Courage Russian Imperial Stout (- 2003)

Courage Russian Imperial Stout (- 2003)

Note: This beer is retired and new bottles should not be rated here but instead under the Wells and Young or Thornbridge entry.

Bottle conditioned. Appeared in the cask at GBBF in 2003 after being brewed in a secret location in Scotland. Last known brewery for the bottled product is John Smith’s Tadcaster brewery.

Ingredients: Pale, Amber, Black and Pilsner malts; 16% sugar; caramel; Target hops - 25lb per barrel.
3.8
272 reviews
Tadcaster, England

Community reviews

3.4 Bottle split at Scopey 10K, thanks to Daniel, 1977 vintage, 26/11/15. Light black with a decent tan covering, appearance has held up well. Nose is soy sauce, chocolate fondue, caramel, light cheese, musty dark fruit rinds. Taste comprises light cocoa powder, spice, umami, touch of soy, dark fruits, earthy, malt, fruit cake. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, drying close with a touch of alcohol. Decent for age.
4.0 Bottle at craig’s, 1976 version. Pours black, nose is chocolate, soy sauce, wood, taste is sweet, chocolate, toffee, light smoke, soy.
3.9 Aroma adocicado. Coloração escura com espuma amarronzada persistente. Dulçor predominante no início com leve tom cítrico e baixa carbonatação. Seguido por tabaco e leve nota de chocolate. Intenso gosto alcoólico final com retrogosto de café torrado.
3.0 Pours dark brown with tan head. Aroma is sweet, like prunes yes, musty. Taste is well balanced and yes more prunes. Sweet with a bitter kick then the alcohol really hits the back of the throat. Chocolate and prune aftertaste
4.5 The archetypical imperial stout and in that sense one of those beers I can only show a deep respect for. Even the label looks as if it comes straight from the 19th century and breathes the kind of nobility worthy of the Russian czars. Only tasted as old beer, at 21 years of age in the Kulminator (1983 vintage) and recently at 31 years of age (same vintage), thanks to former Hopduvel pioneer Toon Denooze who was generous enough to share one of his last private bottles with me (in fact Kulminator originally bought their stock from him). It still showed a thin beige head after 21 years, but the 31 year old version had no head at all anymore - which is perfectly natural for a beer that old, of course. Colour is ink black, with a brownish hue only visible under bright light and only at the edges. Dense, very strong and noble aroma, molasses, bitter chocolate, coffee, dried banana, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, walnuts... Very thick and oily mouthfeel, very vinous, with a very intense and condensated taste profile, thick roasted bitterness, molasses, chocolate, caramel, and the typical soy sauce saltiness one finds in very old, heavy, dark beers; finish of roasted bitterness, very dense and fat, lasting for a long time and supported by brandy-like alcohol. Very intense beer, still kicking ass at its Methusalem age. It is not hard to see how this has inspired so many others. I need to get me a bottle of that new version... But if you are into old beers and are still able to find this, do not hesitate.
3.7 27.5 cl bottle, Calgary, AB, Canada. Deep brown, dark beige head. Licorice and molasses aroma. Smooth, sweet, slightly bitter, chocolate, prune and alcohol finish. Quite nice.
3.7 1985 bottle kindly shared by Puzzl. Black with a touch of orange, flat. Lots of umami and soy in the nose, very oxidized, tobacco, wood, citrus and a touch of acetic acid. Sour, slightly acetic flavor, chocolate, soy sauce, apples. Silky, slight, and flat body. Fascinating. Rather sour and oxidized, as is to be expected, but still very good.
3.8 1993 vintage. Beautiful bottle and label. Pours completely flat, looks like a black glass of wine. Probably matured a touch past its best to be honest. Malty marmite aroma, Lakshmi thought the same, a bit odd. Very rounded flavour, bitterness mellowed out. Treacle, malt loaf, hint of booze. On its own I’d have given this bottle low 3s probably, although previous bottles drunk younger pre-Ratebeer were more on the impressive side. Always difficult now tasting the old legend beers with so many of similar styles available, but not sure this holds up as well as some others.
4.4 The stout that started it al. Start your stout journey here then voyage into the crazy current stout milieu. This one noses perfect, IMO. Great appearance, that blackish brown color with only the thinnest trace if light milk chocolate colored laces. Mouthfeel like...creamy foam but not chinky. The aftertaste won't quit, which balances the brew. So nice.
1.5 Nasty. Smells like rotting prunes. Tastes like fruit with high amount of hops.
4.0 Pours black with a dark tan head. Aroma of dark roasted malts, toffee, hints of chocolate, etc. Tastes of roasted malts, espresso, dark chocolates, burnt toffee and caramel with some fruit notes at the end. A wonderfully complex beer!
4.3 Black with a dark brown head. Coffee, chocolate and malt aroma. Dark sweet chocolate, licorice, espresso and dried dark fruit flavors. Finish is long beginning sweet and ending with a nice sharp bitterness. Wonderfully complex.
4.4 1992 Bottle. Dark with a thin brown head. Intense aroma of sweet, roasted malt, licorice, port, raisin and spices. Very intense. Roasted malt taste, ripe fruit ,raisins,, some chocolate, very pleasant sherry like oxidization. Great.
3.8 Aroma: Roasted malt aromas Taste: Roasted malt flavors, and some coffee finish, warm alcohol present at end aswell Appearanc: Thick dark body with a head that disappears fairly fast.
4.0 10oz bottle at George street. Black with brown head. Smells like chocolate chips. Very rich brownie and dark chocolate taste. Can taste the booze. Good tho
3.0 Bottle. What’s all the hubbub about?? Colour...nearly black but not much head. Nose...lightly roasty with some chocolate and hops. Palate...similar to the nose but some texture to the whole deal . There’s some thickness and slightly viscous feel with some dryness, but overall this seems ok and not much else.
3.6 Smooth stout. Nice coffee and chocolate notes. Surprised Heineken is the brewer of a quality brew!
4.3 Super aromatic with lots of chocolate and coffee aftertones.also pours with a nice thick caramel colour.
3.6 Pours dark brown almost black with little to no head. Smells of roasted malts and alcohol. Tastes of roasted malts, alcohol, coffee, and cocoa. Thick body with low carbonation and a nice malty finish.
4.2 Bottle from footbalm from 1975, dark cola pour with a bit of red hue, super thin white head. Aroma of cherry, wood, tobacco and some brown sugar. Taste is very drying of the mouth like red wine, has lots of wood flavor and some chocolate, a bit of cardboard but exceeded expectations by a lot.
4.2 bottle into glass at club w, boys night, pitch black thick pour brown head, pleasant smooth creamy aroma, taste is great, bitter coffe finish, its all over, love it
3.9 Sampled two different vintages, 1975 and 1976, both bottles thanks to Doug. Signs of oxidation, raisin, chocolate, vinous, toffee. Very good imperial stout, the bottles held up very well.
4.0 1975 bottle thanks to hopdog , acquired in a trade almost six years ago! 1976 bottle thanks to Kirk in a much newer trade. Both pour out a deep black hue with a medium tan head. Some light sludge coat the sides and bottom of both nip bottles. The aroma of the 1975 was more smoky whilst the 1976 was more chocolate and roast. Both had large oxidized notes. The overall flavor was roasted malts, metallic notes, chocolates, some bitter hops and roast, big oxidation and mellowness. Maybe a hint of sour plum forcing its way in, but very small. Overall, an excellent brew. I’d love to try a fresh one from the original brewery (time machine anyone!). Had the new Wells and Young version next to it. Some similarity, but really an impossible comparison. Excellent.
3.8 1975 and 1976 bottle shared by Doug at the vintage tasting, thanks man Appearance: Dark brown with small tan head, no lacing Aroma is roasted malts, woody and leather Taste is dark malts, soy sauce, woody and toffee Nice, the ’75 seemed to hold up better of the two.
3.9 1975 bottle (thanks Douglass88). Dark brown, tan head. Aroma is nutty, some toffee. biscuit, raisins, leather. Flavor is similar, also some soy notes, a little oxidative note also.
3.4 Lovely aroma of cherry, prune, maple syrup, and wood. Color of turbid swamp water with thin, sepia off white head. Taste of leather, dark fruit, and pine; moderately acidic. Finish is very dry. A good beer.
4.9 1983 Vintage. 30-letnie piwo poraz pierwszy piłem aż tak stare. Po tylu latach jaest nadal wspaniałe, a nawet lepsze. Bo tylko zyskało na głębi czerni czekoladowego i portowego aromatu. Piwo pachnie tak intensywnie że aż miło. Delikatnie sączyłem przez ponad 40 minut i nadal pachniało jak na początku. Sporo mazi na dnie butelki której prawie nie można wymieszć. Ale mimo to piwo jest zdecydowane w smaku. Kawowo-czekoladowe, piernikowe i nuty porto wyczuwałem najbardziej. Finisz rozgrzewający i trochę alkoholowy. Trochę nut chmielowych, aromatycznych. Piana średnia lecz opada, ale jest pięknie brązowo-żółta. Wspaniała uczta u mnie w domu, tak jak na carskich dworach. To piwo to sama klasa. Polecam zdobyć na aukcjach jakikolwiek rocznik bo warto.
2.0 Quite harsh. Bitter but this is what it should be I guess. Fruitiness. ..orchard..coffee. chocolste. Strong hoppy on the palate.
3.9 Aromas of ground cinnamon, ginger, burnt sugar and espresso. Deep blackish brown with almost no foam. Interestingly balanced flavors of cocoa beans, smokey coffee, maple and some dark fruits (perhaps blackberry). I actually don’t detect the pear they claim to be present. Overall, this is extremely well balanced with complex flavors. The alcohol is extremely well masked. I’d give this an A+ rating.
3.8 1983 Vintage, yes 30 years old! Poured dark brown nearly black opaque pour with a tiny whisp of brown head that’s impressive it still maintained after this long. Aroma is very strong big rich roasty syruppy notes first some strong brown sugars and molasses, along with a tiny hint of soy sauce. HUGE mouthfeel almost a chewable beer now. Thick rich and lightly creamy. Flavor is probably past it’s prime as I get some broken down sugar notes that make me think a bit of soy sauce again and they are a touch off putting, but in the minority of my taste buds yet keeps reminding me of something not right. Beyond that is some mild roast malts and lots of brown sugar and a hint of molasses with a tiny touch of char in the swallow. Still a decent beer, but clearly on the downswing at this age. Really just impressed that a 30yr old IS has held up this well. The cap was nearly rusted through at this point.