Raven Skies
River's Edge Brewing Co

16 ounce prowler into snifter, filled on 2/10/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, cherry, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast notes; bit great strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, cherry, date, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toasted biscuit, roasted nuts, and dark bread/crust, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.1%. Overall this is an amazing Russian imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate earthy hops/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish. Not overly bitter/charred on hops/malts. Extremely rich/well rounded imperial stout malt complexity, balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity English yeast flavors. A highly amazing offering, and top tier style example.

An exceptional Russian Imperial stout. Black as can be in a snifter. Nice lacing down the glass to the end. Mild coffee and chocolate flavors. Some hops to off set the malty flavors.