Putin It To Ya
Parker's Hilltop Brewery

32 ounce crowler into snifter, filled on 3/3/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of toffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of toffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charcoal bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, toffee, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great hop/char bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.5%. Overall this is a fantastic Russian imperial stout. All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Fantastically rich and well rounded stout malt complexity, with balancing earthy hops against sweetness, and restrained fruity yeast character. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.