RIP - Russian Imperial Porter
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

RIP - Russian Imperial PorterRIP - Russian Imperial Porter
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From:
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's
 
Kentucky, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
11%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.7 | pDev: 8.92%
Reviews:
32
Ratings:
38
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 23, 2013
Added:
Mar 31, 2007
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by manahansf:
Photo of manahansf
Reviewed by manahansf from Indiana

3.82/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a clear, dark color with a nonexistent head but a big bold sweet malt and vinous aroma. The nose is echoed in the drink with strong and warming vinous flavors alongside malty sweetness. No hop presence at any level of the drink which is mildly heavy with moderately low carbonation. The finish sweetens with the estery flavor of figs and prunes as it fades quickly into a coffee flavored end.
Feb 02, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Jul 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

Mar 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by spycow from Illinois

Jan 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 24, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by whartontallboy from New York

Jan 04, 2012
Photo of Chaney
Reviewed by Chaney from District of Columbia

3.35/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
Okay... I was born and raised in Kentucky and am always stoked to try a Kentucky brew!

I picked this up several months ago in Louisville, at the brewery, when I was in town to attend my cousin's wedding.

A: Black as night, but the thickness looked rather lager-like.... kinda thin. The head, which was mildly off-white, ended up being a mere ring around the brew.

S: I got sort of a mild roasted banana scent here.... that's about it.

T: This has more in common with dark fruit than coffee or chocolate. It tasted like roasted figs with melted "Larabar."

M: BBC has some MAJOR mouthfeel issues. Every beer I've tried from them so far, including the Heine Bros Coffee Stout (which I like), would benefit greatly from some sort of creamy element. Nothing here on this one. It's like a dark, non-hoppy lager in terms of mouthfeel.

O: Not bad, but the thinness killed this one for me. It wasn't worth holding on to.
Dec 10, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by mcorwin from Ohio

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.17/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
dark brown with a nice reddish ruby tint to it. Nearly opaque but enough light came through to show off the red tones to it. Hige pillow like cream colored head was very slow to recede and when it did left behind a large amount of gooey lace on the glass. The smell was very strong of roasted dark chocolate, which caught me a bit by suprise. As it warmed some more sugary, caramel like tones started to come through. The mouthfeel was a little thin, watery which is my only complaint, I expected a bit more of a robust feel to it. The taste itself was very nice. Suprisingly hoppy on the back and very well balanced with the roasted malts. Main flavors here were more of a roasted coffee and sugar, with a ever so slight hint of chocolate, nothing like the smell which was dominated by it. Overall this was a nice sessionable beer.
Sep 25, 2011
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The bottle warmed out of the fridge. Poured with a nice, tan, foamy, frothy, head that slowly subsided and lots of lace.Color is a clear, very dark garnet. Aroma is mild and malt, hop, and toffee. Flavor is like nose, but sweetness is more apparent due to light carbonation. Body is good but carbo is light. Finishi is like flavor and of medium length but is boozy. Not bad, not great.
Aug 21, 2011
Photo of ferrari29
Reviewed by ferrari29 from Illinois

3.69/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Beer poured from bottle into Snifter glass

A - Dark brown colored body; low amount of visible carbonation; small head formed and dissipated rather quickly

S - Sweet; cherry and strawberry; some chocolate; spices like coriander; almost like a shortcake with currants

T - Mild taste; slightly bitter; slightly dry but refreshing; crisp notes of dark berry fruits; lots of raisins and currants; coffee

M - Thin consistency, almost watery; sips are followed up by a light bitter aftertaste

D - I'll have another; worth a shot if your curious
May 09, 2011
Photo of claspada
Reviewed by claspada from New Jersey

3.92/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Aromas of milk and dark chocolate rum soaked cherries. Lesser notes of espresso and toffee with very slight earthy notes. Really inviting and fruity, much more so than any porter I can recall in recent memory.
The taste begins with full milk chocolate and coffee flavors. Initially I am not getting the full fruitiness or any of the alcohol that I was getting in the nose with is a negative and a positive at the same time. I wish I knew when this was bottled just for an age reference, anyway... As it warms you can detect the cherry cordial flavors I was describing in the nose. As it further warms you get more of the bitter dark chocolate and espresso bitterness which helps to balance out the initial caramel and cocoa sweetness. This is really a complex beer to say the least.
Mouthfeel is medium with adequate carbonation, could probably benefit from being a little fuller bodied for the style and ABV but by no means is this watery as I have read from some other reviewers; every beer doesn't need to be as thick and heavy as World Wide Stout, Dark Lord, etc. I wish reviewers would grow up and not just go by booziness, thickness and IBU for every review they do. I digress... This is my 3rd beer from this brewery and my first positive review to date; I will not abandon them yet as I was planning to after my first 2 experiences. Let's hope for some more well balanced special offerings like this from Bluegrass in the future.
May 06, 2011
Photo of Gobzilla
Reviewed by Gobzilla from California

3.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: poured a very dark brown with brown highlights that had a thin head and left a little frothy lacing sticking to the glass.

S: chocolate goodness and oats pop out first on the nose alongside some roastiness, milky character, and faint coffee notes.

T: the chocolate qualities are there but not as potent like I thought it would be from the nose with slight roastiness, coffee, no milk character, but it did have a little hop bitter bite on the end.

M: the brew was light to medium in body with a low amount of carbonation which had a slight sweet, roasty, smokey, and hop bitter finish.

D: it drank pretty decent but it did show some signs of oxidsation. It still did have a good taste. Hopefully I can get another bottle to compare.
Nov 22, 2010
Photo of JohnGalt1
Reviewed by JohnGalt1 from Idaho

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Ditmier provided this one a while back.. thanks buddy...

Tannish yellow head.. short lasting atop a surprisingly dark brown/black brew.

Nose is pretty good... chocolate and lite cinnamon.. bits of caramel.. okay.. sorta rich, but reaching.. multi-dimensional but never meshes.

Flavor is better.. milk chocolate essence and minor roasty notes.. there are some dark fruit notes that add well... honestly.. I don't have alot more to say.. the chocolate points do alot to push this one out of the mire, but I just don't dig it too much... body and carbonation seem average to a bit above, but I still having a hard time pushing it to the upper echelon.

Eric... I wanted to like this one more, but sorry.. it just doesn't jive. Thanks a ton for dragging this one back from your travels.

4/3.5/4/3.5/3.5
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of mrandypandy
Reviewed by mrandypandy from Georgia

3.57/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
750ml foil and capped bottle purchased in Valparaiso, IN. Interesting artwork on the bottle.

A- Pours a flat dark brown that borders on black. Billowing brown/tan head on pour, quickly dies down.
S- Aroma is strong dark fruits with a touch of roast.
T- Roasted malts, dark fruits (raisins, figs), tobacco. Almost has a coffee like bitterness to it.
M- Thin, almost watery. Low carbonation. I was expecting there to be more body on this.
D- Too many mistakes in the RIP. Flavors are OK, and the aroma is good, but the thin body really takes away from the overall experience. Not sure what the ABV on this is, but it feels high.

Overall - I feel like this beer had a lot of potential but let me down in too many areas. Thin and flat is no way to go through life son...

***Note: I origionally reviewed this at night, and didn't finish the bottle (750ml is a lot for one person). The next morning I finished (don't judge me) and I somehow liked it better. Better appearance, slightly better flavors. My score has been adjusted a bit to reflect this.***
Sep 26, 2010
Photo of ejyoung
Reviewed by ejyoung from Arizona

3.77/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Nice near black color with a good amount of brown head that hangs around for some time. Smells of figs, raisin, coffee, and cocoa. Taste is similar, with a good amount of toasted malt, chocolate, and molasses. I could use some more body - at times it seemed a little thin. It's definitely a big beer and drinks that way.
Sep 13, 2010
Photo of Bung
Reviewed by Bung from Michigan

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml picked this up while in South Bend.
Pretty much a black pour with a smaller amount of tan head.

Aroma is pretty strong, a little sweet. Roasty malt, chocolate, molasses little booze.

Taste is less roast more malt. There is some roast malt, but the caramel, molasses and chocolate are bigger. Finish is a little weak some sweeter caramel and peat, oak, but it also leads to a bit of cardboard likeness.

Very easy to drink. Small bubble not quite creamy, mid body mouthfeel. Alcohol is well subdued, this might be a few months old with probably also helps there.

Kind of like malty dopplebock meets porter. Really not bad, but be prepared for something a bit different. It was like 8.50 for the 750, which nowadays seems quite reasonable.
Aug 27, 2010
Photo of RickS95
Reviewed by RickS95 from Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A fine looking drink. Pours dark, black, almost pitch black, and thick with a huge plume of brown bubbles. Good retention and the lacing starts as the head thins.

Just from the smell you can tell this beer means business. There's a note of coffee, but mostly you smell smoke.

Smoke is prevalent on the tongue as well. In addition, there is a subtle hint of bittersweet chocolate.

I'd like to score this a little higher, but there is major alcohol going on. It starts off creamy, but the smokiness takes care of that. In the finish you get the heat from the alcohol.

Not sure what the alcohol is on this, but it's got to be impressive. The high alcohol burn and the ABV make this something that's only slightly drinkable. Glad I had at least one however.
Aug 21, 2010
Photo of Pabs311
Reviewed by Pabs311 from Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A- Pours a nice clear black color, kept the sediment out from the bottle conditioning. good sized mocha head, settles to leave some lacing along the glass. not a bad lookin beer.

S- Sweet, dark roasted malts. mocha, chocolate, caramel. decent nose, but not very complex.

T- very similar to the nose. mocha, coffee, chocolate and other dark roasted malts make up the majority of the flavor profile on this beer.

M/D- Medium bodied with low carbonation. good mouthfeel for this style of beer. would have like to have seen a little more body with an imperial porter.
Jun 18, 2010
Photo of RomaniIteDomum
Reviewed by RomaniIteDomum from Florida

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This bottle was courtesy BEERchitect.

Pours black, or at least super dark brown, with a small brown head.

The beer smells of raising, figs, brown sugar, toast, and toasted malt.

There are quite a few deep, righ flavors going on here. The toast and toasted malt compliment the raising, figs, and light mocha very nicely. Very good.

The feel is quite creamy with just enough carbonation.

This was a pretty damn drinkable brew. I could easily have killed the bomber, but I had to share. I will definitely pick up more when I'm back in Kentucky.
Jun 09, 2010
RIP - Russian Imperial Porter from Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 38 ratings