Southampton Imperial Russian Stout
Our rich, roasted black ale inspired by the strong stouts exported by Great Britain in the 1800's to the Russian Czar's court.
Editor's Note: ABV changed to 10.5% in 2008 (was previously 9.5%).
Editor's Note: ABV changed to 10.5% in 2008 (was previously 9.5%).
4.1
511 reviews
Southampton, United States
Community reviews
Bottle #255 of 550 (2014) shared with Deanso and others as rating 6000. Pours near black with a small bubbly beige head. Aroma is very malty upfront, cake, toffee, some biscuit and light chocolate. Flavour is over moderate sweet and moderate bitter with a massively malty palate. One of the most malty RISs I’ve tried. Light full bodied with soft carbonation.
2014 edition , 427 / 550 , thnx to Matt !
Pours black , no head at all . Scent is pure dark, burnt malts , bit coffee . Some bitter / sweet twist .
Taste is full , roasty , coffee aspects as well of oats . Sweet , black malty finish . Rich in taste . Good, yet perhaps on a bit low side, of the mouthfeel . Carbonation is perfect . Finishes in sweet roasted malts , with a very mild burned undertone . Rather easy drinkable - given the style and matching ABV . Nice
Bottle '12 - pours dark black with tan head. Nice dark chocolate nose. Rich dark chocolate taste, maybe some dark fruits and some bitter hops. It's very rich and flavor.
2012 vintage bottle. Pours a jet black, lively mocha brown head that fizzles out quickly. Leaves little lacing....has short legs. Aromas of dark roasted malt, char, sherry, plum and chocolates. Taste follows the nose with robust char/roasted malt dryness....some slight oxidation lends to the dark fruit flavors across the middle of the palate. Finishes with some nice bitter chocolate notes, slight char, slight alcohol warmth. Nicely balanced! Good stuff!
Pours a muddy dark black with a thin mocha head. Aroma big on malt, roast
And dark chocolate. Taste follows with slight oxidation. Nice viscosity.
Bottle. Trade with Thirstybird. Cheers. 2010 Vintage. Pours black with a small handsome mocha brown head. Nose is fruity and vinous. Roasted and dry. Soft and vinous. Charcoal, coffee and hazels. So smoooth. Superb!
bottle from 2012 .. pours a dark charcoal .. mild foam .. . very ink forward, some chewy tar and burnt fruit .. . mouth is medium and has a fairly long linger .. . a nice stout but not super interesting .. . . during the middle ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were “just going down to the corner.
On tap at Capone’s. Not sure of the year. Pours a deep dark black with a slight brown head. Aromas of roasted malts, burnt toast, coffee grounds, bitter bakers chocolate, light alcohol. Taste is sweet with a slightly bitter acrid ashy taste to it. Pretty well balanced RIS. Thick and full bodied. Medium to low carbonation.
Draft Pours motor oil black with a tight tan head that left sticky lacing. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, molasses and vanilla. Flavor was complex and lightly sweet with bitter dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, molasses, vanilla and licorice. Oily texture, full body, soft carbonation.
Bottle: Forgot to write the bottle number because I was kind of drunk. Deep brown body, not quite black except for maybe the very core. Small tan ring, no head; oily top. Aroma of overly boozy chocolate with a strong pungency... Kind of stings the nostrils. Mild roast, molasses, some char. Flavor is very hot & alcohol forward, too. Fusel, borderline rubbing alcohol notes. Come chocolate malt, burnt molasses, slight papery oxidation. Medium bodied. This thing is a mess. Bad bottle? Who knows. Expected much better from the ratings. WOMP WOMP.
dense beige head leaves structured lacing. coffee coloured. aroma is boozy, chocolate, bit of sherry notes from oxidation. taste like aroma, salty, liquorice, roasted malts, bitter chocolate aftertaste is more bitter chocolate. dense mouthfeel, quite carbonated. bottle 75 cl / 2012 / #308/650
Thanks to my husband GT2 for sharing! 2012 Vintage, 750ml. Nose is marshmallow, graham cracker, dates, hot chocolate, melted dark chocolate, molasses, cinnamon. Taste is dark chocolate mousse, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate milkshake, heavy whipping cream. Great balance of bitter and sweetness. Super silky mouthfeel. Just a tad boozy, but expected and pleasant for this style. Pretty boss. Like a delicious dessert that is so rich, but not cloying so you just gobble it up. First time I had this beer, I didn’t really like it that much back in 2011. Clearly, I was wrong.
Dayuum son.
Pour pitch black, with a large frothy mocha-tan head.
Aroma is pretty complex, with plenty of roasted malt, roasted coffee, dark bitter chocolate with some slightly earthy notes, and subtle notes of dark fruits.
Taste is light sweet up front, with a nice amount of bitterness from the middle and out.
Full bodied, with a surprisingly fizzy carb, that settles after a short period of time. Thanks a lot mr. Boogy!!
"A super nice, complex imperial stout, that even bested a barreled Jackie O’s head to head. Molasses, chocolate, lots of roast, hops...all rolled in to one delicious package. I’d drink this all the time if it were available."
[5639-20130816] Bottle. Roasted candy cane barrel aroma. Black brown body with a quick foamy tan head and thick legs remaining. Roasted candied mint and barrel wood flavour. Full body. Lovely. (8/4-/9/4/16) 4.1
(Vintage 2012 @ Campground Brewdown 2013, Millmont, PA)
Hand pump black pour with a thick dark tan head. Gorgeous brew .... aroma of dark chocolate, deep roasted malts, some semi sweet chocolate and coffee ... Taste of dark cocoa, roasted malts, coffee also has a sweet semi sweet chocolate to it slight sugar and earthy .. Creamy with a soft bitterness has an oily slickness and a nice full body .... Finish is clean with a nice balance of all the flavors and a light lingering bitter bite ... A very complete imperial stout. No trace of abv for such a big beer the real deal
2012 vintage bottle thanks to Mikem409! Pours opaque inky black, medium dark brown head, creamy and long lasting with nice lacing. Aroma is very roasty, ashes, cocoa, a bit of licorice. Flavor is light plus sweet, medium bitter, quite roasty, just a faint hint of anise and light burned notes. Rich. Full body. Nice beer.
Bottle with bytemesis. Very dark, deep brown head. Milk chocolate, light dry fruit, cherry. Lots of chocolate at first, then very roasty, bitter, tobacco, bit of cherry, alcohol but restrained. Very nice drink, aroma is a little underwhelming but flavor is spot on.
By hand pump at Theresa’s Next Door with Damico. Pours a dark brown color with rich chocolate colored thick foam head. You just know you are about to drink something special with the pour. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, and slight roast. Simple but rich. Makes you want to dive in. The hand pump may cream it up some - super creamy roasty chocolate taste with the perfect bitter layer for balance. The richness of the chocolate and roast linger to enhance this special beer. Wow.
750, from homer. Roasty euro malts. Bitter chocolate, no sweetness. Nice thick oily body. It’s a decent imperial stout, more of traditional European ris.
Sampled at the RBSG14 Grand Tasting - 2009 version - Pours dark brown with a burnt orange head. The aroma has soy sauce, roastiness, chocolate and hint of wood. It has a medium / full body with soft carbonation. The flavor starts with chocolate, toffee, oxidation and roast. The finish is very rounded and bitter. Very nice, especially for being five years old now.
Sample from bottle at SRBG 2014. Thanks! Pours a thick black with a nice brown head. Aroma of malt, chocolate, and coffee. Taste is roasted malt, rich chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and licorice. Excellent!
2013 #431
Motor oil pour. Dark chocolate head.
Nose is tobacco, earth, dark chocolate, baking chocolate, roast and slight amount of wood. Yum nose.
Thick, rich, chewy beer. Lots of roast, chocolate, wooded earth, and tobacco. Very dry and filling. Subtle alcohol notes. Good stuff
Bottle pours black with dark tan head. Aroma is big roast and chocolate. Taste is full bodied chewy roast. Dark bitter and light alcohol finish
Draft at Steam. Pours jet black, big frothy head. Aroma is dark roast coffee, hickory, molasses, raisin. Taste is chewy, thick, and viscous...chocolate notes coming through strong along with the coffee; the latter of which dissapates as it warms. Some dark fruit here but more savory than sweet. Bitter hops..suprised by that. Not bad.
Black pour with a lasting brown foam build up. Looks and acts a lot like Surly Darkness. The nose has deep chocolaty notes, roasted malt galore, lightly roasted whole bean - very nice nose. The mouthfeel is pretty carbonated but settles to a creamier state after a while. Lots of sweetness at first but with substantial roast to be complex and ballanced. Fairly high drinkability for such a beast which some of the mega-stouts sometimes lack if ya aks me. Candied aftertaste. Surprisingly good!
750ml bottle shared thanks to Lukaduke! Pours dark brown-black with a finger of head. Nose is sharp earthy roast malt, coffee, and hershey chocolate. Palate is somewhat thinner than expected. Taste is lots of dusty coffee bean and old chocolate, bit of a boozy bite. Finish is smooth, dusty roasty hershey chocolate and cocoa, some booze.
Bottle thanks to Evan ! Pours a silky black color with a finger or two of dark khaki foam. Notes of bakers chocolate, licorice, burnt brownie, ash walnut and some earthy shoe polish as well.
Bottle from 2010. Pours pitch black with a nice cappuccino colored head. Aromas of roasted malt, vanilla, malty, awesomeness and licorice. Flavor is balanced, sweet, hoppy, roasted and flawless.. Wow! This is just great!
Bottle. 2010. #314 of 500. Pours deep black with a small, creamy, brown head. Aroma is sweet, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, liquorice, softly vinious. Medium to low carbonation, fat and creamy mouthfeel. Flavour has lots of fat chocolate, vanilla, liquorice, pear, softly vinious. Light oak. Lovely malty balance.