Russian Imperial Stout
Valley Brewing Company

 

 

On tap at the brewery. Pours black with a nice solid milk chocolate head. Aroma is toasty and roasty with a big bitter chocolate note. Flavor is smooth and roasty with some accents of licorice and a little vinous character. Dry on the palate, slightly ashy finish. Great carbonation and drinkability. Very good RIS.

Props to my buddy Steve for trading me a bomber of this, hand bottle.

Pours a nice ink color with a tiny quarter inch of foam.

The first thing I pick up is espresso, but not very robust, dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, cocoa, a little bit of vanilla, and toast. There's an aroma that smells like stale malts or stale coffee; no, after a few minutes it comes off as a dry, grainy aroma. A little bit of oatmeal is also there as well as plum and raisin notes. Bits of wood and oak in the background. Not very aromatic but decent. After about 3min in the glass the beer seems to be opening up a little more with some molasses, nutty malts, and caramel. A little more sweetness as it warms. A little ashy.

Very roasted flavor, wow. Pleasantly bitter and dry roasted barley, cocoa, dark chocolate, plums, raisins, and a bit of fruitiness from the alcohol in the finish. The grainy or husky aromas are also in the taste. Did I already say that it tastes really roasted? Fruit flavors in the middle with a dry cocoa and coffee finish, long aftertaste too. Grapes and vinous flavors long in the aftertaste.

Good carbonation level it even feels thin at first but once you push the beer back the carbonation kicks in and lifts the beer well. The dryness makes this one a sipper and a bit hard to drink, not a bad beer though.

1 of 2 handbottles I had, took the other to Strong Ale, split with my dad last night, poured into a Chimay goblet, nearly black body with a big one inch creamy dark tan head, some retention, no lacing, smell was full of roasted malts, dark chocolate, mild coffee, and some vanilla, flavor was along the same lines, roasty at first with some chewy malt in the middle, some booze in the finish balanced out with some dryness from the java, mouthfeel was dry and slightly hot, medium to full bodied, nice level of carbonation, pretty drinkable but you can taste the alcohol at times, not too heavy for a RIS, still more of a sipper, not bad and thanks Steve for the opportunity to try another one of your fine brews

Much thanks to spacecoyote for breaking this one open. 1 of only 100 limited bottles...
Appears an opaque black with a dark tan head that quickly fades into a mild cap. Scattered spots of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of mild smoke up front with notes of cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, and some ripe fruit.
Taste is that of the mentioned aromas with the same smokey cocoa and espresso character coming forth in the flavors.
Mouthfeel is full bodied with a roasty, semi-dry finish.