544. Founders Imperial Stout

I bought this either about one or two years ago—I can’t rightly remember which. Either way, that year or so has done nice things to this beer. It also gives us a chance to revisit Founders, which is always a pleasure. Our previous encounters with Founders include Nemesis 2010, Newaygo County Cherry, Devil Dancer, Pale Ale, KBS (as a bonus beer), Centennial IPA, Black Biscuit, Harvest Ale, and Breakfast Stout.

Founders Imperial Stout pours an inky—and I mean inky—dark chocolate brown with a very minimal cappuccino head. The head looks like the thin skiff covering you’d get on a cappuccino, and the beer itself is thick as well—you can see the small, tiny bubbles struggling to escape the viscous liquid, leaving only the barest sheen of an arabesque covering. The nose is chocolate, coffee, and roast (in that order), with the chocolate taking up much of the extra space around the other two. As it warms, a softer caramel sweetness starts to emerge from the chocolate, as does more of the soft roast character along with some cocoa. There may be some hints of tobacco and leather lurking as well. Flavors open with chocolate, coffee, and roast, lead into caramel and a slight roasted sour tang in the middle, and finish with a chalky mineral roast that lingers pleasantly on the back of the throat, slowly getting more alkaline as it fades before ending with cocoa. The mouthfeel is rich, chewy, and rounded, although the roast presence thins and cleanses the palate in the finish, smoothing the beer more than would be anticipated in the initial sip. Surprisingly little alcohol warmth or flavor anywhere to be found in this beer, although a touch emerges as the beer warms. The residual roast chocolate on the back of the throat is enjoyable; the roast might be a bit excessive in relation to the other elements of the beer—it is a bit one-dimensional in that regard—but again, it is not over the top. All in all, a smooth-sipping slow-drinking big beer, perfect for cold late fall/early winter evening. While this is not the best RIS we’ve ever had, it is certainly solid across the board.

From the Founders website: “Brewed with ten varieties of malted barley, this stout is smooth as silk, yet complex and rich in body. Serve this guy at cellar temperature. Put another log on the fire, sit back, and enjoy the friendship of this ultimate winter warmer.”

ABV: 10.5%
IBU: 90

(11/25/2012)

536. Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout

It feels like we should have already sampled and discussed this beer, but a careful examination of the records indicates that we have not. After all, this beer is one of Elli’s favorites—it is well nigh impossible to keep any in the basement, even if it is carefully hidden. But I digress. We haven’t, and thus here we are: our second Samuel Smith’s beer. Our previous victim was their Organically Produced Lager. So here we are again: we’re bringing sexy back like it was our job.

Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout pours a rich, dark chocolate with a creamy cocoa-colored head that offers respectable retention. The beer itself initially appears almost black in the glass until tilted to see the light through the sparkling clear fluid, and there are pleasant garnet highlights from the light passing through the beer. Smelling this beer is a pleasure; up front is sweet cocoa and milk chocolate, followed by caramel and a hint of toffee. There is also a slight minty herbal character that I’m attributing to the hops. As it warms roasted malt and coffee starts to creep out, along with a hint of nuttiness, but it is still in the background. All in all, quite beguiling. Flavors open with chocolate with underlying coffee and roasted hints, albeit balanced much more towards the chocolate. The middle is cocoa and hints of both milk and mint; the coffee and roast reassert themselves in the finish, accompanied by sweet milky caramel. The mouthfeel is chewy, rounded, and full; the lighter carbonation helps round the beer, but also allows it to sit enjoyably on the tongue. While the beer has a hint of alcohol flavor and warmth, it plays well with the sweet chocolate flavors. Overall, I’d call it easy-drinking deliciousness. As well, it is always a little different every time we have it. In this one, the slight minty hop character was more pronounced than in previous bottles; it added to the overall character of the beer nicely. Elli initially thought the mint was from the tea she had been drinking.

From the bottle: “Brewed at Samuel Smith’s small, traditional British brewery with well water (the original well sunk in 1758 is still in use), best barley malt, roasted barley, yeast and hops to create a rich flavourful ale; deep chocolate in colour with a roasted barley nose and flavour that is a complexity of malt, hops and yeast. Fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares.’ This distinctive type of ale was originally shipped to Imperial Russia; it was a favourite of Russian nobility.”

ABV: 7.0%

This beer is also registered with the Vegan Society: it is safe and suitable for vegans and vegetarians alike. Take that, Meat-Lover’s Guiness!®

(10/30/2012)

445. Great Divide Yeti ’08-’10

Have we had enough Great Divide? Not Yeti! And some where in the distance, a rim shot faintly echoes. This represents the first real payoff for salting away beer in the basement—a three year vertical of Yeti to drink and enjoy. Ah, patience, you heap and task me so. We’ve dranken a whole crap load of Great Divide in the past: Smoked Baltic Porter, 16th Anniversary Wood Aged DIPA, Hercules DIPA, Wild Raspberry Ale, Hibernation, Samurai Rice, Hoss, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, Fresh Hop, Double Wit, 15th Anniversary DIPA, and Denver Pale Ale. That’s right—the mini-vertical is lucky number 13.

Yeti 2010: Roasted chocolate bitterness in the nose; inky chocolate brown color with red highlights and the weakest head retention of the three. Dry chocolate and biscuit front, moving into bitterness in the middle that runs on into the end, lingering along with a touch of alcohol on the back of the throat. There is also a fair share of roastiness in the middle and end; some chocolate returns in the finish, albeit with more of a cocoa flavor than previously. Yeti 2010 has a rich, chewy mouthfeel with a fair amount of alcohol warmth that mitigates the smoothness. The bitterness and the alcohol warmth are currently the defining features of the beer, covering over a lot of the other flavors. Good, but should get better.

Yeti 2009: Nose is starting to ripen towards the 2008, but with much more chocolate (almost like Southern Tier’s Choklat) currently evident; some of the bitterness of the 2010 remains, along with a touch of cardboard. Best head retention, and same color as 2010. Rich chocolate to start, moving into roastiness in the middle; slight rise in sweetness in the finish with just a touch of sourness along with low levels of lingering bitterness—although the bitterness tastes like it is more from the roastiness than the hops. Smoother overall mouthfeel; while the alcohol warmth is still present, it is much less intrusive. Not surprisingly, this beer is getting better with age.

Yeti 2008: Dark fruit and creamy rich chocolate in the nose; head retention somewhere between the last two, and, shockingly, the same color as the last two. Opens with chocolate and toffee before moving into oxidized dark fruit—cherry, prune, and raisin—in the middle; the finish has a touch of roastiness along with cocoa and chocolate, with the roastiness lingering lightly. This beer has the roundest and richest mouthfeel—Yeti 2008 is simultaneously creamy, silky, chewy and delicious. There is hardly any alcohol warmth, which allows the creamy cocoa and chocolate to tantalize the taste buds across the profile. The trip down drinkability lane has paid off for this beer—I only wish we had more of it left.

From the bottle (it says the same on all three): “Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. It starts with big, roasty malt flavor that gives way to rich caramel and toffee notes. Yeti gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of American hops. It weighs in at a hefty 75 IBUs.”

ABV: 9.5%
IBU: 75
Bottled on: January 2008, October 6, 2009, and sometime in 2010—wouldn’t you know it, the most recent four-pack we bought (last week) didn’t get stamped with a date. Thanks, Great Divide.

(12/29/2010)

389. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

More exciting can action from Oskar Blues. Can do! As it says on the can, “Cross-eyed. Cyclopean. Cancupiscent.” The can also tell us that Ten Fidy is “Half-Baked. Fully Roasted Ale,” as well as “This dog’ll hunt.” For cans? Quite a bit of information for your normal can, especially if you want to throw in the “Pack it in, pack it out” recycling message on the back. Add some label art and the requisite government warning, and you’ve got a busy-ass can. Ten Fidy marks our third beer from Oskar blues, including Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Dale’s Pale Ale, and also our third beer from them in a can. Can you say I do?

Ten Fidy pours a rich, dark chocolate brown with a burnt tan head that lingers briefly and then quickly reduces to a ring around the edge of the glass. While there appears to be some light orange and red highlights, Ten Fidy is dark and thick enough that not much light is getting through. Aromas in the nose include creamy malt sweetness and chocolate mixed with subtler amounts of roasted and burnt notes. The body is thick and chewy with a touch of creaminess—it has good substance on the palate and a viscous, slick mouthfeel that balances well with the chewiness, but is also very smooth. The carbonation is medium with a bit of a bite heading into the final third; combined with the bitterness, there is a bit of a drying effect on the palate at the finish. The lingering bitterness also merges with the light alcohol warmth as the close of the beer; combined with the rich chocolate and roastiness of the final third, the beer ends surprisingly clean on the palate in relation to the size of the beer. Ten Fidy is dominated by chocolate and sweet maltiness with an underlying caramel in the front; as the beer shifts to the middle, bitterness comes to the forefront, along with coffee and roasted flavors—it dries out a bit on the palate before the chocolate returns for the finish, combining with the existing bitterness and the emerging roasted darker malt flavors. There is a slight alkaline chalkiness at the back of the throat as the flavors recede, although the bitterness masks it slightly. Ten Fidy is an excellent slow-sippin’ beer. All in all, can-tastic.

From the Oskar Blues website: “This titanic, immensely viscous stout is loaded with inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee and hide a hefty 98 IBUs underneath the smooth blanket of malt. Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV) is made with enormous amounts of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Ten FIDY is the ultimate celebration of dark malts and boundary-stretching beer.”

ABV: 9.5% (listed as 9.5% on the can, not the 10.5% on the website—don’t ask)
Canned on: 9/25/2009

Oh, and just so you know, cancupiscent is a play on concupisent, which means lustful, sensual, or eagerly desirous. It is from the Latin concupiscere, which is to covet ardently or to concieve ardent desire for. Covet, hmmm? Isn’t that one of those seven deadly sins? I guess they want you to want their beer, especially if it is in the can.

(7/24/2010)

360. Three Floyds Dark Lord 2010

“I was hoping it would be like this, but drinkable.”

Another from Three Floyds, making this our ninth beer from Munster, IN, including Rabbid Rabbit, BrooDoo Harvest Ale, Brian Boru, Gumballhead Wheat, Robert the Bruce, Dreadnaught, Black Sun Stout and Blackheart IPA. And if you don’t know this is a Russian Imperial Stout, you are a sad, sad beer geek. Because, let’s be honest, is anyone else reading this? Actually, the real question is, is anyone reading this? I mean, beside my parents...

Dark Lord 2010 pours the color of used motor oil, although the lighter kind, so that there is a deep brown sheen to it—not that black as tar stuff that my dad used to dump down into mole holes. Yes, my dad did that. But that was in like 1977, when nobody cared about the earth. It is also clear, so that there are some orange highlights around the edges, even with all of the darkness. There is no sign of the patent-pending “reverse cascading head,” although this could be because this particular bottle is still rather young—the head that was there was tan and quickly ringed the glass. The nose is a roasty coffee malt explosion with some creaminess and what comes across as a touch of smoke in the background—like someone let the rauchbier dude in on brew day, and he snuck a bunch of that smoked malt into the brew kettle—and also a bit of alcohol aroma. It also smell kinda young—the aromas are there, and are good, but still run into one another too much rather than running smoothly together. Dark Lord begins with a thick rich molasses, chocolate, and roasted malt flavor in the front before shifting into dark fruit and rum raisin with a smoky burnt coffee backdrop in the middle, which lingers well into the finish and beyond. Sweetness returns in the finish, along with a whole bunch more chocolate, and Dark Lord ends with lingering chocolate and alcohol flavors. The body is heavy, thick, and rich—insert your appropriate terms here indicating massive heaviness—with a chewy mouthfeel that is also sticky and a bit cloying. The carbonation at this point is pretty minimal—maybe it picks up with age, but that “reverse cascading head’ failed to put in an appearance. It does help shift into the final third, but it also fails to lighten the mouthfeel or cut out the stickiness. The alcohol is fairly present, although more prominent towards the end—there is a bit of a lingering burn. An interesting beer, but not one that is really ready to drink—it is not terrible, and tastes very young—it most certainly would benefit from some aging. As it currently stands, while this is a challenging beer, it does not offer enough reward for the effort that currently goes into it. While we understand that this may be heresy to some, so be it. At this point, we’re not sure it lives up to the hype, but then again, as Chuck D always told us, don’t believe the hype.

From the bottle: “Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums, with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body. Enjoy and thanks for your continuing support.”

From the Three Floyds website: “A demonic Russian Style Imperial Stout, brewed with Intelligensia coffee Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar this beer defies description, available one day a year in April at the brewery, Dark Lord Day.”

ABV: we were told the 2010 was 15%—who knows?

(6/25/10)

282. Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Another from the Smuttynose Big Beer Series—you remember, the one I would sign up for, but they don’t ship. Stupid Smuttynose. They do also now have a half-case option, which again does us no good since you have to go to Portsmouth to pick it up. Oh, the humanity. Anyways, I digress—this is our fourth beer from Smuttynose, in addition to Shoals Pale Ale, Finestkind IPA and Farmhouse Ale.

Imperial Stout pours an inky black with reddish orange highlights and a latte-colored head that provides good lacing on the glass—let’s just say it’s got some legs. The nose is mostly roasted malt with a slight touch of herbal hoppiness and possibly grassiness in the background. Starting with a roasty sweet molasses front, Imperial Stout moves into bitterness and coffee flavors, ending with some slight alcohol and chalkiness and a bit of lingering bitterness. Medium to heavy bodied with a thick, viscous mouthfeel, Imperial Stout does have a bit of alcohol bite to it—it tastes a bit young, as the alcohol is sharp and slightly astringent. As well, the flavors haven’t really established themselves as of yet—everything comes across as still in process. We’re guessing in about six months that this will taste much more delicious once the flavors have a chance to better marry in the bottle, so we’ll be throwing our other bottle down into the basement and check back on it then. We’ll keep you posted.

From the Smuttynose website: “Originally brewed in the early 19th century for export from Britain to the imperial court of Russia’s Catherine the Great, imperial stouts are characterized by their dark color & full body. This style features a rich, malty sweetness coupled with aggressive hopping (especially in American interpretations). Notes of dried fruit as well as roasted malt flavors are typically present. For more information about this style, please consult the Brewers Association Style Guidelines.”

(4/8/2010)

263. Brooklyn Black Ops 2010

This is our third beer from Brooklyn—previously on what we’re drinking, we explored the joys of both East India Pale Ale and Pennant Ale ’55. Our friends Jeff and Jeffrey were over to sample some beers and to play Brewmaster, a card game where you brew beers and collect beer festival trophies—the one who collects the most trophies wins the game. The game was pretty fun, but it could have used a bit more complexity—while you had to collect two yeasts to brew a Belgian beer, there was no reciprocal need to collect extra hop cards to brew an IPA. And I do need someone to explain to me why there was no hop shortage card as one of the cards that made you lose brewing materials or your turn. I know, I know, it’s just a card game. Anyway, Elli ended up winning the game, and we tried a couple of tidbits along the way.

Jeffrey with the sweet beer festival trophy!

Black Ops pours an opaque black with a thick brown creamy head; the nose includes plenty of oak and bourbon, as well as plenty of roasted malt and smaller amounts of vanilla. Beginning with a rich roasty front, Black Ops has an oaky and bourbon middle with some of the vanilla from the nose; there is some alcohol flavor in the end, although the beer finishes dry and creamy. The mouthfeel is creamy, thick, and chewy, although the body is only medium, and the carbonation helps smooth out the beer across the profile. There is a bit of alcohol warmth at the end, but nothing overbearing. The balance of the oak flavors in the beer is a real plus; mixed with the roasted malt and vanilla, the subtlety is already apparent in this beer. Black Ops is a delicious beer; while it could use a bit more age to limit the alcohol flavor and warmth at the end, this would only be to make an already good beer better. And besides, what do you think our second bottle is doing right now?

From the bottle: “Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist, it would be a robust stout concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under the cover of secrecy and hidden from everyone else at the brewery. Supposedly ‘Black Ops’ was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with Champagne yeast, creating big chocolate and coffee flavors with a rich underpinning of vanilla-like oak notes. They say there are only 1000 cases. We have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Not so excited anymore, huh, tough guy?

Given the above description, it is not surprising that there is nothing on the Brooklyn website.

ABV: 11.6%

Jeff also brought over another beer from Jackie O’s—some sort of Orange Wheat Funk. It had a bretty-funky nose, some still discernable orange flavor, and a dry and slightly sour profile. Good, but we don’t have much in the way of notes—we were all concentrating on the Brewmaster game.

(3/20/2010)

259. Jackie O’s Barrel Aged Bourbon Barrel Impy Razz

Tonight our friend Jeff came over with a couple of things to drink, so we had more than just the usual one beer. Here’s our evening: our first beer—what we’re gonna call the “official” beer of the day—was the Barrel Aged Bourbon Barrel Impy Razz from Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens, OH, bottled on November 11, 2009 as bottle 39 out of 156.

Bourbon Barrel Impy Razz is an imperial wheat beer with raspberries; it has oak, bourbon, and raspberry in the nose, and pours a pinkish copper with a light white head. Starts dry, fruity, and a bit tart, runs into alcohol/bourbon and oak flavor in the middle, and finishes with some more fruit and lingering alcohol and bourbon flavors. Medium bodied with a dry but rich flavor and some tartness on the palate. There is a lot of alcohol warmth across this beer, in nose, flavor, and mouthfeel, but it is not overbearing. As well, the tartness from the raspberries and the sharpness of the oak merge nicely to help build the beer, both in flavor and mouthfeel. While it could use some more time to marry the fruit and raspberry flavors, it does drink well now. Good beer, and we look forward to trying more beers from Jackie O’s in the near future.

From the bottle: “The bottle in your hand is part of the first bottling venture at Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery. This limited edition is something special and a tribute to our customers and supporters throughout the past 4 years. Passion has crafted this beer and our business. Share this milestone with friends and loved ones. After all, beer should be enjoyed and remembered; this is why quality and character are at the heart of every beer we produce. Thank you. Made in Athens, OH.”

From Ohio Beer Guide: “Jackie O’s in Athens is celebrating its fourth anniversary on December 4 and 5. They promise 40 of their own beers on tap over the two day celebration with a bottle sale on the 5th. Taps and bottles will include lots of barrel aged, sours, imperials, and new concoctions. Included will be at least three new barrel aged beers: Bourbon Barrel Impy Razz, a 12% imperial raspberry wheat, Barreled and Portered, a 9% robust ported aged in a Woodford Reserve barrel, and Cellar Cuvee 2, a blend of coffee stout and imperial stout aged in Woodford Reserve barrel with coffee beans, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. There are too many others to list here, so check out their new website at http://www.jackieos.com/. Brewer Brad Clark is featuring at lot of stouts this winter such as Java the Stout, Sweet Chocolate Love (oatmeal, chocolate milk stout), and India Oatmeal Rye Stout.”

ABV: 12.0%

Our second beer for the evening was Boulevard Saison, which is our third beer from Boulevard; we’ve previously had the Saison-Brett and Two Jokers Double Wit. Because, as the Boulevard website observes, “some beers are just too big for 12 ounce bottles.” Well put.

Saison pours a transluscent golden color with a rich head that slowly fades; the nose is earthy, loamy, and floral, although with warmth the banana-clove comes out a bit more prominently. Light sweet malt front with some bubblegum emerging as it warms; the middle is estery and some low levels of bitterness, and it finishes sweet. It does taste like there is some wheat in the beer via the smooth silky texture of the body. The mouthfeel is bright and sharp; there are super-fine bubbles, but they are soft and balanced on the mouth. Some bubblegum emerges in the nose at it warms to provide a bit of a different element at the end. Overall an excellent saison; not as complex or nuanced as the Saison-Brett, but certainly a delicious beer overall.

From the bottle: “The French-speaking region of southern Belgium is the birthplace of saison, the love child of a centuries-old tradition of small rural ‘farmhouse’ breweries, where native yeasts and time-honored recipes combined to produce some of the world’s most distinctive beers. As a tribute to this artisanal institution, we offer our own brisk, unruly Saison. Truly an artful balancing act, it is both rustic and subtle, robust yet effervescent, spicy and fruity. A votre santé!”

ABV: 6.2%

Our final beer for the evening was Founders KBS, freshly brought back from Michigan via Darren Link, even before it went on sale. Because we’ve got it like that. This is our fifth Founders beer; the rundown includes Centennial IPA, Black Biscuit, Harvest Ale and Breakfast Stout.

Meet Inky...

Brought to us by the Amazing Kosmicki, KBS has a luscious roasted coffee nose; it pours an inky black with garnet highlights, and has a slightly oily top with a minimal head. The front begins with a big roasty coffee front, transitioning into a big chocolate and roasted coffee middle with a dark and tasty finish. There is no real alcohol flavor perceptible, even as young as it is; while there could possibly be some slight warming, it is amazingly clean and well balanced for being young and right out of the gate like it is (this must be where the Amazing Kosmicki comes in). There is some big hop flavor in the back of the beer, but it is covered over by roasted flavors that dominate the beer. Remarkably drinkable for an 11.2% beer, especially this young, and with 70 IBUs. An excellent beer that drinks well young (and warm—it only spent about 10 minutes in the fridge to but just a slight chill on it) and is a delicious and rewarding drink.

From the Founders website: “What we’ve got here is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year, to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Make your taste buds squeal with delight.”

ABV: 11.2%
IBU: 70

An awesome and well rounded group of beers for the evening—all excellent and well crafted. I don’t think we’ll be topping this anytime in the near future. Not that we won’t try...

(3/16/2010)

253. Stone Imperial Russian Stout Vertical Tasting

This event was held at the Trolley Stop; tonight’s sampling involve Stone Imperial Russian Stout, vintages 2005 through 2009, all in one delicious evening. And to top it off, there was a keg of the 2005 IRS on tap. Dag. We can now add Imperial Russian Stout to the already sampled list from Stone; we’ve previously tried Kona Coffee Macadamia Nut Porter, Pale Ale and Vertical Epic 09.09.09.

2005: Lots of rich chewy chocolate flavors, although beer is smooth and creamy. Mellow and even across the palate with some alcohol warmth. Chocolate is the dominant flavor, although there is plenty of subtle depth and complexity to the beer. Excellent.

2006: Rich and creamy, but a bit sharper on the palate. There are still some harsher alcohol flavors evident at the end, muting the chocolate and coffee flavors. Somewhat surprising that the bite of the alcohol has lasted this long, although it is still a good beer.

2007: Lot of roastiness to the front that mellows across the profile; chocolate and coffee flavors are well balanced. The alcohol flavor is very mellow (unlike the ’06), although there is some warmth. Easiest drinking version of the lot, although there are plenty of nuances to sort out across the profile of the beer.

2008: This beer is a bit brighter and sharper than previous examples (the alcohol is more like the ’06 in this regard); it is also a bit spicier. Like the ’07, there is a lot of roastiness, although the roastiness in this one is fresher and more popping on the palate. There is a lot less chocolate (particularly in comparison to the ’05), and the coffees is more to the front on this beer.

2009: Again, there is a good amount of roastiness to this beer, and the spiciness borders carries with it some elements of hop bitterness. There is also some alcohol warmth to this one, although not surprising since it is the youngest of the beers we sampled. There is some dry creaminess at the end that, with warmth, turns towards a chalkiness on the palate, which is the only real downside to this beer.

Here’s how we’d rank this flight of five. Don’t take any of this this personally—we were splitting minute hairs to make our decisions, as all five were dee-licious (note: not to be confused with Dee-lite):

1. 2007: just about the right balance between flavors; smooth and easy drinking
2. 2005: depth and complexity of flavor is excellent
3. 2008: tastes like it has better aging possibilities than the ’09
4. 2009: good, but not as interesting thus far as its predecessors
5. 2006: the alcohol sharpness and flavor, even after all this time, drags this beer down

From the Stone website: “Brewed in the authentic historical style of an Imperial Russian Stout, this beer is massive. Intensely aromatic (notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate, this brew goes where few can – and fewer dare even try. The style originated from Czarist Russia’s demand for ever thicker English stouts. Expect our version of this mysterious brew to pour like Siberian crude and taste even heavier! ”

ABV: 10.5%

IBU: 90+

(3/10/2010)

224. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Our first beer from Hoppin’ Frog Brewery in Akron, OH; this beer was a GABF Gold Medal winner in 2008, although that was before the barrel aging part of the equation.

I found a good use for the label from the bottle...

B.O.R.I.S.’s nose is made up of burnt malt mixed with oakiness—there is vanilla, creaminess, and some tannic aromas mingling with the malt. It is an opaque deep brown with red highlights, and the head is a dirty light brown—I’d call the head baby poo colored, but I still have to drink it. B.O.R.I.S. starts with rich malt creamy sweetness in the front before the oak flavor kicks in in the middle, bringing with it vanilla and wood character and some low levels of burnt malt. The finish has a fair amount of alcohol warmth with some oak wood and burnt malt flavors lingering on the palate. The mouthfeel is thick and chewy and the body is medium to heavy. The oak and the oatmeal offer added creaminess and richness, although the oak is more readily apparent in the flavor than the oatmeal. Some alcohol emerges in the nose with warmth, though it does mix well with the oak. Overall, a good big beer, but not particularly balanced; the oak and malt are still rather harsh and unmarried, even though the flavors are quite good.

From the bottle: “Made from our award-winning stout, rated one of the Top 50 Best Beers in the World in 2008!! Beware: this Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout will crush you like no other! This is the grand-daddy of all stout styles, with an intensely deep roasted and full bodied flavor. A robust hop character adds a refreshing balance.”

From the Hoppin’ Frog website: “Made from our B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout, that was rated one of the World’s 50 Best Beers, and won the Gold Medal at the GABF in 2008. Barrel-Aged B.O.R.I.S. has picked up rich characters of vanilla, dark fruit, oak, and spice. It’s unbelievably complex and savory”

ABV: 9.4%
OG: 25.3° P
IBU: 60

(2/9/2010)

140. North Coast Old Rasputin XII

This is our second beer from North Coast; our last beer was Cru d’Or Organic Belgian Style Ale. North Coast’s Old Rasputin XII is an oak aged version of Old Rasputin made to celebrate their twelfth anniversary. Elli was initially skeptical about this beer—as she informed me, “I don’t drink beer to get flavors like this; I eat ice cream to get flavors like this.” She did modify her initial response as we progressed, but not completely. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here...

Old Rasputin XII is a deep chocolate brown color in the glass; there are red highlights when held up to the light, although you have to work a bit to see them, and a creamy tan head that laces the glass nicely. This beer also has some legs to it; it gathers and runs down the side of the glass when swirled much like wine, pointing to a higher alcohol content. The nose confirms this: with the oak and wood aromas comes a distinct warm alcohol aroma that marries nicely with the fresh rich vanilla from the oak. Old Rasputin XII begins with a chocolate & dark roasted malt sweetness in the front, moves into a big oaky middle with rounded wood and vanilla flavors, and then finishes dry with some alcohol warmth on the tongue. There are also some cocoa and chalky/alkaline flavors starting in the middle that follow on through the close and mix well with the dryness at the end. The body is medium with some slickness and stickiness in the mouthfeel, although Old Rasputin XII is also very creamy, a creaminess that mixes well with the oak and wood flavors to create some pleasant tannic puckering that, while revealing the youth of the beer is still enjoyable right now. The big oakiness also probably contributes to the dryness at the end of the beer; the nose does get noticeably oakier as the beer warms. A well crafted beer overall; the oak adds a nice complexity to this beer, although, as noted above, it does taste a bit young—when the oak, vanilla, chocolate, and alcohol all marry in a couple of years, this beer is going to be delicious.

From the North Coast website: “For the past few years, barrel-aged Old Rasputin has been released in such limited quantities that it has been available only at the brewery retail shop. However, we have received so many requests for this beer that for the 12th anniversary, NCBC produced enough Old Rasputin XII to put into broader distribution. There’s certainly not a flood of it, but it is available in select areas. We guarantee that the Old Rasputin XII will be worth the search. It is amazing stuff. Aging in oak whiskey barrels adds a level of complexity that amplifies the espresso/chocolate notes in the flavor profile and takes this unique beer to new heights.”

ABV: 11.2%

(11/17/2009)

71. Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Our fifth beer from Great Divide Brewing Co. What can I say? They make some good shit. And with a name containing both this many qualifiers AND the name Yeti, what could go wrong? What, you don’t like the Abominable Snowman? You gonna bag on my boy Sasquatch? As Sherman Alexie observes in “The Sasquatch Poems,” “Those who say Bigfoot/ are those who don’t believe./ We must learn to fear metaphor.” Take that, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine—it sounds like you’re getting called out for being punks to me. Stoudt’s is down. But I digress. This is a beer that requires many adjectives...

Espresso Oak Aged Yeti—a stout aged on oak chips with coffee added—has a rich ebony and opaque black color and a thick oily tan head. The nose is complex: coffee, vanilla, roasted malt, oak hints, and some alcohol notes as it warms. Starting with a smooth slick creamy rich burnt roasty malt front and also containing chocolate, vanilla, and coffee notes (I warned you about the adjectives), Espresso Oak Aged Yeti moves into a rising roasty malt middle and crests over into the end with vanilla and chocolate/coffee note lingering on the palate, along with some roasty burnt malt flavor. It closes with tannic notes on the tongue—while there is a bit of possible puckering in the middle, the end does dry out and carries with it a bit of alcohol warmth as well. While I found it an interesting and enjoyable beer, specifically for the complex and intricate set of flavors it presented to us, Elli did at times compare it to flavored coffee or coffee cocktails, and the limitations that come with flavored coffee—get your hazelnut suckiness right here. She also wanted a bit more overall rounded body to the beer as well. While I can see where she is coming from, I’m gonna chalk some of that up to this beer still being a bit young—I’m guessing this beer will continue to develop for a good number of years and build into an even more complex beer.

From the Great Divide website: “Espresso Oak Aged Yeti is a new additon to the Yeti clan. A generous infusion of espresso adds yet another layer of complexity to this beer, combining the vanilla oak character, intense roasty maltiness and bold hop profile to create a whole new breed of mythical creature. It's official: you can now have Yeti with breakfast.”

Alright, so their prose is still a bit much. I mean, “a whole new breed of mythical creature”? But I'm pouring it into my glass, dammit.

ABV: 9.5%

(9/9/2009)