Imperial Stout Ruby Port
Private Landbrauerei Schönram

Bottle purchased at Craft Beer Store in Hamburg. My expectations are above average; I wasn't dazzled by the fino sherry variant.

Best before: 10.12.19. Spends 14 months in barrels. 9.50% ABV. Brewed with oat malt and wheat malt, interestingly.

HEAD: ~5cm wide. Khaki-tan colour. Creamy, frothy. Soft-looking. No lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Retention is quite good for the high ABV - ~10 minutes.

BODY: Predictably, it's an opaque black.

Looks nice for an imperial stout. There're no unique or special characteristics, but it's well within style conventions and I'm eager to try it.

AROMA: Sweet port wine is evident. Dessert wine, definitely. Red grapes. Some oak barrel/wine-soaked wood. A blip of chocolate malt. Some dark malt sweetness.

The barrel character seems to mesh neatly with the base beer, but - as with the fino sherry variant - I'm concerned the base has too little to offer. It'd be nice to see some roasted barley, cream, more prominent chocolate...just something more from the base. This generic dark malt sweetness is insufficient, and frankly there doesn't seem to be much for the port to accentuate.

TASTE: Sweet dessert port is present from open to finish, and really seeps nicely into the dark malt core of the brew. Subtle oak wood, deep red grapes, suggestions of faint fruit (maybe pomegranate, even?)...it's a lovely barrel character, and feels naturally incorporated into the build.

However, as feared, the base beer character is a bit rustic. Dark malt sweetness, some mild chocolate malt character. I don't pick up on any oat or wheat malt flavours (though the oats do seem to smooth out the mouthfeel nicely, giving it an almost porter-like approachability). I'm not of the opinion that an imperial stout needs giant bold notes of heavy coffee, Madagascar vanilla bean, et al. - but a little something more here would really liven this brew up. Some roasted barley, more of a milk chocolate flavour...something.

That said, it's a balanced brew, and though the base beer character offers little in terms of flavour, the barrel character doesn't eclipse it. And depth of flavour is above average. It's a bit simplistic for a barrel aged imperial stout, sure, but I like what is present - even if it isn't much.

Flavour duration and intensity are average.

TEXTURE: Supple, smooth, wet, medium-bodied, slightly sticky, and of apt heft and thickness on the palate. The oats were a good call, keeping it smooth. Not as filling or heavy as many imperial stouts, and thankfully not syrupy or viscous. The mouthfeel evokes port as much as the taste, which is a nice touch. Well-carbonated as well.

This mouthfeel exceeds the taste in terms of quality of execution. It's a shame there isn't more in the flavour profile for the mouthfeel to accentuate. Well done.

To nitpick, a more leathery velvety feel would really elevate this into the stratosphere.

OVERALL: Miles ahead of the fino sherry variant by my account, and much more balanced. It's a sipper of an imperial stout, but that's not to say it's boozy or anything - just filling and robust. It's nice to see a German brewery doing a nontraditional style, and this might be the first imperial stout I've tried from Germany that actually captures the style. It has its shortcomings, but it's well worth trying, and may be the best Schönramer bier I've had to date. I look forward to seeing what these cats put out in the future.

B- (3.39) / WORTHY

L:
-pours the darkest of brown with a big,frothy,light-brown head
S:
-coffee,mocha,chocolate,prunes,slight tobacco,coconut,licorish,molasses
T:
-caramel,toffee,coffee,mocha,prunes,cherries,vanilla,molasses,slightly tart red grapes
F:
-medium-full body,medium carbonation,some alcohol-warming
O:
Great BA Imperial Stout,but with 14 mts of aging i missed a little more Port wine character.

 

Pours a decent, creamy head, with a completely black color.

The aromas have bakers chocolate, blended into sweet, ripe cherries. In addition to that earthy coffee, molasses and fermented prunes are detectable, less intense than the chocolate dipped cherries, but with a pleasant, slightly wooden bite to them.

Tastes of oustandingly smooth integrated bready malts and fresh roasted coffee, wrapped up by a load of cream, providing a great mouthfeel. The cherry adds a sweet, liqueur sweetness to the chocolate, while it isnt very fruity on itself, swallowing a good amount of the barrel, due to its sugary dominance. This works well with the cocoa nibs though, revealing some alcohol dipped cherries in them, with just a hint of wood. Accompanied by toffeeish malts and notes of molasses, the cherries develop a cola like, sweet impact on the palate, which is certainly to sweet for the earthy flavors to handle for a glance.

Finishes with a pleasant dryness, resulting from the coffee and earthiness, with a slightly fermented sugary sherry sweetness still being recognizable.