Big Rock Russian Imperial Stout
Big Rock Chop & Brewhouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying Buffalo at Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Fest

Pours a tan head that fades down fast. Color is a dark brown, near black.

Aroma: Rich and malty. Sweet caramel, chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits, plums and raisins.

Taste: Cherries, caramel, chocolate, and sweet dark fruits. Not as roasted here.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends roasted and malty.

Overall, solid ris, but nothing too crazy. It is somewhat drinkable. Good flavors and something worth a try.

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle at a recent tasting.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is chocolate with some roasted malt. The flavor is burnt malt, coffee, chocolate and some soy sauce. Low carbonation and medium mouthfeel. A pretty good Russian imperial stout.

Half finger of soda-pop brown head over a pitch liquid. Smells potently of anise and licorice with some clean alcohol. Smells like an extract imperial stout I once made. Coffee is way beneath as is a very light toffee caramel.

Tastes wet sweet with clean alcohol sting. Licorice, dark fruits, some coffee and chocolate. As it warms from cellar temp it gets a cream mocha flavor...albeit one overly sweet. Malted candies. Syrupy and sticky sweet. Thick body and modest carbonation.

This IS their best beer. Hands down. I must admit when they first openedbI was not too impressed with their beer. Now they are producing some respectable beer

Very nice color. Nice head. Unfortunately the bartenders tend to be bimbos and don't realize we want some head...no on our beer. Nice legs. Strong coffee, malt, caramel and chocolate. A slight alcohol bite lowers my rating, but only slightly.

I always finish the night with one of these in a big sniffer!

I originally tasted this at the 2006 GABF and then got a full glass yesterday night at the brewpub. One snifter of this was enough to keep me busy almost until last call on the so-called 'biggest bar night of the year.'

A: Midnight black with little, dark tan head that dissipates to caramel swirls.

S: Vanilla and lots of fruitiness with a very strong hint of licorice and cocoa as well.

T and M: This is a wonderful, heavy RIS with an oily/syrupy feel. It's very sweet with a nice, slightly bitter finish, and shows a complex array of flavors throughout a glass: licorice, stewed fruit, and chocolate syrup.

Overall, this is a superlative imperial stout designed for slow sipping after dinner. In fact, the only drawback is that I know that I could never have had more than one snifter of this in a sitting--true to style for sure; however, I appreciate an impy stout with a little more snap to it. That's a minor complaint though; this is a really top-notch brew. Highly recommended to anyone who happens to go through Birmingham.

On an informational note, this beer's real name is "Got Rocks Russian."

I sampled this at the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Fest. I think this might have been the best of the fest!

A: Dark black, tan head, not much retention, but a nice lace.

S: Chocolate, mocha, coffee, port, brown sugar, nice British fruity esters (which are often lacking in American versions of this style).

T: Mocha, British fruity esters are VERY nice, piney, brown sugar, only slightly bitter, hint of acidity.

M: Well attenuated, moderate to full body, silky/creamy, light to moderate carbonation.

D: Very good, almost exceptional for the style.