness aptly. Moderate in body at best; could use more girth in mouthfeel. Finishes dry and simple, with fleeting dark chocolate and raspberry jiuce notes. A tasty brew that's not quite an impy, but is more of a "fruity" west coast stout. Berry flavors are well integrated. If it only tasted as good as it smells...

Thanks to Crotor for shipping me this in BIF 16.

Appearance: Pours midnight black with an almond colored head. Head retention is poor. A filmy residue with lacings is left in the glass.

Smell: Black patent malts, baker's chocolate, espresso. Very bitter and roasty smelling.

Taste: Smoky, tart raspberries, chocolate. The tart flavor makes it very interesting. Slightly astringent as the smokiness and coffee bitterness lingers. The smoky flavor is a tad overdone for my likes but I'm enjoying the tartness. It's like drinking sour raspberries or pitted cherry juice.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly creamy, and astringent.

Drinkability: A nice variation of the style. Wouldn't seek this out often but would do well with chocolate. Recommended.

I had this beer at a dinner party during the dessert. We had a chocolate bundt cake, brownie tort, chocolate truffles, and an angel food cake with strawberries and blueberries. I figured this would go nicely with the 3 chocolate offerings -- a more flavorful substitute for black decaf.

This beer pours black with a hint of brown tints at the edges. Head is small a clingy. As it warmed, I got more and more chocolate and a little roastiness. Never really could get much raspberry aroma, and neither could anyone else. The beer goes down pretty smooth. Lots of dark chocolate. A mild bitterness from the roasted and burnt grains. Still not much raspberry. As it warms, a slightly acidic/sour taste develops towards the end. Medium body. Seems a bit small for an imperial stout.

Overall: not a whole lot of raspberry, not a huge stout, but still a decent dessert accompaniment

Dark black color. Small head. Aroma is chocolate, raspberry and roasted malts. A medium to full bodied stout. Malts are very roasty, coffee with a hint of chocolate. The raspberry flavor is not sweet enough to balance the rather bitter roasted malts. Also the raspberry flavor is a little hidden. OK I guess I’m saying that the raspberry flavor needs to be a little sweeter and more pronounced to make this beer better for me. Still it’s a nice combination and the dry raspberry flavor is very nice. Very smooth taste. Its a little low alcohol at 7% for an Imperial Stout, yet is still has that roasty, malty Imperial Stout feel to it. Nice beer all in all. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter

Poured black with dark root beer edges. Medium foamy/creamy light brown head. Left good lacing down the glass. Sweet aroma of raspberries, cream, chocolate, coffee and roasted malt.
Creamy bittersweet taste. Chocolate, dark roasted coffee and raspberries. Had a slightly nutty aftertaste and the roasted/burnt character and raspberries lingered nicely. Finishes dry with a hint of cocoa.
Velvety, creamy mouthfeel. A little thin bodied and low in alcohol for an Imperial Stout. Good drinkability. Excellent at the end of the evening without being too heavy. Would be great with a wedge of chocolate... anything.