Stone Brewing Company Imperial Russian Stout

**Aroma:** “Nice dark malt sweetness. Some caramel, a little toffee, some roast, chocolate, and coffee in the back. Prunes and dark fruit character is very strong, with cherry the strongest. Spicy alcohol and mild malt. Not an aggressive nose.” **Flavor:** “Roast character is blended and balanced with dark fruit esters. Caramel, chocolate, and slight hints of toffee come in later. Very low hops character. Nice sweet dark malt character. Dark fruit sweetness, cherry, raisin, and prune.Finishes slightly sweet and creamy with no lingering bitterness but a slight warmth.” **Overall:** “Enjoyable and has nice malt richness. A well-done beer that is balanced and sufficiently thought out. Malt complexity is nice. The sweetness from the fruity esters as well as the malt sweetness carry through. The heat helps to finish this beer to keep it from being too sweet. This is another barleywine interpretation of the style but the stout foundation is intact. It needs a little age to soften the alcohol edge.”

**Aroma:** “Big dark chocolate and coffee aroma. Big plum, dates, moderate cherry, light acidity, moderate caramel, light umami, light earthy hops, some brown sugar notes. A backbone of bready malt. I’m sitting by the fire with a snifter of...not barleywine, but this beer. Rich malt complexity with sherry, dried figs, and raisins, and warming alcohol. More caramel than roast, but the coffee and chocolate are there.” **Flavor:** “Lovely complex malt sweetness—like chocolate-covered Fig Newtons, or maple syrup, with a touch of earthy hops to help balance. Like a shot of strong expresso, no cream. Complex and deep, but a bit intense so sessionable is not part of this section. Big cherry, light plum, big chocolate, moderate coffee, light hops bitterness, touch of alcohol, moderate caramel. Aftertaste: big chocolate, touch of coffee, light bitterness. Starts out like a thinner-bodied barleywine, but the hops and roast bitterness crack that illusion. The promise from the nose is here, but it doesn't quite mesh as well in the flavor because the lingering hops and slight astringency add some harshness. Hops flavor is as big as the roast. Sherry, malt, dried fruit and esters are still nice, though.” **Overall:** “Very tasty, but could use a bit more carbonation to help the flavors pop. Love the fruitiness. Fun dark-fruit dominated imperial stout. The chocolate, caramel, and roast notes are present throughout with just enough hops to balance. It is fairly well carbonated, but that works to bring out the brighter fruit notes. The nose had me, but the flavor not so much.”

**Aroma:** “Sweet malt character, coffee, and chocolate notes. Jasmine and espresso with hints of soap and earthiness. Some alcohol notes tickle the nose. Moderate esters and mild roast as it warms.” **Flavor:** “Very roasty, chocolaty, and malty, a lot like chocolate covered espresso beans. Hints of toffee, caramel, and vanilla with some nice fruity esters. Citrus and pepper character carry hops bitterness and keep it from being too sweet. Full-bodied with a nice dryish finish and slight warmth.” **Overall:** “Stretches the boundaries of the style, but despite the high ABV, it’s a pleasant interpretation. Nice bold profile of malty and roasty flavors. Not too harsh and not too sweet. Hops bitterness is just enough to balance the malt character of this beer. Robust body manages to hold together the roast profile and hops bitterness quite well.”