Beer Flash: Stone's "Chai-Spiced" Imperial Russian Stout

Finally got a chance to try this beer after it sat a year in my cellar. It's Stone's 2015 off-year version of the Imperial Russian Stout. Every year, Stone releases two versions - the "Classic" version, which is a straightforward Russian Imperial Stout, and an off-year version, which is some variant on the classical using unconventional ingredients.

Today's beer is last year's off-year variant. It's a 10.60% ABV Russian Imperial Stout made with black tea leaves and other spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. Tea is not a common ingredient in beer; I think I've only seen three or four beers that feature it. I'm excited to try this one since I love this series so much  (looks like I have reviewed this beer twice on the blog - once back in 2013 where I reviewed that year's off-year release, an espresso variant; and once last summer where I reviewed the original version.)

As you can see, it's black in the glass with a light-tan colored head. It's got the usual milkiness that you'd expect from a stout like this, with a strong and peculiar flavor of tea. I was at first expecting this to be more on the pumpkin spice end, but it's more like what would happen if you put one of those Bigelow "Constant Comment" tea bags into a dark beer. Sounds gross, but it's rather tasty. Complementing those flavors are nice notes of chicory, nutmeg, and cloves. As it warmed up, those flavors became even more present. What a nice glass of beer this was! Unfortunately you can't find this anymore, unless someone (like me) has a stash somewhere. But it's definitely worth a try if you can find it.