Real Ale Commissar

This noble brew evolved from its common cousins, porter and stout, by necessity to endure the long voyage to the Russian royal court. Colossal additions of American hops are used to balance the robust malt character and infuse this ale with their distinctly citrus-like qualities. The Commissar can be consumed now or laid down for further enjoyment. Take some home to share with friends and family at your court.

2015 vintage - 9.8% abv

3.7

159 reviews

Blanco, United States

Community reviews

3.2 bah, strong and sharp. No real roast and comes off boozy. Not my style of a imp stout at all.

3.8 Dark brown with a thick creamy head, decent retention. Big aromas brownie, cocoa, coffee, oak, slight olive. Flavors woody, cocoa, coffee, slight olive, slight herbal hop almost hidden. Medium sweet, medium to light astringent aftertaste, light smoky finish. Decent russian stout, but not a stand out.

3.7 Bottle thanks to Pudditane. Poured almost black with tan head. Aroma herbal roast. Light carb med bod. Taste light bitter char roast malt.

3.7 22oz bottle pours out black topped with a small head. nose is light roast malty pit fruit pine some odd metallic notes. Taste is pine hops roast malts some sweetness.

3.4 Black, cloudy opaque, light tan. Lot of legs. Quite a lot of roast espresso, some pine resin. Fairly bitter, a bit sweet. Oily, heavy body. Acidic. Fine.

3.7 651 ml. bottle. 2015 vintage, 9.8% ABV, bottled Nov. 12, 2015. Pours a medium, well retained, tiny bubbled, beige head, with slight lacing, over a clear brown (SRM 25) body.....nose is primarily roasted malts, with coffee, chocolate notes, light molasses, light umami, mild herbal hops, malts dominate......taste is moderately sweet, with dried fruit notes including plum, hints of raisin and fig, chocolate, light coffee, slight umami, becoming almost dry with moderate lingering roasted malt and hop bitterness, malt are dominant......mouth feel, medium sticky body, alcohol warmth present, moderate carbonation with light creaminess. This is away from the heavily sweet dessert end of the style. The malt sweetness is present, but relatively restrained and more towards the English part of the Imperial Stout spectrum. The roasted malts are present throughout in both aroma and flavor, with hints of umami raising up the complexity. Perhaps more apparently American style hops would improve, and/ or rejiggering the malt bill a bit. BJCP 8/3/15/4/7

3.5 Brown/black with 1" brown head. Aroma is spruce and grapefruit. Taste is the same, and adds sweet roast. It’s too sweet, like they just adjusted the attenuation of their original 12% malt bill to stop at 9,8. $6/22oz

3.4 Pours dark, heavy and oily. Thin foamy head, very potent aroma and strong coffee flavour. Not much else, bought this because it was recommended by a friend, expected more.

4.3 Good looking brew with a wonderful chocolate, liquor, sweet smell. Taste is lots of chocolate malts with some hits of fruit, toffee, and mild alcohol. Truly enjoyable on this rainy cold night but the price tag makes it very hard to enjoy often.

3.6 22 ounce bottle. Pours black with an average tan head. Aroma of malt, chocolate, and coffee. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruit. Decent.

3.8 Pours very dark. Chocolate roasted malts. The standard program for Ris but really good.

3.7 A good beer! I like the subtle hop presence on the nose side by side with the dark fruits and roasted malts. Medium bodied on the tongue...typical roasted malt flavor, fig and plum. Somewhat of an uneventful finish...looking for a bite.

4.2 This beer is rich and full of aroma of many roasted grains. The color is dark but not quite black and the head is full and dense. The taste is syrupy and thick with malt, but light on bitterness. That is what is holding this brew back, it’s mild bittering. It is still an outstanding beer.

4.0 Rating 10.7K! 10699 was called Calm Before the Storm, so, here is the storm! Bomber from Secret Santa crajun! Near black, large foamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of intense roasted malt, tobacco, green hops, chocolate, grain. The taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, cherries, tobacco. Full bodied, chewy texture, lingering bitterness. Nice, dry, big stout. Bottle states 9.8% ABV.

3.9 Deep pitch black, small coffee head. Nose is dark grain, carob, cherries. Very bittersweet. Middle is burnt grain, alcohol, over ripe plums. Finish is long and bitter. Yum.

3.7 Live Oak, TX. - Spec’s Liquor Store - 22 oz bomber. Deep,dark purplish-black pour with a medium thick,omnipresent khaki-colored head that clings to the edge of the glass and leaves a bit of lacng. Aroma has some unsweetened chocolate bittersweet notes, a touch of creosote. Flavor is bold and flavorful with some solid bittersweet chocolate notes, just a hint of licorice, some espresso notes. Nice, thick mouthfeel, Pretty decent.

3.3 Rated based on notes taken 24 Jan 2013 -- Drank this after having my first T-38 flight. Super dark roasty and mysterious. Just dark.

4.0 Bomber from Spec’s - Memorial. Super dark pour with a large frothy brown head. Dark sweet chocolate, roasty, mild dark fruit. Mild ash. Full palate. Very tasty!

3.5 Aroma and flavor of dark roasted malts, notes of chocolate, bitter coffee, licorice and alcohol. Fairly well blended and tasty but not bold. Not a bad RIS but i would say its slightly above average

3.7 Bottle pour opaque black with moderate tan head. Nose earthy, roasted malt, dark chocolate, some coffee. Taste initial some chocolate malt, but then lots of high bitterness mid palate. Some alcohol late. Not as much coffee, roast and dark fruit that I prefer in this style.

3.2 Pours thin with quick dissipating tan head. Very dark.Woody cedar nose.a little thin mouth feel. Very carbonated. Leads with cedar and chocolate. A little sweet. final flavors of smoke that lingers. Ok.

2.6 Pours black with a tan head into stemware from bottle. Aroma is surprisingly hoppy for the style. Some roasted stuff in the background. Taste is likewise hoppy. Also burnt. There is a nice sweetness in there and some alcohol flavors. the burnt bitter sits on the tongue. Really light body and pretty bubbly. Rich beer but doesn’t really hit the marks in the way I’d like.

3.6 Very dark brown with a light brown head. Moderate lacing. Aroma of cocoa, roast, coffee, and burnt toast and nuts. Tastes roasty and ashy, bitter, and a little sweet with a definite booze character. Pretty well balanced. Body pretty thin for the style, a bit boozy feeling, and dry. No one of the better imperial stouts by a long shot. My bottle says 9.8 abv, but I’d believe the 12. Earlier Rating: 9/20/2011 Real Ale 15th Anniversary: 7-4-8-4-15: Total Score: 3.8 Black, with a small light brown head that fades quickly to a lightly lacing ring. Aroma of smoke, wood, coffee, licorice and chocolate. The taste is rich coffee and chocolate with a nice woody background. Malty and sweet with a nice easy bitterness. Creamy, full bodied, mildly dry, slight alcohol presence. Not the top of the imperial stout pile, but quite good.

3.6 Near black pour with a khaki head. Aroma is dark chocolate, burnt toast, and coffee. Taste is dark chocolate, black coffee, ash, and a hint of pine. Slick palate. Earlier Rating: 7/9/2012 Total Score: 3.9 Black pour with a khaki head that fades to a ring. Aroma is molasses, licorice, a hint of coffee, and a little alcohol. Taste starts with molasses and licorice then goes to chocolate, coffee, ash, and bitterness in the finish. Very good.

3.7 Black with light beige head. Aroma of dark roast coffee and a little dark chocolate. Taste is similar, with more hops bitterness than most imperial stouts. Pretty good.

4.0 Tap..Pour is dark black with a light tan head..Nose is chocolate chip cookies, roast, smoke, bitter..Taste is roast, bitter, chocolate, oak, dry, Earlier Rating: 10/9/2013 Total Score: 4 Bottle and tap..Pour is dark black with a tan head..Nose is very nice chocolate, light sweetness, roast, burnt chocolate, bitter, earth..Taste is burnt, roast, rich brownie, chocolate, light sweetness, caramel..A nice sipper

3.6 Bottle to snifter. Nose is slightly dried fruit and sherry oxidation with some underlying chocolate and light roast. Pour is dark brown to black, with deep red highlights. minimal head. Taste is dried fruit with a choco-roast flavor. some grape flavors. Minimal hop presence in bitterness or flavor. a tad sweet. Minimal alcohol presence noted. nice.

3.9 A 3 year old 12 oz bottle. Dark red-brown: clear. Full body with near perfect carbonation. Rich and fruity aroma, with a similar but stronger flavor. Lingering aftertaste. Very good balance.

4.2 Wow. A dark, dark brown pour. Tan head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, earthy tones, tasted malts. Taste follows suit. Thick mouthfeel, dry finish. Loved it.

3.8 Bottle shared by someone in the group (from notes). Pours a dark brown color with a small off white head. The aroma and flavor had roasted malts, dark chocolate (somewhat powdery on the nose),mild dark fruits, and a splash of citrus. Decent bitterness at the finish. Decent enough under the radar beer.