Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Review: Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout
11.0% ABV
The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA
22 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Bottled on 3/14/13
Reviewed on 5/31/13

Appearance: Pours a thick dark brown color with a toasty beige head that has decent retention.  Great lacing.

Smell: Strong coffee and chocolate, malt, hops, dark fruit, spice, licorice, caramel.

Taste: Strong coffee and chocolate flavors with fairly strong bitterness right at the front.  Malt, spices, licorice, and caramel follow with hints of dark fruit. 

Mouthfeel: Quite bitter and dry on the palate.  Fairly thick with some texture.

Overall: Strong tasting imperial stout that's dominated by coffee and chocolate flavors.  Malt, hops, spice, licorice, and caramel provide some milder flavors that give good accents.  Quite bitter and dry.  Overall, probably a shade off of the regular Stone IRS as its increased bitterness makes it a bit harsher to drink, but this is still quite nice.

My score: 95

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