Tag Archives: ris

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Stout - Russian Imperial, The Wild Beer Co.

Wild Beer Wildebeest

Thursday, 16 November 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Wild Beer Co.
Country: England
ABV: 11%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Chocolate + Crushed Espresso + Vanilla

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We believe exceptional brewing stems from imagination and passion, it’s not just a process. Never average, every Wild brew is a result of Wild minds conceiving, creating and crafting beers that explore the boundaries of your palate. Brewing doesn’t need to be confined by rules, tradition or ingredients; by adding a Wild 5th ingredient or process to our beers we want to give you a truly memorable drinking experience, altering your perceptions and thrilling your taste buds. Drink Wildly Different.
Beer is not just meant for refreshment. Some beers can be ideal for contemplation and speculation, the liquid equivalent of the lotus position. Such a beer is Wildebeest, our Imperial Espresso Chocolate Vanilla Stout, a judicious selection of pale and dark malts to which is added highest quality Valrhona cocoa nibs, vanilla pods and freshly roasted coffee beans hand selected by Andy Tucker at Clifton Coffee Roasters. This helps to produce a rich, elegant, creamy, soothing confection of aromas and flavours that can only improve with time. We would describe it as a dessert in a glass.
Warning: Wildebeest is best enjoyed sipped from your favourite brandy snifter, whilst sitting comfortably in a plush armchair. Preferably next to a roaring fire while the weather does its worse outside.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date that is not legible anymore but is sometime in 2018. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish milk chocolate, coffee, cocoa and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet, light dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, espresso. coffee, cream and hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink. Doesn’t feel like 11% abv at all.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Firestone Walker Parabola

Sunday, 3 September 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 14.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 69 IBUs. Malts – Crisp Maris Otter Pale, Munich, Cara-hell, Carafa, Dark & Light Crystal, Chocolate, Oats and Roasted Barley. Hops – (Bittering) Zeus and (Late Kettle) Hallertau

Brewer Description: (from 2017 vintage box) The 2017 Parabola comes with a twist, as you may have noticed that this label bears the mark of “Kansas City, Missouri” in addition to our hometown of Paso Robles, California. Indeed, this iteration was brewed, barrel-aged and bottled by our friends at Boulevard Brewing under my close supervision. The recipe, ingredients, barrel selection and duration of aging were all the same as previous vintages of Parabola, but perhaps this vintage’s unique provenance will somehow reveal itself in the glass to you. So what is the story behind this one-time collaboration? Last year, we unexpectedly exceeded our brewing capacity in Paso Robles, and so rather than deny you a Parabola in 2017, we turned to our trusted friends for help while we worked on expanding our own brewhouse. As anticipated, they did Parabola proud. May you enjoy this rare occasion!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: On tap at Firestone Walker The Propagator, Venice. A 6 oz pour into a Firestone Walker tulip glass.
Appearance: It was a black to dark dark brown in colour with a one finger creamy tanned head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet bourbon barrels, nutty chocolate, vanilla, banana cake, pretty much like dessert.
Taste: Like the aroma, there was bitter dark chocolate, cherry, vanilla, banana, nutty, sweet bourbon, oak and booze.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A little bit too boozy and on the sweet side, but this doesn’t put me off, and it was still very nice. Great for late night sipping.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA, Wicked Weed Brewing

Wicked Weed Dark Age Bourbon Barrel-Aged

Friday, 19 May 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Wicked Weed Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Drink it Now. Drink it Later

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Humanity’s path out of the Dark Age is one without end. This path carries us away from the mystical to the measurable, from the magical to the mathematical, and is a meticulous tale of progress from madness to method. Yet, we still find wonder in the Magic, and extraordinary potential in the Mystery. Out of this yearning for the old ways, Dark Age Imperial Stout emerges from the whisky barrel, its dark malt complexity and bold, yet balanced, sweetness softened by its mystical evolution in oak.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 12.7 fl oz bottle, bottled on 23rd March 2016. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: A nice dark dark brown colour with a one finger mocha head that dissipates fairly quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, cocoa, dark fruit plum and raisins, bourbon, oak with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Bourbon and sharp raisin and cherry sweetness, followed by bittersweet dark chocolate, caramel and licorice.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: This was a nice, easy sipper. The sharp twang of raisin and cherry in the taste mixed with the bourbon was a welcome surprise. The only mini negative was the mouthfeel which could have greater body and a slightly lower carbonation.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Russian Imperial, Surly Brewing Company, USA

Surly Darkness

Tuesday, 2 August 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Surly Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%??? (as per taplist, but unsure about this as there’s really not much info)
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2015 version. Seasonal bottles and kegs (released October). Malt – Pale Ale, Golden Promise, Aromatic, Chocolate, Black, Special B, Medium Crystal, Roasted Barley and Flaked Oats. Hops – Warrior, Amarillo and Simcoe.

Brewer Description: (from website) This massive Russian Imperial Stout brings waves of flavor; chocolate, cherries, raisins, coffee and toffee, finishing with a non-traditional dose of aroma hops.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 200ml pour on draft of the 2015 version at Mikkeller Bangkok into a mini stemmed Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was pretty much pitch black with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly, leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, vanilla, roast and hints of dark fruit.
Taste: Dark fruit, plum, prune, chocolate, roast, vanilla and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was so good. Really nice aromas and great flavours. It’s a sipper, but the dark fruit, chocolate and caramel works well.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Jackie O’s Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout brewed with brown sugar & aged in bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The hauntingly good brew in your hand is rife with dark complexities. Seven malts were used to create deep flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramel and molasses. A hint of bitterness and herbal character from carefully selected European and American hops help support the monolithic maltiness. After conditioning in stainless steel, the beer was transferred into bourbon barrels. For 8 to 12 months, Dark Apparition waited patiently in oak barrels until the time was right to spring forth with its ghostly gusto. A truly decadent brew that is intended to be poured into your favorite snifter and given time to warm up from its dark and cool resting place.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.59
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml bottle of 2015 vintage and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark black colour with a thin khaki head that dissipated almost just as quickly but leaves some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong bourbon, sweet brown sugar, chocolate fudge brownie, molasses and vanilla.
Taste: Starts with sweet molasses followed by bourbon and dark chocolate with some light toffee, caramel and coffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation and a warming alcohol feel.
Overall: A very good Russian Imperial Stout with a nice hit of bourbon that is strong but not harsh and nicely complemented with chocolate, caramel and coffee flavours. I would definitely buy this again.

words of another dreamy traveller