Russian Imperial Stout vs. American Double

I tend to equate "American" added onto beer style as a way to tell you it will have a greater hop presence.

 

Ya, It means about the same thing as sticking "IPA" on to almost any style. More of a flavor descriptor than anything else.

 

When I was first discovering stouts, I thought I could tell the difference. But just as with the Porter/Stout debate, there is enough crossover that the lines are completely blurred for me.

 

It seems to have more of a historical connotation, as the American Imperial have morhphed into these giant stout examples that now include barrel aging, and huge abvs and gravity.

To me they both have their place. Don't get yourself too hung up on styles... enjoy them both for what they are... and as always....

times change

 

There is absolutely no point in having two separate entries. Many, maybe most, of the popular American double imperial stouts are actually thicker, sweeter, maltier and less hoppy than those in the Russian imperial stout category, so that distinction is nonexistent. There are plenty of entries in the RIS category that are barrel-aged, brewed with spices, or both, so that distinction is also nonexistent.

They should have been merged ages ago.

 

When I think of a true Russian Imperial Stout - I think of the first time I had Old Rasputin, also one of my first craft beers. All I remember was being blown away by the sharp flavors of straight booze and deep dark roasted chocolate. Not super thick and sweet, just a straight forward big stout with a very present alcohol burn, perfect for a below freezing siberian night, almost like it was being highlighted rather than hidden. When I think of an American Double Stout - I think of big flavor and sweet, hiding the alcohol more times than not. Thats just what I picture in my head though. Obviously there are a lot of brews out there that claim they are either/or but dont reflect what I imagine them as. Dark Lord is what really pops into my mind. Its called an RIS but its thick, sticky, super sweet, 20 different flavors, and hiding most of the alcohol burn. I do think they are two different styles, but of course the thousands of brewers out there all have their own opinion as we do, hence the lines being blurred, which is totally cool if you ask me. I really dont care what it is or what it should be, if its a great imperial stout, Ill drink it all day long.

 

I have the same feelings about Amber and Red distinctions.

 

Who is "we"?

 

Interesting, I always thought of RIS's being much sweeter and American Imperial/double stouts being more roasty/hoppy, less sweet. Must just be all the examples of each that I've had...

 

RIS are brewed for Putin no?

 

To quote this very website:

"The American Double Stout gets some of it inspiration from the Russian Imperial Stout. Many of these are barrel aged, mostly in bourbon / whiskey barrels, while some are infused with coffee or chocolate. Alcohol ranges vary, but tend to be quite big, and bigger than traditional Russian Imperial Stouts. Most tend to have cleaner alcohol flavors, higher hop levels, and more residual sweetness. Very full-bodied with rich roasted flavors far surpassing normal stouts."

So there ya go - American Imperials more often feature infused flavors, barrel-aging characteristics, cleaner alcohol flavors, more pronounced hops, more sweetness.

 

Russian Stout should have a Brettanomyces character.

 

This.

 

I would normally agree completely (american brown ale, etc) but in the case of the american imperial stout, it tends to mean:

1) Hoppier
b) More adjuncts (coffee, vanilla, chocolate, chili peppers, etc)
4) Somewhat commonly barrel aged (or will have a barrel-aged variant at least)
3) Sweeter

Whereas most RISes tend to be more traditional and also tend to have a dark fruit aspect that's commonly missing from the American version (no idea as to the actual reasoning behind this, just an observation).

Just my opinion on the matter. There are, of course, many exceptions to both sides, which I agree with everyone else that this typically blurs the lines between styles.

Dope

 

In general American craft breweries use a pretty neutral house yeast, which emphasizes the roast malt qualities (and hops) in a case like this, whereas the European breweries have more fruity house yeast signatures, and will tone down the roast to let that aspect come through.

 

It's funny - when I think of the two styles I can't really think of that much difference between them, but when I checked my reviews, my Russian Imp reviews are generally over 8 out of 10, and the American Double / Imperials are between 6.5 and 8 out of 10. I think it's due to more heavy fruits rather than hops.

 

Should but rarely do. You did give me a great idea for a blend tonight- I happen to have two beers in the fridge that should work (GI Matilda 2013 and SS Imperial Stout).

 

Russians tend to have more of the berry fruit sweetness undertones to me.

 

bolds added

I know it was a slip of the tongue, man, but adjuncts are always fermentable additions, and I know you meant to say "More flavoring additions" rather than more adjuncts.

Just mentioning it because of all the new members we have who should be properly advised concerning these terms.