The First King Of Kiev
Mad Swede Brewing Company

Appearance: Pours espresso colored with a one finger khaki head; decent retention with squiggly lacing

Smell: Strong ashy charcoal tones complemented by black cherry and chocolate; fruity espresso, in the mix as well

Taste: Black cherry, fruity espresso and date briefly emerge before being subsumed by the burnt charcoal flavors; the charcoal abates a bit through the swallow and finish but remains the dominant element

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: Dial back the burnt charcoal dominance and this would be a winnner, particularly at a 9% ABV as it packs a lot of flavor

Thanks, JohnGalt1, for the opportunity

Received from @limazulu. Poured from 16 oz. can into a stout glass at 61°. The color is inky black with over a finger of fluffy, light khaki-colored head and very thick, clinging lacing. The smell is roasty with lots of bitter char and cigar ash and just background whiffs of sweeter chocolate and caramel. Its taste is equally roasty but a bit sweeter than the nose. In addition to the roasted malt there is bakers chocolate, burnt coffee grounds, charred nuts, and a hint of caramel. This Stout has a thick, creamy mouth feel with low/moderate carbonation, and the 9% ABV gives it good substance without overpowering. Overall, The First King of Kyiv is a solid and very drinkable Russian Imperial Stout. My only regret is its lack of dark fruit presence which I really enjoy in this style.

A-usual fare for imperial stout, but nice frothy head and lacing
S-roast, coffee, dark chocolate dark fruits
T-Burnt coffee (not in a bad way), raisins bitter dark chocolate. Below avg sweet, above average bitter
M-Medium(-) body, below avg carbonation
O-worth a repeat, but not in the higher tiers for the style

an impressive example of the style here, very well made beer, seemingly of an even high quality than most of the rest of their lineup, just excellent stuff, on tap at the brewery yesterday at a considerably higher abv than what is listed here. i had the heaven hill barrel aged edition as well, and while that is certainly excellent beer, the beer needs no barrel to be great or complex. its frothy headed from the tap and near black in the glass, although less visually viscous than many. it smells a touch sweet, but with a lot of close to burnt dark roast behind it. i get notes of sweet corn and molasses, as well as dark drip coffee and toasted bread. i also think i get a hint of rye malt or something, much like in the barrel aged version, there is a little spice quality to this, earthy nuance, not sure its rye, but its unique in here to me. its very smooth and hides its strength better than the barrel aged one, good glide as they say, and a nice linger, slightly sweet, cocoa forward, and with a hint of raisin, prune, and smoke. i like this having a little english or scottish (or something) yeast character to it, and i like its level of refinement. great beer, i saw they had a cabernet barrel aged edition as well, i bet that is the best of the lot! dont miss this one when you are in!

Grunt fill from Albertsons. Black pour with tight beige head, curtains of lacing. Nice bold roast grain aroma. Mildly sweet, roasty, chocolate. Taste continues, gentle warmth. Some lingering bitterness, and growing heat in the gullet. Pretty impressed with this brew from this new brewery.