8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 ounce can into snifter, canned in 2017. Pours fairly murky/cloudy nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crusts; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, wood, grass, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crusts; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, wood, grass, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crusts, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, wood, grass, herbal, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 9.2% after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Russian imperial stout! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/charred/drying finish. Awesomely rich and well rounded malt complexity; with solid earthy hop presence/balance, and restrained yeast fruitiness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive spot on style example. Likely very mellowed out on hops from age, not overly bitter/charred at all.
Tried
from Can
on 25 Aug 2012
at 20:14
3.5/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 4
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 3
Well I think the style is mixed up on this, I know it says pilsner on the label but from the start it has many of the attributes of an IPA, wew. Big pungent hop and cleaning fluid volatile aroma and the first taste is ruder than many IPA I’ve had. Yep, they must have put lots of hops in this stuff and I don’t think they are noble hops fer sure. Alky has got to be quite high on this. Long bitter piercing plastic finish. If you like big strong ipa beers, forget my numbers; I can care less for beers that are big bitter IPA.
Tried
from Can
on 23 Jul 2012
at 14:20
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Sample at Red Brick as part of Ohio Brew Week. Pours a very dark mahogany color with a medium light beige head that dissipates steadily. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of dark malts, caramel and fruit. Medium body with a caramel malt character and notes of floral hops and dark fruit. The finish is sweet with a malty aftertaste. Decent overall.
Tried
on 05 Jul 2012
at 13:37
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Sample at Red Brick as part of Ohio Brew Week. The beer is a brownish-black color with a medium tan head that diminishes steadily. Stringy lacing on the glass. Aroma of toasted malt and hops. Medium body with flavors of roasted malt, grassy hops and a bit of caramel. The finish is moderately bitter with a hoppy aftertaste. Decent overall.
Tried
on 05 Jul 2012
at 13:30
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Sample at Red Brick as part of Ohio Brew Week. The beer is a slightly hazy orange-gold color with a medium off-white head that recedes steadily. Short strings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of hops and sweet malt. Medium body with a grassy hops character and notes of malt and herbs. The finish is mildly bitter with a short hops aftertaste. Pretty average overall.
Tried
on 05 Jul 2012
at 13:08
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Sample at Red Brick as part of Ohio Brew Week. The beer pours nearly black with a medium beige head that diminishes steadily to an outer ring. Rings of lacing on the glass. Raspberries in the nose along with some coffee. Medium body with flavors of espresso, raspberries and a bit of malt. The finish is roasty and fruity with a berry aftertaste. Decent overall.
Tried
on 03 Jul 2012
at 08:57
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from bittermestupid - thanks Greg. Pours black with a fizzy dark tan head. Aroma of lactosity over chocolate and smooth burnt malt. Med body -almost. It’s milk stout with attitude. Sort of milk chocolate. Very flavorful. Finishes lightly sweet.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Jun 2012
at 16:36
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draft. Large, foamy head that seems odd for an imperial stout. First sip told me this is a milk stout--creamy, sweet. Lacks the bold complexity of imperial stouts. It is a little watery, but it as a very enjoyable beer.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 May 2012
at 06:54
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Sample at the Big Tap In on 04/21/2012. This beer pours a clear yellow-gold color with a medium fizzy white head that evaporates quickly to an outer ring. Aroma of mild hops and malt. Light to medium body with flavors of slightly spiced hops, grainy malt and a touch of fruit. The finish is soapy and mildly bitter with a short hoppy aftertaste. Decent overall.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Apr 2012
at 15:25
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Sample at the Big Tap In on 04/21/2012. Beer brewed specifically for the event. This beer pours a murky dark amber color with a thin off-white head that dissipates quickly. Spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of malt, bourbon and butterscotch. Medium body with a buttery character and notes of sweet malt and bourbon. The finish is slightly boozy with a butterscotch aftertaste. Pretty average overall.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Apr 2012
at 12:47