Russian River Shadow of a Doubt
Named after the great Hitchcock movie filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943. This Imperial Porter packs a rich chocolate and light smoked malt character with a very soft, dry finish.
3.9
165 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is dark malt. Taste of fig, raisin and spice. Finishes clean and really hides it's 10% well.
On tap at Pinocchio’s. Dark pour, one finger head. Cocoa and lactic aroma. Smokey chocolate flavor. Some burnt coffee. Pretty nice, actually. I like RR IPAs and sours, but this is p good, too.
Black pour with a thin soapy beige head and spotty lacing .... aroma of chocolate, roasted malts, cocoa and caramel malts.... taste is of cocoa, semi sweet chocolate, dry, right with roasted malts and coffee .... dry bitter finish with cocoa and chocolate lingering coffee .... solid and sessionable...... abv hidden well
Very dark brown, beige head. Aroma of roast chocolate. Beautifully balanced taste of sweet chocolate, roasted malt, and hop bitterness. Medium mouthfeel. Very good.
Pours opaque brown with a chocolate chip cookie sized ring of head. Cocoa,roasted malts ,toast dominate the aroma. Strong full bodied rush or bitter chocolate and malt sustanance. Bitterness remains, not herbal annis, but not just a hop bitterness either. Nice combo. The oft forgotten imperial porter, a style I can really get behind.
0,5 litre Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar, Escondido, Ca. Almost Black with beige head. Roasted malts, coffee, Smooth
Pours black with beige head
Aroma: chocolate, roasted malt, hints of fruits
Taste: moderate roasted malt flavor, dried fruits and dark chocolate. Good balanced porter
On tap at Falling Rock Tap House. Dark brown, medium beige head. Coffee, roasted, some chocolate, low carbonation. Sweet. Dry bitter finish. Medium bodied.
500ml bottle. 12/5/18 bottle date. Appearance: Black, opaque, with a fluffy khaki head and nice lacing.
Aroma: Dark cherry, chocolate, and dry roast. All well balanced.
Taste: Rich malt sweetness, with some dark fruit, chocolate, and a soft roastiness that isn’t harsh. Moderate bitterness just right to balance the rich maltiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy bodied with some light viscosity and a low carbonation.
Finish: Dry roasted malt stands out after the swallow, but isn’t harsh or astringent.
Overall: What a porter. Rich, robust maltiness that is never harsh, and complemented with some dark fruit notes. Surprisingly easy drinking for a beer if this intensity and strength
5 oz. pour at Backcountry Pizza. Pours black, with a medium, frothy, tan head. The aroma is mellow coffee, light smoke, butter toffee, and cherries. Sweet and syrupy, with a mild bitterness. Medium body, with a smooth and silky palate. This is a balanced, aromatic, and delicious porter. Nice.
Bottle. Pours dark brown. Aroma and flavor are chocolate, caramel, dark fruit, light earthy notes, and faint ash. Medium/full body
From a bottle. Pours dark brown / black with a frothy beige head. Tastes like dark chocolate malt, earthy, roasted, faint ash, and faint booze. Medium body and low/medium carbonation. Smells like dark chocolate malt, roasted, earthy, faint ash, and faint booze.
Super deep and dark brown coloured body with a thinnish tan head, about a centimetre or so tall that fades fairly quickly. Aroma of roasted malt, hazelnuts, earth, grain, a dose of licorice and a faint bit of tobacco. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong bitter and roasty finish with the malt and grain hitting first, but leaving a bit of bitterness from the grain and the deeper, anise and licorice notes with some stone fruit and deeper fruit sweetness on the end. Aftertaste shows a lot of the malty and grainy flavours with a touch of sweetness from peanuts and toffee with a lot of bitterness from the anise, licorice and toffee flavours that veer towards the pungency from the alcohol and bitterness and ma11-March-2 roasted malt and fruit notes a bit secondary. Overall, a nicely layered and soft enough Porter that shows some Imperial sides of things with a bit more alcohol than expected and a deep pungency from the anise and bitterness that goes well for the style. I sampled this ten ounce pour on draught for US$6,00 at the brewpub in Santa Rosa, California on 11-March-2019 while visiting in Napa Valley, California.
Bottle from Corti Bros. Pours dark brn/blk with a large foamy tan head. Aroma of dark smooth malt, anise and chocolate. Essentially full in body. Flavor is chocolate, detectable liquorice, and smooth dark malt. Not exactly dry, but certainly not excessively malty. Bitter. Hop bitter? Chocolate bitter? Bitter. Quite a tasty treat. Very good.
Taster, thanks Werckmeister. Small tan head on a black body. Woody, toasted malts, blueberries, faint smoke, dark chocolate, licorice. Mild medium sweetness, turns toasty and a little tart, smoky and lightly dusty bitterness. Thick oily body with super small, pearly carbonation. Very balanced for the strength.
(510ml bottle) - Pours a nice thick medium tan head which doesn’t collapse immediately. Opaque black brown body. Not very aromatic. Almost s hint of chili powder. Killer flavor. Bitter chocolate, dark sulfur molasses. A bitter of a gassiness to the mouthfeel. Bitterness lingers on the palate for quite some time. Once again proves Russian River CAN brew something other than sours and Belgian-style beers!
From bottle to tulip. Aroma of dark chocolate. Dark brown with tan head. Silky smooth mouthfeel and well rounded.
Bottle - dark brown pour, appearing black in the glass, but light can pass through - very balanced aroma an flavor, with just enough bitterness, roast, and light smoke to balance the sweeter notes of chocolate, vanilla, raisin - light tail-end acidity cuts the sweetness, as well - creamy and soft texture - solidly-made, but doesn't stand out in a crowd.
510 ml. bottle. Bottled on 12/05/18. Pours a medium, light beige, well retained head, with random lacing, over a clear, very dark brown (SRM 35) body.....nose is strong roasted malts with heavy cocoa, chocolate tones, coffee hints, mild caramel, light hop spice notes, balance to the malts......taste is strong roasted malts, with heavy cocoa, dark chocolate, mild caramel tones with sweet hints, moderate hop spice, with slight vanilla, last light hop bitter with slight bitter coffee notes on finish, balance to the lingering malts.......mouth feel, medium heavy slightly sticky body, alcohol warmth present, moderate carbonation. This is an elegant, easily drinkable Imperial Porter with the roasted malts pleasantly dominant. BJCP 9/3/14/5/8
Draft. Pours near black with a beige head. Mild roasted malts, some raisin, a little dark chocolate, low bitterness, and a little residual sweetness. Pretty good.
Enjoyable, thick fruit eater finish. Drying mouthfeel. The body and texture is really nice.
Bottle from Lunardi's in San Jose, CA. Aroma is spiced chocolate, roasted chocolate (if that were a thing), chewy licorice candy. Taste is dark chocolate with some kind of spices (something like cinnamon), some ashy bits, coffee, roasted things. Very unique and solid Imperial Porter.
Taster, many thanks to Werckmeister!
Almost black body, with a big, creamy, beige head.
Aroma of coffee, dark chocolate, liquorice, toffee, slight dark fruits, subtle smoke.
Tastes quite similar, while with a bit more smoke.
Medium, creamy mouthfeel, with a moderate carbonation.
Finishes roasty, medium dry, medium smokey, wooden, with coffee, liquorice, cocoa powder, some tobacco.
Very nice. Quite straight, with lots of roasty notes and some smokey twist. Not very complex, while well balanced and really smooth to drink for the ABV.
Score: 7 / 4 / 7 / 4 / 15
Bottle (Dec 5, 2018 bottling).
Head is initially average sized, frothy, rocky, brown, fully lasting.
Body is dark brown to black (non-opaque, flashlight-tested).
Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, dark chocolate, caramel), lightly hoppy (flowers), with a light note of vanilla.
Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter.
Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter.
Medium to full body, creamy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic.
A solid beer in all respects, but it's not really special in any way. Pleasant aroma, but a bit simple. Nice lasting head, good flavor balance, creamy mouthfeel, and clean overall, but not really inspiring more and more sips. Doesn't do anything wrong, but just seems to play it way too safe to be memorable.
Oh man a new Russian River beer. I can't even remember the last time I had a new RR rating. Sure we get Pliny down here, but other than that and the occasional Damnation, I miss this brewery. Black pour with a tan head that lasts. Aroma of chocolate, light cola, roast, caramel, other notes of lightly spicy hops. Medium to full bodied, well balanced, very drinkable, very traditional take.
Bottle from Healthy Spirits SF. Sweet chocolate toasty aroma. Rich roasty chocolate taste. Creamy sweetness with coffee bitterness. Very good.
0,5l bottle at home courtesy of Rob, big thanks. Bottled 05. Dec .2018. black color, medium big tan head. smells earthy, licorice, light vanilla, pepper, light lactose, nice smell. full body, soft carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes earthy, peppery, bit leathery, some lactose, light vanilla. finishes lightly roasty bitter with notes of spices, earthy and peppery notes. pretty decent one, a bit on the young side though.
Draught at City Beer. Black color, beige head. Bitter taste with roasted malts, nuts, coffee, chocolate, licorice and a bit of dark fruits. Bitter finish with roasted malts, coffee, nuts, licorice, chocolate and a bit of dark fruits. Excellent imperial porter.
Draught at City Beers. Black with an off white head. Aroma of chocolate malt. Flavour is licorice, bitter chocolate, malt and dry berries.
Draft. Blackish beer with a tan head. Chocolate aroma. Chocolate and roast flavor with light caramel. Medium-plus bodied. Chocolate and light roast linger with light caramel.