Stone Brewing Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout

Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout
(has 1 batch)

 

Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸

  Stout - Imperial Rotating
Score
7.67
ABV: 10.6% IBU: 70 Ticks (all batches): 82
Built from the backbone of Stone's classic Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout certainly celebrates the hallmarks of the style - it pours jet-black with a fluffy chocolate head and tastes of deeply dark fruit flavors with rich chocolate and coffee overtones. Yet, however old world in nature, this particular rendition of an IRS is flavored with new world hops, intensifying its berry flavors and aroma while subtly introducing a juicy melon undertone. The result is a spectacularly sinful delight. Don't say we didn't warn you, comrade.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout has been a much anticipated special release over the years. In 2017, we took a year off from releasing this amazing beer, causing some to worry that this was the end of an era. But in 2018, this deep, dark stout returns as big as ever and with a few upgrades. We added flaked oats for a smooth mouth feel and Belma hops, which round out the dark fruit component, providing an ever so slight hop edge.
 

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7/10
Draft from high line. Dark pour. Very roasted. Some bitter chocolate. Pretty good
Tried from Draft on 20 May 2025 at 01:57

8/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7
Can shared at Bro Ro's. Fasza kis oldschool american impy, kellemesen roasty, faszán komlós, nem megalkuvó, habár teste lehetne több azért
Tried from Can on 10 Mar 2025 at 09:01

9/10
Tried from Draft on 13 Dec 2024 at 18:49

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottled (From Alko). Black colour, small beigeish brown head. Aroma is chocolate, roasted and mild caramelly tones with mild alcohol as well as some slight wooden tones. Flavour is chocolate, some mild toffee, roasted and caramelly notes with some cocoa and mild alcohol as well. Good and smooth sipper.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Sep 2023 at 16:41

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Deep black & opaque color and a nice tan head. Lots of dark chocolate,dark coffee, toffee and dried fruits. Smooth and silky.
Tried on 19 Oct 2021 at 09:44

8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Beer #14 (of 19) of my 9000th Beer Celebration [9 beers on both sides of #9000th itself] Deep rich dark brown coloured body with a very small, single to perhaps two centimetre tall tan head that fades very quickly and just leaves a thinnish tan head on top after a few seconds. Aroma of tobacco, leather, rich roasted malts, molasses, dark chocolate, pitted fruits, figs and a nice dose of pure caramelised sugars and toffee. Medium to Full-bodied; Very rich, chocolatey and super roasty (almost burnt) malt notes show front and centre with a lot of coffee and lactose along with some vanilla to join with the pungent amount of alcohol, chocolate and coffee here - but very strong and surprisingly easy-drinking considering the style and the content, but that's most likely due to my aging, not the beer itself. Aftertaste is rich, but slightly sweet and open, showing some vanilla, lactose and pitted fruit qualities above the alcohol, chocolate and coffee notes that seem to dominate, or at least what Stone would want you to remember. Overall, a very surprisingly elegant and nuanced beer, but again, if I sampled this right when they put it in stores, it would have been way too obtuse and pungent on the edges with not enough subtle character to make it complex, but after three plus years in the bottle, in the cellar, it's finally drinkable. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle, purchased from Whole Foods in Pentagon City (Arlington), Virginia on 21-March-2018 for US$2,99 sampled at my house here in Washington for Beer #14 (of 19) of my 9000th beer celebration [9 beers on both sides of #9000th itself] more than three years later at my house in Washington, a few blocks away on 23-September-2021.
Tried from Bottle on 26 Sep 2021 at 08:29

8.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8
Backlog. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is dark roast malt, coffee, and chocolate. The intense flavor is also well balanced with roast malt, coffee, chocolate, and licorice. Full bodied and excellent.
Tried on 23 Mar 2021 at 14:52

7/10
Tried from Bottle on 29 Jan 2021 at 20:54

8/10 Appearance 9 Aroma 7.5 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Vintage 2018 (upgraded version), bottled on 02/21/2018; 330ml bottle

APPEARANCE: pitch black color, deep brown on the sides under the light, fairly lasting brownish head with great lacing

AROMA: moderate amount of toasted and melting sugars on the nose, brown sugar, caramel, hints of molasses and forest honey, mild dark fruits like figs and prunes, subtle berries underneath (impressions of blackberry) mild sign of oxidation - dry cardboard, moderate toasted bread, old chocolate, resin, hints of caramelized onions & beef stock; faint note of incense, very soft plum brandy alcohol note; no obvious roasted malt character on the nose

TASTE: medium light carbonation with loads of creamy bubbles, slick and slightly syrupy, oily mouthfeel, medium plus body; medium light sweet onset of melting and burnt sugars (light molasses), brown sugar, a light touch of syrup and caramel; notes of sweet bread with mild dark fruit jam, hints of forest berries and berry tartness; medium bitterness of roasted malts - burnt bread crust, chicory, backing chocolate, mild barley coffee and cocoa powder, subtle wood in the background, low plum brandy alcohol at the back but not harsh or unpleasant

OVERALL: aged nicely, harmonious on the nose and palate with solid bitter bite of roasted malts and smooth alcohol touch; old school RIS, dig it a lot;
Tried from Bottle from Pivoljub - The First Beer Shop in Slovenia on 27 Jan 2021 at 20:47

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
2018 Bottle
Tried from Bottle on 30 Dec 2020 at 19:48