Imperial Soviet Breakfast - Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged
Rustic Leaf Brewing Company

12 ounce can into snifter, canned in 9/2019. Pours dense pitch black color with a small dense tan head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, rye whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, rye whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark bread/crust, coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, rye whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness. Light carbonation and super full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 111%, with no lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Russian imperial stout. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, rye whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/charred/tannic/drying finish; amazingly soft/silky feel for the ABV. Perfectly balanced between super rich malts and rye whiskey barrel presence/integration; with mild earthy hops and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly amazing offering, and top tier quality style example. Their best beer yet.