Dude, Where's My Czar? Russian Imperial Stout
Great Lakes Brewery

 

 

 

 

Poured on cask at bar volo.

A - beautiful dark stout, no light getting through it at all. minimal mocha head, great lacing, beautiful looking beer.

S - It smelled like the strongest chocolate syrup in the world. Think choc stout, amplify that by 10. Had me a bit suspicious it was so strong.

T - Nesquick syrup, there was a solid amount of bitterness from hops, but not nearly enough to balance out this chocolatey mess. It wasn't a sweet chocolate but rather a dry and bitter one. I guess on the good side it hid the alcohol well?

M - Thick not a bad mouthfeel, but it was a mess of a beer.

O - I usually like trying great lakes beers that aren't from their core lineup or seasonal releases, but this one was just plain bad.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, vanilla, cocoa, and marshmallows. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick and a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is super tasty and easy to drink.

Pretty sure this one came from BostonFox last summer. Thanks for pulling this one out for me!

From a bomber into a snifter

APPEARANCE: A thick black pour yields a one finger, medium-thick, tan head with good retention. Jet black body with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a good wisp and ring but leave no lacing down the glass. Thick brew with a good head. A bit of lacing would have given it top marks perhaps.

SMELL: Good nose of roasted malts, coffee, cocoa powder and touches of sweet cream. Molasses is in there as well. Bold enough and enticing.

TASTE: Pretty bold flavors of roasted and burnt malts, black licorice and a touch of caramel sweetness. Very bold after the swallow, with burnt and charred malts, burnt coffee beans, dark, bitter chocolate and a good dose of sweet molasses. This is big, flavorful and impressive.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Very creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly sticky. Not too light at all, but some more weight to this would help push it over the edge.

OVERALL: This was really, really good. One of the best Canadian examples of the style. Too bad Great Lakes doesn't brew this on a regular basis, as I'm sure they'd make lots of new friends with it. I'm very glad I had the chance to try this, and recommend you do the same if you get the chance. Thanks again BostonFox. Highly, highly recommended.

Beer is black with a small tan head that dissipates quickly. Nice, but a pretty standard looking stout.

The smell is very faint. Perhaps a function of it being relatively cold or perhaps the plastic cup it was served in, but I didn't get a huge aroma. Some cocoa and vanilla. Nice but not very strong.

Taste, on the other hand, is very good. Chocolate, lots of vanilla, roasted malt. Fairly bitter. Very creamy. The vanilla infusion works extremely well.

Moderate carbonation, full bodied and creamy. Very smooth.

Overall, really enjoyable. A very nice stout. The strong vanilla and chocolate flavours make this reminiscent of a pumped-up Aphrodisiaque.

Red waxed Project X bomber. Another wise choice from Sammy!

Appearance. Pours black with half a finger of dense, deep tan head.

Smell. Molasses, plums and raisins, a little chocolate and booze.

Taste. Roasty coffee, molasses, charred wood, maybe a hint of pine sap.

Mouthfeel. Fairly full body, medium-low creamy smooth carbonation.

Overall. Fantastic RIS with really roasty notes. Great stuff.

A: Black with a dark tan head, thin ring of retention, light leg/lace.

S: Booze, treacle, licorice, oak, vanilla, hints of bubble gum fruity esters.

T: Espresso, licorice, vanilla, roasted nuts, caramelized raisins, vanilla, oak, resiny pine, solid bitterness, warming alcohol (though it doesn't as strong as it is).

M: Fairly full body, a little chalky, plenty of roasted acidity, drying alcohol finish.

D: A divine sipper.

I think this would continue to age really well.

Dude, that bomber is potent!

On tap at Volo, Great Lakes/Mike Lackey feature. Into a snifter.

Poured black, almost no head and the thinnest collar hangs around. Nose holds some dark chocolate, molasses and roasty coffee notes. Taste has more coffee to it, but isn't overpowering. Some brown sugar and vanilla to sweeten it up and provide some balance to the bitterness offered otherwise; nice interplay between the coffee/dark chocolate and this sweetness. Simple and well executed. Mouthfeel is good, could be a bit thicker but otherwise I though this was really nice. No alcohol here either.

Thanks Sammy for picking this Project X bottle for me! Pours pitch black with thick brown head and nice lacing on the glass. Smells of dark chocolate and roasted malt. Really balanced flavour, nice bitterness, with some sweetness. Smooth mouthfeel, almost creamy. This is certainly one of the best Ontario imperial stouts I've had. I actually had half of this bottle yesterday, when I had it today, carbonation still was there and it was still excellent.

On tap at Heavy Hitters Night at Bar volo. Black body with 3/8" brown foamy head. Chocolate aromas. Coffee taste, average mouthfeel. Not as thick as expected for the style. Lacing.Good drinkability.
Had 10 weeks later on cask at Volo and was a nice cask with coffee and chocolate.