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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8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
17/10/2018. Cask at the Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival 2018, Nottingham. Pours almost black with a small bubbly beige head. Aroma of chocolate, whiskey, malt, wood and light coffee. Medium plus sweetness and moderate roasted bitterness. Full bodied, slick texture, soft carbonation. Very nice.
Tried
from Cask
on 17 Oct 2018
at 16:01
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
375mL cork and cage bottled Feb 2017, drunk 6/16/18.
Opaque ebony with a medium-sized, tan head that sits at very light cover.
Very vinous, wow! Earth, licorice, ash and deep subtle char are there as well. Very English, nice! Zero sweet characteristics notable in the nose, not even any caramel to speak of. Hop it's not too dry and thin/under-malted...No alcohol or flaw. Dark fruits linger on nicely.
First sip and...it's not too dry! Very bitter, roasted barley-heavy with long, dry, toffee notes and just the right amount of sweetness (not a lot). Vanilla and vinous notes mix with earth, pepper and licorice. Caramel mixes with lightly sweet raisin, fig and prune. Soft, malty texture with great attenuation and tight carbonation. Just amazing stuff. No alcohol, no flaw, no surplus of sugar and no adjunct. So refreshing to see an English RIS and a great one, at that. --- Beer merged from original tick of Rising Tide Nikita on 02 Feb 2024 at 00:46 - Score: Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9. Original review text: Canned 11/10/23, drunk 2/1/24. Clear, dark mahogany. Medium-sized, tan head, moderate retention. Chocolate, nutty, lightly floral rye with caramel, cracker, cacao and no booze. Soft, chocolatey, not too roasty, not too floral, not too nutty. Just a nice balance of sweet malt and good dryness on the finish without any weird yeast, booze or such. Seems really well-aged, moreso than you usually get from a non-BA Imperial Stout. Clean, no booze. Shockingly drinkable.
Opaque ebony with a medium-sized, tan head that sits at very light cover.
Very vinous, wow! Earth, licorice, ash and deep subtle char are there as well. Very English, nice! Zero sweet characteristics notable in the nose, not even any caramel to speak of. Hop it's not too dry and thin/under-malted...No alcohol or flaw. Dark fruits linger on nicely.
First sip and...it's not too dry! Very bitter, roasted barley-heavy with long, dry, toffee notes and just the right amount of sweetness (not a lot). Vanilla and vinous notes mix with earth, pepper and licorice. Caramel mixes with lightly sweet raisin, fig and prune. Soft, malty texture with great attenuation and tight carbonation. Just amazing stuff. No alcohol, no flaw, no surplus of sugar and no adjunct. So refreshing to see an English RIS and a great one, at that. --- Beer merged from original tick of Rising Tide Nikita on 02 Feb 2024 at 00:46 - Score: Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9. Original review text: Canned 11/10/23, drunk 2/1/24. Clear, dark mahogany. Medium-sized, tan head, moderate retention. Chocolate, nutty, lightly floral rye with caramel, cracker, cacao and no booze. Soft, chocolatey, not too roasty, not too floral, not too nutty. Just a nice balance of sweet malt and good dryness on the finish without any weird yeast, booze or such. Seems really well-aged, moreso than you usually get from a non-BA Imperial Stout. Clean, no booze. Shockingly drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Aug 2018
at 21:46
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle - Woody and cocoa notes with a touch of spice. Jet brown with a small brown head. Dark cocoa and woody notes. Bitter and a touch of spice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jan 2018
at 01:32
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
375ml bottle at Matt's. Released Sep-2017. Pours a very dark brown with a dark beige head. Aroma is roasted malt with berries. Taste is low to moderate sweet with high roasted bitterness. Too roasty with small barrel aging process presence. Ok.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jan 2018
at 21:26
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Dark brown. Thin head. On the nose, There's a bit of acidic stuff on the nose, light toffee, some burnt toasted notes. Touch of bourbon. Bit thin. Sort of molasses, Just ok - no high notes to get excited about, and marginal on the malts.
Tried
on 11 Jan 2018
at 21:24
5.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
375mL bottle, pours black with a medium brown head. Nose is very phenolic, with earthy roasted malt, sludgy cocoa, charcoal, and a hint of bourbon. Flavour is a little better, with sludgy, charcoaly cocoa, earthy notes, and a hint of bourbon. Earthy, sludgy and quite messy. Palate is very sludgy. Certainly not bad, but it's not a good beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jan 2018
at 21:21
8/10
Tried
on 12 Nov 2016
at 12:49