Genius Wizard
Ratio Beerworks

 

2016 batch, on tap at Ratio

L: Pours a pitch black color with a creamy tan head and nice rings of lacing around the glass.

S: Notes of ash, chocolate roast and coffee, very decadent smelling.

T: Notes of ash, cherry, chocolate and roast, mixed with some slight hops.

F: Very thick body and creamy carbonation.

O: This is a fantastic imperial stout.

 

 

Note: This is the whiskey barrel aged version.

Beer is jet black with a brown head. The head retention is excellent and carbonation looks good. Very full bodied. I get notes of dark chocolate, and some roast. Aroma is a little bland, not picking up any hop aroma and very subdued malt aromas. Not near as complex as I was hoping for.

As the beer warms I get alcohol in the aroma and taste. Some bread like malt aroma starts to come out. A little hint of whiskey starts to come out as the beer warms. Really worth sipping on an enjoying this beer. It comes alive as it starts to warm up. It never gets as complex as I would like for this style but it is otherwise very well made.

i know they do a barrel aged version of this too, but it really doesnt need it. this is a very solid, and quite classic russian imperial stout, nothing out of the ordinary, except the quality, i am not used to beer this good from these guys, not like this anyway, this might be their best beer to date. thick and near black in color from the tap at ale house in the lower highlands there, it holds its head and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass too. that classic rich deep dark barley quality in the nose and taste, without much of the balancing sweeter grains, i like the more exposed roast, and i think it adds a lot to this beer to have it so pronounced. there is a great chocolate complexion too though, dark and earthy, great with the dark barley, and really smooth in the feel. a touch of burnt coffee in the finish, and an almost already oak aged richness and mellowness to it, thats a great feature in a beer like this! vivid cocoa in the flavor too, mild raisin, char, its great, even the english type yeast can be appreciated. this is excellent beer, and while i have not had the barrel aged version, i cant imagine it improves this much. one of ratios best no doubt.

 

 

 

 

I had both the regular and BA version. I'll keep this review specifically to the regular.

Looked good, very dark as would be expected. It was dimly lit in the taproom, so I couldn't get a true look at how deep the color was.
Good malty smell. I didn't get a lot of roast character that I generally look for in a RIS.
Flavor followed: good and malty, but the roast and/or chocolate characters I look for weren't prominent. Pretty good viscosity, the body is solid. Finishes without much fanfare, but there was nothing off about it.
Overall a good Imp Stout, though it doesn't quite fit what I look for in a RIS.

2014 barrel aged version in a 375 ml bottle.

Appearance - 3.5 Very dark, but with only a tiny amount of head that dissipated quickly.

Smell - 5 Huge whiskey & oat notes. Tiny bit of caramel, but overpowered by the whiskey.

Taste - 4.25 - Again, lots of whiskey, though not as boozy as I would have expected given the smell.

Feel - 4 Good, though not particularly remarkable.

Overall - 4.25 Very nice, balanced stout. Definitely the best beer I've had from Ratio.

 

 

 

A great looking stout. Deep brown/reddish with nice creamy head. Lacing is great. Promised to be a rich, complex beer by the menu.

Aroma is light for such a deep looking beer. Some chocolate and roasted malts come and go. Not much else wafting my way. Flavor mimics this. Roasted malts and booze on the end. It's easy drinking and separates itself from their other offerings.