Style: BA Dessert Stout

ABV: 12.0 IBU: 39.0

95/100
Aroma: 12
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 19
Mouthfeel: 4

Melvin Brewing Vladimir Gluten

What the brewers say

"BA Russian imperial stout with vanilla and cocoa nibs."

What our panel thought

"Straightforward bourbon nose. Sweet flavor up front with chocolate-covered cherry balls swimming in bourbon-soaked malt. ‘Luscious’ is the word—creamy milk chocolate, vanilla- and barrel-derived spice. Clean, defined roast. Not as complex as some, but brilliantly executed and integrated."

What our editors thought

"Inky licorice and black malt strike stark aroma notes; just a touch of chocolate. The sip is rugged—unyielding, unapologetic roast malt and bourbon notes. Dry cacao lingers."

Review printed in: Stout: More than Just Desserts (Oct-Nov 2020) (View All Issues)


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New Realm Brewing Wooded Reserve Series: Doomsday Hound Russian Imperial Stout aged in Templeton Rye Barrels

“A smoky nose with a wisp of brown sugar. Rich dark chocolate with small doses of cacao and mild roast. Complex base stout with imaginative wood aromatics. Big in nature but not unapproachable.”

Odell Brewing Company Jolly Russian

__Aroma:__ “Rich roast and chocolate up front, with a light smokiness and a touch of malt sweetness. There’s a light dark- fruit/date note, with cherry, dark fig, and vanilla. The sugar sweetness and smoke reminds me of candied bacon.” __Flavor:__ “Chocolate and roast add complexity up front, with a light alcohol warming toward the finish. Notes of rum, but also a note of tequila. The oak quality of the barrel is evident. Flashes of cocoa and vanilla weave through dark fruits of fig, plum, prune, and raisin. Intense flavors, but no single flavor dominated.” __Overall:__ “This beer is hot and boozy, with a rum presence that’s really just complexity and heat. Could use some aging to let the alcohol mellow out and the flavors shine through. A beautifully rich and complex beer that takes a minute to wrap your head around, but once you’re into it, you don’t want to leave.”

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Earthy, nutty, bourbon aroma. As it warms: vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, and a sense of age. Rich flavors: chocolate and roast coffee, also vanilla, caramel, coconut. Subtle hazelnut and earthy, oak-derived leather.

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