Imperial Stout
River City Brewing Co.

 

 

Sampled at home from a 1/2 gallon growler

Appearance: Darker than the depths of hell is a good way to start when describing this beer. It poured with an inviting thickness and a slight brown appearance. However, once it was all collected in the glass, it had the appearance of pure ebony. To confirm my suspicions, I took the glass and held it up to a window. Sure enough, no light made it through at all. Thehead was a lovely dark brown, not something that you see on a lot of beers. It rose up very easily in the goblet, topping out at over three fingers when I had to stop pouring. A lot more head production than other imperial stouts that I have had. It settled down quickly until just a thin layer of bubbles remained as a skin over the top of the liquid. The lacing was very light.

Smell: There were no surprises with the aroma. The smells of dark coffee and rich, dark malts dominated the nose. A sharp hit of hops was detectable as well, though it was much lighter than the aforementioned aromas. Besides just dark malt was the full, round, bready aroma of lighter roasted malts that blended with a spiciness that reminded me of cinammon . As the beer really started to warm, some dark fruits and a smokiness emerged.

Mouthfeel: This beer was strangely light right on the tip of the tongue, but it filled out tremendously as it moved back in the mouth. Nice, chewy, and full with just a hint of tickle from the carbonation.

Taste: As the mouthfeel exploded in the mouth, so did the flavor. There was a combination of sweet malt and extremely dark, almost burnt, malt upfront. These flavors became deeper and more roasted in nature as the beer lingered in the mouth. They intermingled with the coffee, smoke, and dark fruits that were evident in the aroma. On the finish arose a nice dollop of hops. The bitterness wasn't unpleasant at all, but it did seem a little muddled.

Another impressive big beer from RCBC.