Historical Imperial Stout (for Muhammad Ali)
Zebulon Artisan Ales

The creamy thin dark walnut head lasts about one minute. Fine lace coats the Westveltreen chalice. The beer is very dark brown while pouring and black in the glass with dark reddish mahogany highlights.

Sweet and sour aromas of blackberry are followed by milk chocolate. Later, deep roasted coffee is followed by a very peculiar hint of soap and cigar ash.

The flavor is rich with dark roasted malt. Bitter Baker's chocolate leads the way to espresso. In place of fruitiness, one finds cigar and a strange, faint sourness. The finish is long and modest.

A full body with satin texture that is almost silky. Light carbonation and well-controlled alcohol give way to modest astringency.

This is unique enough to be an interesting Russian Imperial Stout, however, it would improve with fine tuning. I enjoyed it on a cool, late-Spring afternoon.

 

Poured into a Thirsty Monk snifter. No freshness date.

A- Pours a 99% opaque black color with a 1/2 inch tan head that retains well before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a mostly full sheet of sheer surface foam. Resilient lacing leaves a jagged ring behind.

S- Pretty intense aroma of dark roasted malt bringing to mind baker's chocolate, molasses and a bit of smoke. Borders on charry but doesn't cross that line. Also a good amount of earthy hop character.

T- Great balance between bitterness from the roast, bitterness from the hops and sweetness from the malt. It all comes together to make a cohesive flavor profile that leads to hiding the 10% ABV so very well. Notes of dark chocolate, dark fruit and a bit of vanilla.

M- Somewhat creamy with a nice drying character. Medium carbonation and a full body.

O- This is the epitome of Russian Imperial Stout. Pretty much everything one could expect from the style. So drinkable for how assertive it is. If you want a big, bold stout, look no further.

Appearance: Pours motor oil black with a one inch beige cap; decent retention and plenty of lace

Smell: Strong charcoal and ash aromatics, licorice and black bread; earthy hops, too

Taste: Burnt black bread, with building roasty, ashy tones; licorice and earthy hops develop, in the middle, along with a hint of dark fruit; the ashy, chalky tones revert in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: Really rather interesting but I am glad I am living in the 21st century as I much prefer the stouts being brewed today

 

Great dark appearance with greatly retained head. Smell is really pure due to a lack of barrel aging and time only spent in stainless until bottle. Amazingly clean yet quite decently consistent flavor profile. Super smoother than many of the other non-barrel aged russian imperial stouts out there today.

Thick and black pour, fluffy mocha head with goodataying power. Leaves good lacing. Licorice and roast on the nose. On first few sips I can tell this beer is intense. Lots of roasty malt, licorice, char and ash, wood notes, burnt marshmallow and bitter dark chocolate. Finishes quite hoppy with pine notes. Big chewy, velvety mouthfeel. Interesting, historical beer that I'm glad to have tried.

Had on tap. Certainly robust and roasty on the body, smell and taste. But there is not complexity. Thus good RIS, but if you want something more daring, look elsewhere. If you want a throwback classic RIS than this is your beer!