8 Wired iStout
Beware, this is a BIG beer. Brimming with luscious roasted coffee and chocolate malt flavours which are balanced by a brisk bitterness and bold freshness from the hops.
If you’re feeling politically incorrect try it with your favourite cigar, or a dram of your best single malt whisky. Or, if your tooth is sweeter, why not jump in at the deep end with the most decadent dessert of all; half a bottle in a glass with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top (beer geeks like us know it as the Imperial Stout Float). Or simply enjoy it on its own as a decadent dessert or night cap - the perfect winter warmer!
If you don’t already know the history of Russian Imperial Stouts please check it out on the internet, it’s a good story. But remember, although based on that century-old classic style, this beer is a very modern interpretation, like all our beers!
If you’re feeling politically incorrect try it with your favourite cigar, or a dram of your best single malt whisky. Or, if your tooth is sweeter, why not jump in at the deep end with the most decadent dessert of all; half a bottle in a glass with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top (beer geeks like us know it as the Imperial Stout Float). Or simply enjoy it on its own as a decadent dessert or night cap - the perfect winter warmer!
If you don’t already know the history of Russian Imperial Stouts please check it out on the internet, it’s a good story. But remember, although based on that century-old classic style, this beer is a very modern interpretation, like all our beers!
4
741 reviews
Warkworth, New Zealand
Community reviews
Can (29-Jul-20) Big roast malt herbal aroma. Jet black colour, good brown head and suds lacing. Sweet dark choc roast malt flavour. Bitter dark chocolate herbal finish and roast choc aftertaste.
330ml bottle from Beers of Europe (£4.69):
Opaque black with a thin, foamy beige head that ends up as a fine lacing around the circumference & little else. There a lot of chocolate to open the nose with dark malts & a little alcohol showing; it's quite rich though with a little sugary sweetness further on but nothing dominates & it's surprisingly light for the style, although the dark chocolate is strongest. The taste is stronger with more dark chocolate, rich malts & earthy flavours with a coffee backing. It's a semi-sweet beer with some vanilla sneaking in along with the odd touch of alcohol grain but it was rich, full-bodied & very smooth with soft carbonation & it was very easy to drink throughout.
Bottle. Thick and chocolatey beer with a pronounced berry character, subtle vanilla and pumpernikel, light ashy finish. Excellent.
Oh boy. I don't have the right vocabulary to describe this. One word springs to mind: complex. The nose is complex. The taste is complex. Even the pour is complex! Or at least complicated.
Most non-nitro stouts pour a little flat and need a bit of encouragement to get a head in the glass, this explodes out the gate. Looks slightly viscous too.
So much going on in here. Full bodied, creamy mouth feel, more than a hint of banana, a little vanilla, chocolate... This is awesome.
Going to need a few more to appreciate properly. 330 mL bottle, part of a dark 12 pack with the flat white and the smoky Porter.
Edit: poured the next bottle chilled from the fridge as an experiment, totally different experience. Tastes ordinary when cold, you need to serve this around 10-15 C.
Edit 2: Poured from a 440 mL can from New World. Totally different experience! No head at all, flat as a pancake.
Very thick, very rich, very dark chocolatey sweet stout. Black as night. Oily thick. Picked up a can at Beertopia in 2020.
Pint can. Rich roasted malt aroma with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, licorice and a little bit of coffee. Pours deep brown with half a finger of mocha brown head that has excellent retention and some lacing. Starts with rich roasted malt, dark chocolate and molasses flavors as well as having a rich, full body and slick, viscous mouthfeel. Finishes smooth and a touch dry with licorice and a touch of coffee flavors. Delicious stout.
Bottle
Aroma-chocolate, coffee, caramel
Appearance-brown, hazy, brown head
Palate- full body, creamy, average carbonation, long finish
Overall-very good
From a can. Pours black with a thick tan head. Aromas of coffee and chocolate. Flavors are bittersweet chocolate and bitter roast coffee.
Very solid beer. Firm, tight from the hops, the Bordeaux left bank of stouts. Dark chocolate in the palate but mostly an unyielding structure. Will definitely repay some cellaring.
Dark brown colour, almost black, small brown head, fair lacing. Aroma is dark chocolate, coffee, some cherry. Slightly boozy. Medium bitterness. Decent.
Robe noire opaque. Mousse brune très faible, sans persistance. Arômes réglisse café fumé cacao fruits noirs résineux terreux. Goût sucré, amertume marquée. Sensation chaude en bouche. Texture sirupeuse. Carbonatation très fine peu abondante.
Pour le degré d'alcool, je trouve que ça manque un peu de profondeur. Classique, bien équilibré au demeurant.
330 ml bottle from Beer Hawk, bb wiped off, should be within the date anyway.
Black, unreal mass of fast sinking floaters (wtf?), beige head.
Nose - marzipan, prunes, hint of smoke.
Taste - bittersweet, prunes, roasts, ash.
Oko: całkowicie czarny z brązową pianą.
Nos: marcepan, czekolada z owocami i to nie koniecznie jakimiś śliwkami, czy suszonymi, ale trudno mi określić jakie to są. Niemniej jest trochę jednowymiarowo.
Usta: umiarkowana słodycz i fajne ciało. Co ciekawe w ustach paloność mniej zaznaczona, niż w nosie, jedynie lekka w posmaku. Bardzo ciemna czekolada, ale nie czyste kakao.
Bardzo dobry Ris. Kolor czarny, nieprzejrzysty. Piana drobna, brązowa, szybko znika. W aromacie słodka kawa, wanilia, marcepan, wiśnie wraz z pestkami. W smaku podobnie. Na pierwszym planie kawa, potem wanilia z marcepanem. Aftertaste przyjemny pestkowo-kawowy, podobnie jak goryczka. Alkoholu nie czuć. Polecam.
Big aroma of licorice, chocolate, some coffee, and alcohol. Taste is lots of bitter coffee and oats. Good roast character and milky mouthfeel. Lacks complexity of the best impy stouts, but nice at the elements it does capture.
Czarne z brunatnymi refleksami, rączej klarowne, piana niska po czasie się redukuje.
Aromat czekoladowy, kakaowy, lekka paloność i kawa. W smaku fajna, przyjemna słodycz, czekolada, kawa, pierniki, leciutka paloność do tego kawa. Goryczka średnio niska, alkohol w bardzo niskim stężeniu zarówno w smaku jak i w aromacie. Fajny, przyjemny imperialny stout.
Appearance: tarry black, beer is completely opaque. Slight, fine bubble foam. Aroma: very coffee, pleasant, next chocolate, roasted malts. A lot of chocolate flavor, slightly sweet at first, slightly roasted, then broken with medium coffee and hops
Bottle from Mikkeller Beer Mail. Pitch black with a huge head. Aroma is chocolate, roasted coffee, sweet caramel malts fruity hoppiness. Taste is balanced between strong coffee, chocolate, bitter hops, fruitiness, malty sweetness. Soft carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. Very nice!
Wygląd: barwa smoliście czarna, piwo jest zupełnie nieprzejrzyste. Piana nikła, drobno-pęcherzykowa. Aromat: mocno kawowy, przyjemny, dalej czekolada, palone słody. W smaku dużo czekolady, początkowo leciutko słodkawe, troszkę palone, następnie przełamane średnią kawowo-chmielową goryczką. Piwo jest naprawdę minimalnie, kwaskowate. Wysycenie niskie, piwo jest pełne, gładkie, o niewyczuwalnym alkoholu. Naprawdę nie mam nic do zarzucenia, klasyczny RIS z odpowiednimi proporcjami pomiędzy goryczką a słodyczą. W ciemno powiedziałbym, że jest tutaj dodatek kawy!
16/20 huge coffee and chocolate, big taste, big alcohol kick, long aftertaste, bitter finish. very drinkable, perfectly balanced
33cl bottle at home, bought at Slijterij Groningen, Vismarkt. Appearance: pitchblack with a minimal beige head. Aroma: smoky, hamka’s chips, slightly cheesy, roasted malts, some coffee. Taste: pretty high sweetness and high bitterness. Notes of roasted and smoked malts, coffee, some cacao. Palate: rather full bodied, oily yet slightly sticky texture and soft carbonation. Overall: classic style imperial stout. Smoke is well balanced. Nice and roasty.
Jet black color with thick tanned head. Aroma has chocolate, vanilla, dark malt and coffee. Taste is malty sweet with long sweet and bitter aftertaste. Flavors of vanilla, coffee, dark malt, dark chocolate and milky notes. Excellent mouth feeling.
Biere noire très épaisse, très fin col de mousse, nez café et fruits vieillis dans de l'alcool. En bouche attaque torréfiée puis réglisse du zan de notre jeunesse... Superbe du 8wired dans toute sa splendeur sachant que ma bouteille fut produite en 2013 et avec une dluo à 2017. En résumé sublime et qui se bonifie dans le temps !!!
Sort med beige skum. Aroma kaffe malt lakris. Smak lakris kaffe sjokolade røsted malt karamell. Kraftig smaksrik. Flaske kjøpt på Vinmonopolet Jekta
Pours with a black body and a sparse brown head. Aroma of licorice, tar and dark brown bread crust. Balanced, minerally body. Moderate carbonation.
0,33l bottle. Pours black with tan head. Aroma is lots of roast, coffee, vanilla, chocolate. The roast is huge in this one. Taste is sweet, roast, coffee, some chocolate (not dark), vanilla, burnt bread. Not a huge variety of notes, but the few that are here are strongly present. A very "basic" imperial stout, if you will. Very enjoyable.
Piwo jest prawie czarne. nalewa się z ciemno brązową, drobna pianą. Nie jest bardzo obfita i redukuje się do obrączki w szkle.
W aromacie intensywne nuty czekoladowe, praliny, lekki alkohol.
Jest tez wyraźnie palony. Całość pachnie intensywnie, likierowo, mocno. Zapowiada gęste, aromatyczne piwo.
W smaku palone, wyraźne nuty wędzone. czekolada wytrawna, na drugim planie. Dość wysoka kwaskowość, ale tutaj nie przeszkadza. Alkohol zamaskowany, praktycznie nie czuć w smaku. Lekkie grzanie w przełyku.
Całość dość wytrawna, palona, lekko drewniana.
Bardzo dobry RIS.
Tasted like a cigar in my mouth.
Soy sauce, salty nose...very smooth for the ABV
Super dark chocolate in colour, no translucency at all. Slightly sticky but very velvety. A little coffee, a little wine and a hint of smoke. Extremely deceptive for a 10% ABV. It's so smooth!