Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 12.0 IBU: 75.0

98/100
Aroma: 11
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 20
Mouthfeel: 4

Surly Darkness (2017)

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What the brewers say

“Our massive Russian imperial stout contains waves of chocolate, coffee, cherry, raisin, and toffee, plus a nontraditional dose of aromatic hops.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Rich malty base: toffee, caramel, roast/coffee, raisin, dates, milk chocolate, raspberry, toasted marshmallow, and fig. A roasty sharpness cuts through the sweetness.”

Flavor: “Raspberry and milk chocolate with some sweet dark cherry and clean roast. Rich and thick body with a fairly dry finish and a slight ethanol burn. Hops bitterness is there, but well hidden to just provide balance. Some lingering bitterness.”

Overall: “This is a well-balanced imperial stout on the sweeter side. Lots of fruit notes and dark chocolate as well as caramel come out throughout this beer. Not a lot of those pesky hops to bother you either. Would serve warmer rather than colder.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Porter & Stout (February-March 2018) (View All Issues)


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