Nikita
Rising Tide Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Regular|
Score
7.37
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NIKITA [NI-KEE-TUH, KROO-SH-CHEF] — 1894-1971, Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958–64, oversaw the creation of Sputnik 2.
Nikita began its life as Sputnik 2, the second beer in our Sputnik Brewer’s Series. It is a Rye Russian Imperial Stout brewed by our brewer, Brady Alden. Nikita is a fairly traditional imperial stout brewed with roasted barley, midnight wheat, and 20% local rye, hopped with Magnum, Cascade, and Mount Hood.
Nikita began its life as Sputnik 2, the second beer in our Sputnik Brewer’s Series. It is a Rye Russian Imperial Stout brewed by our brewer, Brady Alden. Nikita is a fairly traditional imperial stout brewed with roasted barley, midnight wheat, and 20% local rye, hopped with Magnum, Cascade, and Mount Hood.
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7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Canned 473ml-at the brewery. Black coloured, small pale beige head, roast and alcohol in the nose. Roasted malt, alcohol, notes of oak and chocolate with rather boozy finish.
Tried
from Can
at
Rising Tide Brewing Company
on 17 Jun 2026
at 00:09
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black in the glass with a finger's worth of khaki foamy head which trailed off at a nice pace to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet to spicy to floral portions of the rye (this is a good thing); dark roasted malts, subtle coffee roast, dark chocolate; earthy to woody scents
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine spicy rye character to a fair roasty to bitter side with subtle sweetness from the dark chocolate; finishes mostly with the spiciness of the rye and the dark chocolate showing more of it's bitter side
Texture: medium bodied, this is most definitely a sipper!; clean smoothness but somewhat light as the rye shows some dryness to nip the tongue as I expected it to.
Overall: a Russian impy stout with all the aspects of the rye in it! Boom! Absolutely love this beer.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black in the glass with a finger's worth of khaki foamy head which trailed off at a nice pace to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet to spicy to floral portions of the rye (this is a good thing); dark roasted malts, subtle coffee roast, dark chocolate; earthy to woody scents
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a fine spicy rye character to a fair roasty to bitter side with subtle sweetness from the dark chocolate; finishes mostly with the spiciness of the rye and the dark chocolate showing more of it's bitter side
Texture: medium bodied, this is most definitely a sipper!; clean smoothness but somewhat light as the rye shows some dryness to nip the tongue as I expected it to.
Overall: a Russian impy stout with all the aspects of the rye in it! Boom! Absolutely love this beer.
Tried
from Can
on 05 Mar 2026
at 02:46
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can (12/2/22) pour from The Beer Store, Salem. An opaque dark brown with thin cap of beige head fading to ring. Aroma is strong roasted malt, chocolate, rye, hint of cinnamon. Taste is strong roasted malt, toffee, ashy on the back half. Smooth, frothy texture, average-to-lively carbonation and crisp, dry finish with lingering bitterness. Not getting bourbon or barrel. A lot of tiny flaws.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Oct 2023
at 02:01
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head with good retention recedes leaving spidery sheets. Vanilla, bourbon and rye aromas. Thick with hot pumpernickel toast, chocolate, bourbon and rye front to back. Slick, chocolate espresso finish. Turns to blackened toast and charred coffee grounds as it warms.
Tried
on 29 Apr 2023
at 23:00
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 9
Can at home watching Bruins make nhl history. Dark black pour. Nose is Bourbons and ash. Tastes of spicy rye, bourbon, chocolate, campfire ash, pumpernickel. Chewy and slick.
Tried
from Can
on 10 Apr 2023
at 02:52
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours a dark near-black brown from a can, light colored head. Coffee and faint cola in the nose, no bourbony notes. Flavor starts off rather sweet, malty, ends with long bitterness, perhaps some faint rye. Pretty good beer.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Jan 2022
at 18:55
7.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Cask (gravity) @ #RHBCF2018 🧙🍻🇬🇧 [ The 11th Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival (The 43th. Nottingham CAMRA Beer and Cider Festival) ], The Motorpoint Arena, Bolero Square, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England NG1 1LA.
[ As Rising Tide Nikita ].
ABV: 9.8%. Cloudy dark black colour with a small to average, creamy - frothy and open, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, dark malt, wood, licorice, alcohol - bourbon - barrel. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, licorice, dark malt, sweet malt, chocolate, roasted, barrel - bourbon. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is warming and light alcoholic. [20181017]
8-3-8-4-15
Tried
from Cask
on 22 Oct 2018
at 11:33
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Cask @ Nottingham Beer Festival. Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste are coconut, bourbon, fruits, roast malt, chocolate, hops and has a sweet bourbon finish.
Tried
from Cask
on 19 Oct 2018
at 12:25
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Cask @ Nottingham Beer and Cider Festival. Black with a light brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, chocolate and heavy bourbon. Flavor is very sweet and rather bitter. Sweet and rather bitter finish with lots of warming alcohol. Oily. 191018
Tried
from Cask
on 19 Oct 2018
at 12:23
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Tried st the Nottingham beer festival 2018. Black colour with an off white head. Aroma has bourbon, chocolate and treacle. Taste light sweet tomid bitter. Full body.
Tried
on 18 Oct 2018
at 20:42