Molotov
Brouwerij Hommeles

Nice dark ruby colour with a modest head, though it does leave nice lacing. Full nose of caramel, vanilla, wine and chocolate. Taste is quite sweet (not in an unpleasant way though) and has flavours like dark fruits, red wine, wood and malt. The finish is quite dry and has some notes of coffee. Those small notes don't make this beer an RIS: Like Marius mentions below, it is more similar to a BSDA. Medium bodied, though i expect a bit more density at 9%. Still quite a good drink, unless you're on a stout diet.

 

 

33cl bottle. Pours a dark amber, with a coarse beige head that disappears quite quickly. Smells of dried fruits, prunes, raisins, caramel, red wine. Sweet and a bit thick, with notes of dried fruit and caramel throughout. A faint bitterness in the aftertaste, along with a metallic feeling. A decent brew, but not a Russian imperial stout by any stretch of imagination - more like a Belgian strong dark ale or a dubbel.

From a 330ml bottle into a tulip pint.

A: Pours a thin clear darkish brown with a slight ruby tint. A 1cm off-white head of fine bubbles. Poor head retention and leaves some lacing.
S: A lot of dark fruits - plums, raisins, Some caramel in the background.
T: Initially very sweet, with big dark fruity-ness and caramel, almost like a dubbel. Does not hit the mark for a RIS by any means.
M: Thin, way too thin for a RIS. A bit of alcoholic warmth.

O: Not what i was expecting for a RIS. Very disappointing unfortunately. On the plus side, it drinks easily. I will not be getting this again.

Got this one at the Duvel guy down the road

From a bottle into a snifter
Best before July 2015

APPEARANCE: A very clear, transparent, light brown pour yields a one finger, medium looking, foamy, light brown head with good retention. A clear bistre brown color with no carbonation evident. Very clear and light colored for the style. Head slowly fades to a full wisp and clings to the sides of the glass. A slight wisp remains and leaves some falling dots as it empties. Head looks nice but the color and body are way too light.

SMELL: Lots of dark fruits with dates, plumbs, grapes and dried fruit. Very fruity with lightly burnt notes and leather.

TASTE: Lots of dark fruit sweetness and leathery notes up front. Dark fruits, dates, plumbs and grape sweetness, like the nose had indicated. More sweetness at the swallow with a bolder and lingering finish of dried fruits, more leather, some burnt notes and touches of bitterness.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes a touch mouth-coating. Some heat lingers.

OVERALL: A decent beer to be sure, but not really an imperial stout. Very fruity and sweet with virtually no roasted or chocolate character that we generally expect from the style. Sometimes I wish brewers would simply brew the beer first and refrain from actually labeling it until it's ready. If they'd branded this a strong dark ale of some sort, my expectations would have been different. As it is now, this is not a very good imperial stout.