Eat the Rich (Ghost 940)
Adroit Theory Brewing Company

L: Pours a rich, nutty brown that forms a thin caramel head, hazy tan retention on top with a nice ring of lacing around the edges. Held to the light, this beer has a jet black hue, opaque and oily.

S: Roasted malts, coffee, smoke. Some char. Faint hints of chocolate.

T: Classic RIS - malt forward, plenty of char and espresso to lend bitterness. Smoky with notes of leather, and faint hints of dark chocolate. Hops towards the back end that make this a rather dry beer, even more so than most comparable RIS cousins. Adroit has always focused on bitter, drier iterations of the imperial stout so this comes as little surprise. Practically zero sweetness... perhaps a slight constructive criticism would be to balance the hearty roasted flavors with a little more chocolate or sugar. I prefer bitter to sweet when drinking an imperial stout, but similar to the ultra-cloying pastry stouts, this beer could use a little more balance (albeit in the opposite direction).

F: Medium- to full-bodied. Has a nice lingering aftertaste of coffee and char. Nice touch of carbonation.

O: As a local, I've cherished many of Adroit Theory's stouts over the years. This is not the strongest stout in their lineup (that award probably goes to Ossuary or Dia De Los Muertos), but it certainly nails a classic RIS interpretation - loaded with roasted malts and coffee and bitter as hell, with a hefty ABV. If you don't like more modest Russian Imperial Stouts with a bit more balance (e.g., Brooklyn's Chocolate IS) then this beer is not for you. If they'd tone down the hops, this brew would deserve an elevated rating. But the good thing about Adroit is if one stout isn't your fancy, they've plenty more to sample and odds are you'll find a couple that are up your alley. This beer is worth your time if you like RIS.

I just got the Extreme Beer Box from Beer Advocate and I want to try this one first because of the incredible artwork on the label. Looks like a fancy upscale dinner party of some zombie characters eating a disemboweled carcass of someone i presume was rich. Nothing short of fantastic artwork. I can also appreciate that there are cheese pairings and cigar pairings printed right on the side of the can. Not going to indulge that far, but I love the aesthetic already. Pours out inky black into a skull snifter, with a full one inch darkest brown head. Most heads i see are khaki or white, but nope this one is dark brown. Smell is of malt and molasses, maybe some chocolate and nut. Taste is quite malty and roasted. It's profile is closest to black coffee I would say, at least as bitter as coffee is. There is a slight metallic taste as well, but and overwhelming roasted flavor. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and mildly carbonated. Overall tastes like I just poured a cup o joe into my mug without even adding any milk or cream, and I'm taking it to work to sip it slowly over the course of a morning. Not a bad brew, but lacks a punch of uniqueness that would earn it my top marks. However, respectable nontheless and a standout amongst all the other beers for the wonderful artwork adorning the can.

Pours a very dark color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has Chocolate and Espresso hints
The taste the nose with a Chocolate and Espresso flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Stout

I like the Aerosmith song, let's see about the beer.
Pours a brown frothy creamy 1 finger head with moderate retention, nice legs, fair soapy lacing, basically pitch black color

Nose lots of roasted malts, some coffee, hint of char and even hint of a light smokey note from the roasted malts, some dark chocolate, light baking spices and faint hint of licorice, little nougat and caramel

Taste brings lots of dark roasted malts, heavy inky dark malts, big roast but not burnt, dark dark chocolate, cocoa, some baking spices in the background, then comes what I was worried about, super super heavy spicy hops, high bitterness, chewy spicy briny hops, super clashing with the great malts, finishes a bit drier mild sweet sticky, little alcohol warmth, tons of spicy astringent level hops

Mouth is fuller rich creamy bod, med foamy carb, touch of alcohol warmth

This brewery is killing me... they start with what could have been a great RIS, great dark roasty malts without burnt flavors or much for tannins, alcohol hidden well, nice sweet balance, but then the crazy spicy chewy hops just destroy the beer like most of their beers, YOU DON"T NEED TO DO THAT!!!!