Russian Imperial Stout – The Barley Whine

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

January 8, 2014 by Steve Leave a Comment

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

Writing this on one of the coldest night this city has recorded in meteorological recorded history, the soul craves certain things. Soup, tonight provided by Souper Market, specifically the new Kamm’s Corner location which, despite being furthest from the cellar was more importantly, the only one brave enough to stay open amid sub-zero temperatures. After jambalaya, stout is the next craving. Big, thick, full bodied and satisfying beer, one that warms as well as spicy Cajun stew.

THE BEER

If you want beer designed by those that know icy winters, you can’t go wrong with Oskar Blues out of Colorado. Winning a bronze medal at GABF for a low ABV stout, Oskar Blues back in 2002 and long before The Alchemist’s Heady Topper of our last review, took the innovative step to start canning. Protecting beer from light and all the bans on glass, the move seen by some as déclassé, proved that even good beer could come from a can.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, a nicely hopped beer at 98 IBUs, brings it with even more force in the malts and alcohol content: The ABV is 10.5%, get it?

TASTING NOTES

Out of the can Ten Fidy is a passive pour, with a short, dark brown head, shrinking immediately to a beer crew cut, topping a void black brew. The nose is all mats, mostly caramel over a hint of chocolate and floral hops. Tasting Ten Fidy is an experience in roasted malts and sweet grains. Chocolate, caramel candies, burnt sugar, roasted grains. The body, lifted only by a low carbonation presence due to the the high alcohol content, is at once thick and yet smooth, much like a milk stout might be. The finish is dark chocolate followed by hoppy bitterness, and slight alcohol burn and a dryness that beckons for another taste, and another.

CONCLUSION

This is a massive beer hiding in a diminutive can. The malts and sweetness pair wonderfully with the roasted elements and hops. The booze is balanced by the sugary taste. Finishing dry, with a nice hops presence keeps you wanting more of this highly drinkable high ABV Russian imperial stout. Astringency is minimal and the ‘soy sauce’ presence that so often ruins these big stouts is no where to be found.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy is a triumph of a stout, one worth seeking out anywhere you can find it, especially when the weather turns so cold you’ll drive across town to satisfy soup cravings, and friends can’t stop posting pictures of car thermostats on social media.

9.0/10

Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

August 5, 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

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Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

Starting in 2011 Stone began releasing reworked versions of both their barleywine, Old Guardian and imperial stout, IRS. I don’t recall 2011’s BELGO Old Guardian, but the Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout was not widely popular. Anise was a bold, but polarizing flavor. If the first odd year reception was look warm, would round two be any better?

Packaging description: Like the classic version, this Odd Year edition was brewed in the authentic, historical style of an imperial Russian stout, but with the addition of several hundred pounds of espresso beans from our friends at Ryan Bros. Coffee. Layers of flavor and complexity augment an already enigmatic brew, leaving this darkly delicious libation positively brimming with deep, rich espresso flavors that meld beautifully with the roasty bitterness of the dark malts.

THE BEER

Lovers of coffee beer, we taste a favorite brewer’s take on a coffee stout with Stone Espresso Russian Imperial Stout.

2013 , another odd year brings two new odd beers: Stone Old Guardian Oak-Smoked, and Stone Espresso Russian Imperial Stout. For anyone who has even skimmed this site, you know what a passion we have for coffee beers. With a stellar brewery like Stone taking a shot at a coffee stout, there was no doubt a bottle or two would hit the cellar.

TASTING NOTES

Pours with a nice khaki head of bubbles of modest size. In bold contrast, the beer, like the original, Espresso IRA pours void black. The scents of well roasted coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, hops and dark fruits floods the senses with immediacy. With such an inviting nose, Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout has a lot to deliver. Thankfully, this stout brings it in spades. The taste unabashedly servers up coffee, vanilla, chocolate, subtly biting hops, and sweet malts. Big bold flavors are Stone’s calling card and this beer continues the tradition. The ABV is 11% but there is almost no hint of booze. A creamy and think body fits the style, coating the mouth with coffee goodness. Espresso IRS finishes with a nice dry, bitter note.

CONCLUSION

Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout is a mouthful to pronounce, though if you get your hands on a bottle, one mouthful will not be enough. This imperial stout amplifies the natural roasted malt tanins of coffee and chocolate with the edition of Ryan Brothers espresso beans to make a magnificently sweet and bitter, dark beer. A huge coffee ale that delivers what it promises. Find a bomber of this odd year edition before it’s gone, and enjoy one of the best java and beer combinations around.

9.0/10

Stone Imperial Russian Stout Review

August 26, 2012 by Steve 1 Comment

Stone Brewing Company is a behemoth. So big is Stone that, according to their website, the company plans to soon open a catering company, a brewing facility in Europe, a park, even a hotel! How did they become so successful? Brewing beer since only 1996, the company has achieved the top honors among American craft brewing with consistent, massively flavored brews in a number of categories. Arrogant Bastard and the IPAs are the best known of the Stone lineup. These guys have been heavy hopping out west for as long as they have been in business, and they know how to brew batches with piquancy. We’ve been big fans of these beers for a long time but rarely sample their other offerings. For this review we are tasting the 2012 batch, which is released in the second quarter of each year. This means the beer had less than 6 months to cellar before we drank it for the review.

TASTING NOTES

Pitch black pour with large brown head that is quickly eaten by the booze. Sniffing what should be sipped gives hints of roasted malts, chocolate, and prunes. In the mouth Stone Imperial Russian Stout is thick, giving off scrumptious roasted malts, coffee, anise, and hints of hops (warrior). The finish is booze with a lot of raisin/prune/soy sauce notes. The soy sauce element lingers a bit too much in the end.

CONCLUSION

From the humble Stone Pale Ale, to the Vertical Epic 11.11.11 with New Mexican Chilies, and everything in between, Stone Brewing makes the highest quality beer. Stone Imperial Russian Stout is no exception. While it may not be in the upper echelon of Russian imperial stouts with Founder’s, Great Divide Yeti, Hoppin’ Frog B.O.R.I.S, or Cigar City Marshall Zhukov, the beer is a delicious rendition of a potent style. When you want to take your friend-who-thinks-Guinness-is-a-big-beer to the next level, seek this bad boy out.