Stone Brewing Co. - "Imperial Russian Stout" stout (2013 vintage)

Hi all - sorry I have been a bit quiet this week. Work has really taken off and I haven't had much time to blog. I recently brought this bottle up from the cellar and wanted to do a proper review - it's a 2013-vintage beer brewed in a historical style of a  Imperial Russian Stout.

Like the Old Guardian, Stone releases two versions of the Imperial Russian Stout every year - a regular, traditional version, and an experimental release. This year's experimental release was a Chai Stout, which I had the misfortune of not trying when it was released. I did end up reviewing the 2013 experimental release, the Espresso Imperial Russian Stout, back in 2013. This beer in particular has been cellaring for 2 years, and starting at 10.6% ABV, this is probably closer to 13% now. Buckle up.

I may have mentioned this in a post a long time ago, but a Russian Imperial Stout is a generic name for a type of beer first brewed in the 1800s to impress the Russian Tsars. It's basically a high-gravity, high-alcohol beer made with roasted hops, barley or malts, sometimes called the "Russian style" of brewing. The Russian style of brewing has nothing to do with Putin, dashcam footage, or bears. 

It pours super dark - clearly a high gravity beer, very heavy and sluggish.

Since it was in the fridge for quite a long time, I let it sit out for longer than I usual. I like to let really dark, heavy beers warm up more so the flavors can open up.Wow, even right out of the fridge, it's got potent alcohol / boozy sugar aroma from a foot away.

Initially, the taste is sweet and dark with a slight sugar notes, which gives way to some dark oily flavors - like an espresso, in a way. Notes of cinnamon and anise. Moderate alcohol level with some roasted malt and date tastes on the way out. There's a strong aftertaste of heavy malts and roasted coffee beans. The total feel of the beer is heavy, strong, with nice mixture of flavors, all polished nicely by two years in the cellar. The alcohol is present, but not overly acerbic.

While session beers have their place, sometimes I enjoy a freight train of a beer every now and again. The  Imperial Russian Stout delivers, for sure, and I damn well wish I bought a case of this and had them age. I can't wait to see what it will be like in a few years; I think I have one or two more in the cellar waiting to be enjoyed. And in fact, just today I found another 2013 vintage lurking in the back shelf of Irving Wines and Spirits. Totally grabbed that!