Dark Sky Imperial Stout
Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom

Dark Sky Imperial StoutDark Sky Imperial Stout
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From:
Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom
 
Japan
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 11.38%
Reviews:
81
Ratings:
145
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 08, 2021
Added:
Mar 01, 2005
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  14
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Jsenay:
Photo of Jsenay
Reviewed by Jsenay from Texas

4.03/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served from bottle into Russian River tulip

A - Pours a dark brown nearing black with tons of carbonation and a great head retention that lingers for some time. Very thick lacing.

S - Roasted malts, coffee, toffee, caramel, bakers chocolate

T - Huge flavor explosion of chocolate, dates, coffee and cream. Heavy roasted malt aftertaste.

M - Very smooth and creamy up front. Slightly bitter with a creamy and moderately dry/chalky finish.

O - Very delicious. It can be almost too bitter and dry on the finish but, it fits this beer style very well. It also seems that this beer is rather inconsistent due to some reviewers opening bottles that are basically flat/sour/oxidized. Suppose I lucked out with this one. Either way, this is my first beer from Baird and I am definitely looking forward to trying more of what they have to offer.
Jul 13, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of backblast
Reviewed by backblast from Alaska

4.21/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Taste of rich malt right up front with dark fruit (mainly plum and raisin), mixed with molasses and black licorice. A tad of booziness and light bitterness in the aftertaste. Very light carbonation and a viscous mouthfeel. I liked it.
Mar 08, 2021
 
Rated: 3.94 by Fubudu187 from Illinois

Feb 09, 2021
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz bottle, best before 23 12 (YY MM). 10% ABV according to the label. Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Black and only letting light through at the very edges, where it is a mahogany dark brown. Only a very thin tan ring with this beer - no lacing.

Smell: Boozy - raisin, dark fruits, and bit of a bourbon note.

Taste: Surprisingly mild start, and then it picks up bitterness from the roasted malt. Some underlying cocoa powder and just a tiny hint of tart cherry, and then the roasted malt bitterness/acrid taste.

Mouthfeel: Little to no carbonation. Nice thickness and quite smooth. A little sticky on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: This is a very unusual Russian Imperial Stout. It certainly has aspects to a RIS, and despite the alcohol coming through in the nose, you really can't taste it in the beer nor in the mouthfeel for something that is 10% ABV. It's deceptive. I think overall....it's not very flavorful. It is a RIS, but it's at the weaker end of the spectrum in bitterness and taste. For the price, I can't see myself buying it again in bottle form. Maybe it is better on tap in Japan. It probably is. One per evening is enough.
Jan 17, 2021
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark Sky Imperial Stout from Baird Brewing Company. Purchased 11/10/20 for $5.54 (Including tax) for 11.2 oz bottle ($ 0.495/oz) from State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. Reviewed 12/7/20.
Stamped poorly “Package Date 10 19 16” on back label. On room temperature shelf at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Served at 57 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 59.7 degrees.
Appearance – 3.75.
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When held to direct light, still opaque. A thin layer of sediment remains in the bottle (Unfiltered).
Head – Average (Maximum three cm, aggressive center pour), fawn, high density, average retention, diminishing to a four to six mm crown fed four places by effervescence, and a thin, rocky cap.
Lacing – Good. Band of extremely tiny to tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 4 – Moderate roasted malt with a bit of sweetness and a bit of milk chocolate, no hops, no yeast. Lasts although is weakens.
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins with marked roasted malt, moderately bitter, no hops, no yeast. No alcohol (10 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma although a brutal gastric warming instantly occurs. No nose chocolate or coffee appear. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, creamy, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Well, this is over four years old, so I guess that is about as good as can be expected. The unexpected painfulness of the gastric burn is an unpleasant surprise, particularly after having four years to mellow out. Had I noticed the package date when shopping, I may not have picked it up. On the other hand, it IS a RIS, so I might have purchased it anyway.
Dec 07, 2020
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.77/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: It pours very dark brown with a brown head. Head retention is low.

Smell: It has aromas of roast and dark fruits. There are slight burnt notes with the dark fruits being of plums and dark cherries.

Taste: It has roast flavors with a bit of coffee in the background. There are very low burnt elements. The dark fruits are low in the background with plums and dark cherries. There is a very low citrus element as well.

Feel: It has a full body with a sharp bitterness in the finish.

Overall, complex combination of flavors.
Feb 20, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by krome from Illinois

Nov 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by Rhettroactive from Virginia

Apr 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.92 by agrinnell from Indiana

Jul 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.56 by Kuges from Texas

Mar 23, 2017
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle served in a goblet.

Pours very dark brown, near black and opaque in the glass. Little head or lacing, and the head is too bubbly.

Aroma: rich, nicely complex and very appealing. A bit boozy with hints of licorice and molasses.

Flavor: robust, rich, refined and well-balanced. Leans slightly towards sweet. Very good mix of dark fruit and roasted grain flavors with some suitable alcohol booziness and a touch of coffee and licorice.

Feel: full body with soft, low carbonation leaning towards flat.

Overall: excellent
Mar 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.51 by user785335 from Florida

Dec 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by pstam87 from Illinois

Nov 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by redfox405 from Virginia

Aug 07, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.34/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Comes in 55% brown and 45% black. Aroma didn't impart as much roast as an average stout would. Booze noticeable.

Taste did finally bring some roasted coffee like notes. Russian Imperial Stout dark fruit like bitter notes. A tad thin for its alcohol content.
Jun 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.86 by peabody from Kentucky

Jun 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by LoudRed from Massachusetts

Feb 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.84 by Piglet_rulz_da_yard from California

Feb 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.46 by amano_h from Oregon

Jan 26, 2016
Photo of GreatStoutman
Reviewed by GreatStoutman from Texas

3.87/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.75
Bottled 2014 in 11.2oz.

Pours slick and black, lays down in the glass without a trace of carbonation. No head, but a layer of soapy looking bubbles on the surface... they disappear and there's nothing but a sheet of black ice.

Smells vanilla and roasted malts, maybe some caramel. Smokey, and if you told me this was barrel aged I would believe you. Really nice smell.

Thin mouth feel and no carbonation at all, I think calling this flat would be fair. However, it lays really nice on the tongue, and it really has some complex flavors. I get porter, but if they want to call it a stout thats fine too. Bitterness kicks in late and its fairly strong. I get some chocolate notes here too.

This is 10% abv and labeled Imperial Stout so I understand why some people would be thrown off by this - because its not a chewy RIS - but its got some redeeming qualities. Still, it's flat and its hard to ignore, but its a good beer and I would definitely have it again (although maybe not for the $5.50 this 12oz bottle cost).
Jan 17, 2016
Dark Sky Imperial Stout from Baird Brewing Company / Fishmarket Taproom
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 145 ratings