Sherbrooke KGB Russian Imperial Stout
Alley Kat Brewing Company

Hi I am Bruce Sample. I am the person who can up with the KGB (RIS).
This beer I had brew it at all the breweries i have work at in some form or another. It is one most talk about beers when i meet people at beer events. I had store a case of it from 2009 and slowly drank it over the years. I finished my last bottle this last summer. This aged very nice and i was happy with how it turn out. I the near future i will brew it again but with the original ingredients from when it won best in show at the EHG.
So in the near future look for the KGB




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Bottle courtesy of Weebay. Poured in to CBS snifter.

A - Very dark brown with a small amount of light brown head that almost instantly disappeared.

S - Big hit of smoke up front. Roasted malts and licorice aromas round out the nose.

T - Big smoke and licorice flaovurs up front that are accompanied by a hop bitterness and warming alcohol. Some roasted malt sweetness is present in the background but the smoke and licorice really dominate and become distracting after a while.

M - Medium body with a nice chew. Light carbonation.

 

 

LIke the name of this brew. Reminds me of that 80's movie 'Spies Like Us'.

Nothing wrong with the looks of the brew. Deep mahagany in colour. Nice tan head, lot's of lace webs on the glass.

I found it had a real black forest cake chocoalte charater to it with all that entails. Rich Dark chocolate, some slight fruitiness, and the booziness that comes from the Kirch.

All the above are present in the flavor as well, along with a hint of coffee. Quite nice.

Some have noted the body isn't quite up to snuff and I guess it could be a bit thicker/fuller, but overall I felt it wasn't that big a distraction from the overall experience.

A very nice Alberta take on the style. Would like to cellar one for a year and see what develops.

 

from notes...
A - jet black with not much head to speak of, but what was there left some random lacing
S - sweet chocolate and cold pressed espresso, sugar, and a little boozy
T - similar to nose but more robust chocolate presence, burnt sugars and light licorice compliments the roasty coffee flavours well
M - the stout thickness is counteracted by the high ABV to give it somewhat of a porter like feel, dangerously smooth given the high octane
O - easy to see why this was an alley kat home brew contest winner, glad there was still a bottle left, hoping they make this a seasonal

Cheers to joemcgrath27 for the hook up on this gem.

A - Pours pitch black, thin layer of head with decent retention and some sporadic lacing.

S - Sweet cocoa, with espresso undertones and milk chocolate. Some leafy hops are detectable and some ABV sweetness is also noticeable.

T - Toasted espresso and cocoa malts, a bit of nuttiness, complemented by some leafy green hops and a touch of sweet cherries.

M - No complaints in this department, nicely carbonated, goes down smooth and finishes with a touch of dryness.

O - I'm really glad I was able to try this offering before it ran out. The ABV goes relatively undetected, it offers some tasty flavours and is a solid offering for the style. If you can find a bottle, pick it up while it lasts because it's worthy!

Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

22oz bottle. sampled nov 14/2010.

pours deep dark brown, neither black nor opaque, with a small cap of very fine light brown head. the head quickly drops to a ring around the glass and leaves a bit of spotty lace.

aroma is nice. caramel. dark chocolate. espresso. bit of milk chocolate and coffee. whole wheat bread and biscuit. bit of cracker. big fruity character, more dark stuff like raisin and date. light alcohol. woody and a bit earthy.

taste is ok. big roasty punch with a lot of fruity character and an alcoholic burn on the way down. espresso and bittersweet chocolate. biting bitterness, around or above medium-high level. grapefruit and orange peel. burnt whole wheat bread. cracker and biscuit to lesser degrees. burnt caramel.

mouthfeel is ok. astringent bite from the roast. resiny hop mouthfeel. big body. about medium carbonation level.

drinkability is nice. the alcohol is a bit warm, but not overly so. it fights hard to keep the bitter/roast character in check but doesn't really make it. the fruity character is far too prominent for the style and muddles things up a lot. a shame, because without that and if the bitterness were toned down just a bit i think this could be a fantastic stout.

Bomber from chianski (I believe) - thanks fella!

Great appearance witha very dark brown body and a mocha head that leaves nice lace on the glass. Chocolate and coffee dominate the nose, but light hints of fruit in the background lend complexity. Decent flavour is pleasing, but seems a little underpowered for an imperial. The coffee and chocolate come back, and the fruit has a certain jamminess, but the intenstity could be turned up and I feel that the odd herbal note proves more of a distraction than an addition. Body is a bit on the light side for the style, but this certainly makes it easy to drink, and combined with the excellently well-hidden ABV that could be dangerous!

A few changes to this beer could make it an outstanding imperial stout. I think its a decent stab at the style, but could do with a little more intensity and a fuller body to take it up a level.

650ml bomber thanks to the generous bobsy - thanks pal! Pours a dark brown brew with a finger of thick mocha head which has some staying power and lays down a few spots of lace.

This is certainly not an offensive brew but I struggle to call it well made. Coffee and baker's chocolate, light roasted malt, a weird sort of medicinal cherry flavor, molasses and caramel sweetness, thin body with a slightly herbal dryness in the finish. Drinks pleasantly enough, hides the ABV but the flavors never really gel and the odd notes seem to stick out and mar what could be a truly pleasurable experience.

22 oz bottle, big thanks to my boy Sid for the hookup.

Pours a deep and opaque dark brownish black, no light gets through, pretty thick light tan head forms and slowly settles down to a thick layer around the glass, lots of chunky lace sticks to the glass, looks pretty good.

Smell is okay, a bit weird and muddled, a touch medicinal, some brown sugar sweetness and dark fruit, light roast, kind of raw and molasses like, some solventy alcohol, a bit of raisin, not a whole lot of character besides sweet and fruity.

Taste is interesting, again sweet and fruity, some caramel, a bit of biscuit, very light chocolate, a bit of booze, molasses, lightly herbal bitterness, a touch of roast in the finish, kind of harsh going down.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, pretty smooth, low carbonation, alcohol is relatively well hidden. Still just seems a bit harsh and not very RISlike. Not very much roast or chocolate character. Thanks Sid!

Thanks to Alex aka MasterSki for bringing this to our Canadian tasting.

A - Appearance got bumped up a half point just due to the kickass bottle, one of my favorite ever. Pours a stout black, not a ton of head on there, about 1 finger of mocha.

S - Chocolate, some mildly roasted malts, a lighter smelling stout than what I was expecting from a double.

T - Not bad, a bit of molasses and toffee, with some bittering coffe, but not tons. There is a decent roasty quality in this, but this is more sweet than roasted. It's solid.

M - Little bit thinner than I wanted, good carbonation.

D - Solidly drinkable for 10%, not a bad beer, but other than the bottle, won't seek it out again.

Thanks to wordemupg for this extra. Served in a Duvel tulip.

A - Quick-dissolving light tan foam that settles to a thin ring, leaving a bit of film on top and no lace. Dark brown body that has some ruby transparency when held to the light. Awfully light for a 10% stout.

S - Big notes of waxy foil-wrapped chocolates, cherries, caramelized sugars, and a touch of anise. Not very roasty, and seems to bear more relation to a dark barleywine than a stout. Still the aroma is pleasant and enjoyable.

T - Yikes! Strange harsh anise bitterness mingles with roasty chocolate malts and a burnt char finish. This is as burnt and bitter as the aroma is sweet. Very odd disconnect between taste and smell.

M - A bit thin for 10%, but otherwise smooth and appropriately low carbonation. Finishes lightly sticky, with little trace of the alcohol.

D - This is odd, and not at all what I was expecting. The burnt espresso finish is off-putting and makes it tough to slug down, particularly with more enjoyable brews on the horizon.