Arizona Wilderness American Presidential Stout
Russian Imperial Stout made with smoked jalapeños from McClendon Select and smoked over Arizona mesquite wood, all aged on cocoa nibs (Papa New Guinea and Belize).
Well, well. What sits in front of you, this thick, monstrous, viscous … this is the Russian Imperial Stout. This is the crème de la crème of the beer world. The empress of Russia couldn’t get enough of it. This being the US of freaking A makes this the free world’s style, thus, the American Presidential nomenclature. Catherine the Great would have sat in the Hermitage and asked why jalapeños smoked over Arizona mesquite were used. We say this to CTG: This is ’Merica and this is Wilderness. This is OUR stout. Enjoy — we poured our hearts and souls into this one!
Well, well. What sits in front of you, this thick, monstrous, viscous … this is the Russian Imperial Stout. This is the crème de la crème of the beer world. The empress of Russia couldn’t get enough of it. This being the US of freaking A makes this the free world’s style, thus, the American Presidential nomenclature. Catherine the Great would have sat in the Hermitage and asked why jalapeños smoked over Arizona mesquite were used. We say this to CTG: This is ’Merica and this is Wilderness. This is OUR stout. Enjoy — we poured our hearts and souls into this one!
4
165 reviews
Gilbert, United States
Community reviews
TCBW18. Vegetable and roasted atmosphär. Pepper spicy. Alright. Cacao, chocolate
Dark brown colour with beige head on top. Aroma has roasted malts, spicy pepper, dark chocolate. Taste has a lot of chili pepper burn, roasted malts, espresso coffee, dark chocolate, and some spicy tone. Fullish body and lowish carbonation. Pretty good even though I don't like chili burn that much.
On tap at ratebeer best pours out dark brown almost black topped with a tan head. Nose is dark chocolate some peppers spice and coffee. Tatse is more of the nice dark roast coffee spice peppers and dry notes.
From notes. Enjoyed a pour down in Miami for Wakefest 2018 on February 17. The pour is a nice darker black with a dense cap of off white head and a couple spots of lace as it falls down to a thick and bubbly collar. The aroma is decent. There is a heavy roastiness and a strong bitterness that I’m not entirely digging. A lighter chocolate comes through beyond that and a light bit of pepper seems to come through after that. It’s weird. The flavor is much of the same. The roasty malt and light chocolate comes through with a growing pepper and a light dark fruit that does help here. The darker and bitter chocolate opens up a little and the pepper balances it. The mouth feel is slightly heavier than medium bodied and a little more sharply carbonated with a roasty alcohol and a lingering chocolate and pepper finish. This is something else. 7 4 7 4 15
Draught at CBC Boston, 9/23/17.
Dark mahogany-to-ebony, some decent clarity and dark magenta-like highlights on the edges. Medium-sized, tan head atop shows modest retention.
Sticky fudge and roast in the nose mixes with a light vegetal, smokey character that I assume to be the jalapenos. It is however, quite light and easily folded in to the other notes of the beer, which, despite loving jalapeno, I really appreciate. Char, burnt caramel and light coffee all provide a good variety of characteristics with only light alcohol notes on the finish, at best. Gains more fruitiness and salted caramel characteristics with warming.
Sweet up front, with toffee, raisin, milk chocolate and light fudge softening the palate initially. As it progresses, it dries out considerably, with some salinity and just a touch of peppery heat, bready malts and a hint of vanilla and baker's chocolate. Low, somewhat engaging carbonation and a slick-to-malty texture with good attenuation leaving a medium-full body with low alcohol apparency on the end. Personally I'd like more jalapeno character, but it's completely fine without it. Pretty nice stuff that comes off surprisingly light (relatively speaking).
09-09-17 // taster, draft. At Beavertown Extravaganza 2017, London. Black coloured. Beige head. Aroma of bitter chocolate, Espresso, some sweet malts. Dry finish.
Dark chocolate, cacao, dark, toasted malts, lightly charred, charcoal. Hazy, very dark brown, small, creamy, beige head. Medium bitter. More dark, bitter chocolate, baking cacao, dark, charred, roasted malts, soft carbonation, medium bodied. Punchy Impy, heavy on the roasted malts. Keg at Beavertown Extravaganza 17, Canada Water.
6 oz pour on draft at Snallygaster 2017 shared. Dark brownish black with light tan head. Aromas of chocolate, roast. Tastes of roasty notes, chocolate. Medium body with a dry finish.
Draught at CBC Boston. Big creamy stout with chocolate and a somewhat light body but tasty.
4 oz. draft at Copenhagen Beer Celebration, Boston, 23 September, 17. Aroma shows mild pepper, coffee, roast. The jalapeño comes off in the finish but it's not over done. Just the right amount. Body is medium plus and has a thick for mouth feel. Creamy texture. Nicely done
A little spice and roast. Great balance. Sharp spice like rubbing chile into a wound. Pours dark with good head and lacing. Finishes bitter. Tap at Snally.
Draft @ Beavertown Extravaganza'17.
Boire/brune, col beige crémeux.
Arôme au nez malté, caramel, fin grillé avec effet de piments écrasés qui arrivent plus en rétro et accompagnent un effet de biscuité. Petite note fumée du boise de mesquite.
Palais est bien ne ligne de gros stout américains, retrouve qcq éléments de levure tirant sur un effet de farmhouse surtout niveau levure.
Petite note fumée venant des piments avec un rappel de chipotle. Chaleur reste modérée sur un caractère de malt correct.
Pours a thick, motor oil black on tap with thin ring of tan bubbly head that leaves light lace but the thick blackness slips down the glass. Aroma is huge on the roasted malts, a hint of smoke, and some sweet molasses. Taste follows, sweet and smoky with a nice roasty base and some mild booze. Thick and sweet, nice and tasty.
Draft taster at CBC Boston 2017. Black with a beige head. Cocoa powder, dark roast, mild chili and jalapeño without much heat.
Aroma and aste of roasted coffee, chocolate, cacao, malt, cacao, umami. Thick roast malts body,complex...
(thanks for sharing!) Sampled draft @ The Beavertown Extravaganza 2017. Day 1. Black, little tanned head. Nose is basic roast, roasted coffee, chocolate, cacao, bit too heavy on the roast for me. Basic roasted malt, cacao, coffee grounds, low umami. Thick roast malts body. Nice even if a bit too heavy on the roast for me.
Sampled at Beavertown Extravaganza. Flavour is dark malts, chocolate, leather. Deep chocolate finish. Was ok.
Keg at BE. It pours darkest brown - black with a small bubbly tan head. The aroma is rich roasted malt, charred wood, plum, blueberry, chocolate cake and toasted nut. The taste is smooth, rich roasted malt, charred wood, warming alcohol, decent bitterness, wood, earthy, leather, spice, pepper and alcoholbating with a drying finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Decent Imperial stout more savoury than anything else.
Tap. Darkest brown color with tiny beige head. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, earthy. Taste is earthy, chocolate, coffee. Medium carbonation, quite full-bodied. 7-4-8-4-15
Tap Black color with beige head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, liquorice. Taste is coffee, a bit petrol, thick, liquorice, hot chili catch. Oily mouthfeel with natural carbonation. Very nice! 8-4-8-4-16
Keg at beaverfest. Pours black, nose is chocolate, nutty, biscuity, liquorice, taste is similar, dry, salty.
Bottle, sample, courtesy of jtclockwork. Pours almost black with a short lasting bubbly beige head. Aroma of coffee, roasting, chocolate, malt, mild chilli and liquorice. Moderate sweetness and medium roasted bitterness. Medium body and oily texture with soft carbonation.
Bottle - pours dark brown tan head - nose and taste of smoked peppers, cocoa nib, light mesquite smoked woods and touch of vanilla - medium body. Smooth.
It pours super dark brown with a beige head. The aroma has dark chocolate, minor peppers and heavily roasted malt. It has a full rich body with soft carbonation. The taste has super rich roasted malt, roasted peppers, dark chocolate and some spice. Solid.
On tap@rbb: pours black, opaque, with foamy light brown head. Aroma-flavour: rosted grain, malts, with notes of tosted toffee, hint of coffee, dark chocolate, smoked malts, hint of peat, gentle chilli, cocoa, vanillin. Body is full, texture smooth, carbonation is low.
On tap at Ratebeer Best. Comes black with a small tan head. Aroma of malt, chocolate, and vanilla. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, and some peppers. Very good.
Taster at Ratebeer best. Pours a black color with a bit of head. Rich malt and hop balance. Mild chili.
On tap at Hunah Day. Pours a very dark brown with small tan head that lasts. The aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, peppers, smoke. Thick body, dark chocolate, roast, light heat from peppers in finish, dry bitterness, very good.
Sample at RB Best Fest: Poured a black with a brown color head. Aroma is vanilla, malty, booze. Taste was similar to the smell, very boozy with sticky malts, cocoa and vanilla.
Sample at CBC 2016 Blue Session. Pitch black viscous pour with tan head. Aroma and taste of bourbon, dark chocolate, cocoa, light coffee. Sweetish, creamy taste leading to a roasted finish. Very thin for the ABV. I expected much more.
CBC. Black with a brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, chocolate and bourbon. Flavor is very sweet and rather bitter. Dry and rather rather bitter finish with heavy alcohol. Boozy. 130516
Earlier Rating: 5/14/2014 Total Score: 4.1
CBC. Black with a brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, coffee and spicy. Flavor is very sweet and very bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish with warming alcohol. 020514