Imperial Stout 2018
Burning Sky Brewery

750 ml bottle, vintage 2018, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 8.5: Black colour, moderate beige head. Roasty, oaky and slightly vinous aroma, hints of rose petals. Smooth but rich flavour, notes of roast malts, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, oak. Noticeable bittering hops in the finish. An exquisite beer!

A very enjoyable beer. More like the stout/lambic hybrids of Timmermans and Tilquin than a pure Russian Imperial Stout.

At first glance this does not appear 'imperial' enough – brown rather than black, with a sizeable pouf of camel foam instead of the chestnut brown espresso crema I'd usually expect. That said, it looks good – really good, with lots of lace and good head retention. And of course all doubts are put to rest by the aroma, a potent punch of cassis, blackcurrant, reeeeeally dark chocolate, light roast coffee, and Samoas (those chocolatey coconut caramel Girl Scout cookies). Much more fruity than I'd expect from the style, but there is also a hint of autolysed Marmite/soy sauce umami malt.

Flavour is sweet and smooth, maybe too sweet, with an overriding caramel character and, unfortunately, not much else. There are hints of prune and currant, a bit of chocolate and a bit of coffee, but unfortunately this doesn't have the complexity, intensity, or body I'd hope for from the style. Not bad, but seriously disappointing from one of Britain's best breweries.