When the last leaf of the year has fallen and nights grow longer than days, our proclivities shift from amber lagers and wet-hopped harvest ales to rich styles that warm from within. We look for beer with substance and gravitas, beer you can—at least metaphorically—eat with a knife and fork.
Russian imperial stout is the original regal ale. While populist demands (hops for all!) have driven imperial IPA’s ascent to sovereignty, Russian imperial stout exploits our deepest weaknesses for decadence and keeps us coming back for more. More than a few craft-beer devotees have sworn fealty to the czar of stouts, and once you’ve given in, it’s unlikely you’ll ever renounce its powerful hold.
From London with Love
Russian imperial stout may suggest images of hardy brewers gathered around a boil kettle for warmth, but the stoutest of stouts was actually born in Britain as an export product to Baltic and Russian markets. Thanks to a convenient loophole in Russian trade taxes, prominent eighteenth and nineteenth century London breweries such as Thrale’s Anchor, Barclay Perkins, and Courage shipped boatloads of thick, rich stout to St. Petersburg.