Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout

WINTER - This tremendously rich and thick stout uses a profusion of burnt and caramel malts. A massive mouthful of dark roasted malt and coffee flavors finishes with hints of licorice, fig and currant.

8.5 % pre 2008
Currently brewed at 7.9%

3.5

367 reviews

Glendale, United States

Community reviews

3.8 12 oz. bottle. Pours a medium, well retained mocha head, with extensive lacing, over a black (SRM 40) body......nose is coffee, cocoa, chocolate, with minimal hop spice....taste is coffee, cocoa, chocolate, light toffee/caramel, hints of sweetness, vanilla, cherry, with light hop bitterness near the finish....mouth feel heavy of medium, slightly sticky, carbonation adds a heavy, almost ice cream creaminess, but finishes with a nice acid finale. This is a nicely complex, well balanced Imperial. It is not the best in complexity and is reminiscent of the more English Imperial Stouts. BJCP 8/3/15/5/8

3.8 Almost black medium brown head, lasting with streaks of drippy lace. Aroma is Roasty, chocolate, touch of dark fruit. Flavor is much the same. Roasty and sweet. Full but not ’big’ body. Good overall mouthfeel, soft, roasty and a little sticky, some sweetness. Very nice balance. Rather impressive.

3.7 Bottle. $6.99 closeout at binnys. Stunningly black. Might be the darkest beer i have ever poured. Fizzy dark brown creamy head. This beer smells great, getting dried cherries, sweet milk chocolate. Those dried cherries hit right away upon first sip. Rich creamy dark chocolate follows, and then a lightly roasted coffee bean bitterness. However...this turns extremely thin so quickly, it pulls a Houdini and disappears into mid-air. Too bad, the flavors are great and wished they could continue longer. This is very good, but not really a Russian Imperial, more lke a cream stout. Nice beer though, I’ll have another.

3.1 Pour is dark brown/black with a light tan head. Nose is roasted malt and dark chocolate. Taste is bitter and roasty. Taste of black coffee. Mouthfeel is light to medium. Too light for and RIS. Taste is more like a porter

3.8 bottle. black with a nice tight small brown head. roasty, burnt, nutty aroma. one of the thickest bodied stouts i’ve had. drinks like cream. flavors are roasted and burnt with crystal malt sweetness and a hint of nuts. i like the silky body and drinkable abv.

3.1 Bottle. Pours opaque black with a creamy medium tan head that dissipates with nice lacing. Room filling aroma of roasted malts, coffee, molasses. Flavor is similar, with notes of dried fruits, but doesn’t live up to aroma. Light sweet, some astringence but no bitterness. Light bodied, prickly carbonation.

3.4 Smoky aroma has coffee, roast malt and soapy notes. Pours a nice deep sable with an average light tan head. Lip-smacking flavor has notes of mocha, roast malt and licorice with a fruity hint. Smooth texture is average on both body and fizz. If not spectacular, at least drinkable and enjoyable.

3.4 Location: Bottle at Paul’s Blind Impy Stout Tasting, 1/5/13 Aroma: The nose is a little boozy and kind of sweet, with roast and fruity notes Appearance: This one pours a dark brown-black with a small beige colored head Flavor: The taste is sweetish and roasted mostly, similar to the nose Palate: The body is medium, it has a decent mouthfeel, and a slightly dry finish Overall Impression: I thought this was a solid. Nothing super exciting, but certainly drinkable enough. There weren’t too many stand-out components here either.

3.1 Bottle at Paul’s for the Blind Stout tasting. Pours a deep black with a thin tan head. Sweet roast and cocoa on the nose. Coffee and cocoa, medium bodied, sweet and empty. A touch of coffee, but really nothing going on here.

2.7 Bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a thin tan head on it. Nose has a little toastiness and some dark fruit in there. Taste has some definite licorice notes in there which I don’t like. Meh.

3.5 This brew pours black with a thick tan head that recedes steadily. Patchy lacing on the glass. Aroma of toasted malt and coffee. Medium body with flavors of roast malt, black coffee and a touch of chocolate. The finish is roasty with a short coffee aftertaste. A little thin for a RIS but decent overall.

4.5 12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours black with about a half finger of dark brown head. Aroma of coffee, dark coco, dark fruits and some caramel. Taste is medium bitter. Mostly coffee with hints of everything above, but mostly coffee. Full bodied with a thick and sticky texture. Soft carbonation and a very long finish. Overall, very good. I’ll be drinking this all winter.

1.5 A big black neliie brew of a alky thing like liquid coal and tar. Worse than expedition stout. Way to strong. Finsh is same but tapers offlike the dampening effect of an oscillator that is just barely meeting the barkhausen equation.

2.8 Bottle, Pours a soft dark black with creamy head. Lacing was medium. Aromas and taste are very floral with other notes of roasted malt, lavender, dates, and some dark fruit.

3.6 16oz bottle from Pinnochio’s. Pours black with no light coming through. There was a small layer of tan head but it disappeared quickly and left a small circle of film in the middle of the the glass. Aroma is not overly pungent but you can smell a lot of roasted barley and a hint of java. The taste is all coffee with a bit of a dry finish. This is a lighter imperial stout; however, the flavor is really good. If the palate was beefed up a bit, it would be a little better. Overall, a great tasting lighter RIS. I’d get it again.

3.5 Easily the sweetest aroma I’ve ever gotten from a RIS. Very nice smooth palate with just a little bite from carbonation. Very sweet malty flavor for an RIS too. Some good bitterness from the roasted malts. I like my Russians a little ’bigger’ but this is decent.

3.8 This one’s all about the coffee, like drinking a 16oz espresso but you end up buzzed on alcohol instead of caffeine.

4.0 12 oz bottle pours black with a tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, a little smoke and whiskey. Taste is malt, chocolate, coffee and a bit of sweetness.

3.3 Heidel House Brewfest. Have had before, just neglected to rate. Deep black with mocha head. Aroma is mostly dark fruit, licorice, and some roasted malt. Similar start to the flavor that ends with bitter roast and coffee. Slightly grainy. A tad off, with almost an acidity that detracts a bit. Licorice is pretty apparent in the flavor as well. Lingering roast. Fairly thin.

3.7 Pours a deep black with thin off white head. Aroma is malty and fruity. Almmost reminiscent of a Belgian stout. Flavor doesn’t dispell the Belgian thoughts. Sweet, fruity. Dark fruits, caramel, chocolate, and a bit of roastiness. Not bad.

3.5 It poured black with a thin, almost one finger dark brown head. The glass wasn’t clean enough, so it didn’t stay, and thus no lacing. It smelled of dark fruit, malty sweetness, some roast, apple strudel. It’s sweet, dark fruits like raisins, apples and plums overtop light roasty malts. It feels thin with some light carbonation. This was nice at first, but a bit too sweet. It’s pretty light - good for after dinner even on a pretty full stomach. I remember this leaving a somewhat flat kind of memory in my mind.

3.8 Tap. Pours deep, dark brown with thin, creamy tan head; short retention and spare lacing. Aroma is dark fruit, roasted malt, coffee, earthy hops, and light smoke. Flavor is heavy malt, light hops, and average dark fruit esters; dry, ashy finish. Full body with medium carbonation and warmth.

3.4 Draft sampler part of flight at Lake Geneva Sprecher ... Pours black with thin tan head...not as robust or bold as one would expect from a RIS in my opinion...some coffee and mild chocolate...maybe a bit of rye...more like a dry stout....

3.1 Pours black with a small brown head. Aroma is kind of weird, very reminiscent of a Sharpie marker along with charcoal, coffee, chocolate, lots of leather, sweet fruit. Taste is also abrasive, lots of leather again, licorice, unsweetened chocolate bitterness. It’s not awful, but it could use some mellowing out.

3.7 Black pour with thick tan head which had good lacing. Aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Flavor of more coffee and slightly sweeter chocolate, good maltiness in mouthfeel. Nice example of style.

3.0 1. Look – A black color imperial stout with a small tan/brown head. 2. Sniff – This imperial stout has subtle alcohol nose with coffee aroma and a lot of roasted malt notes as well. 3. Sip – This full bodied imperial stout has a warming mouth feel with a licorice flavor and smooth dry finish. Another Look – This is an average looking stout with a small head and no lacing. 5. Evaluate – Overall, this is a heavy imperial stout, but it not as tasty in comparison with other imperial stouts. It has both a sweet and sour taste and numerous other flavors that make this imperial stout complicated and less enjoyable. I would only recommend to those looking for a untraditional example of the style.

3.6 Shared 16 oz. bottle at a recent geek tasting. Poured to a sampler with a black/brown hue, ultra foamy, dark tan head, and lasting cling to the wavey lacing. The aroma offered decent roastiness, coffee, a touch of chocolate, dark caramel, and a little vanilla. The flavor added some moderate hop bitterness, with a little dark fruit sweetness, but was less expressive than the nose, and a bit thinner textured than I’d expect in a quality RIS. Subtle alcohol,..respectable. Next time, shared a couple of 12 oz. bottles with craft friends, and poured them to snifters. The taste did not fall off this time, remained medium bodied, and added some light, tanniny astringency, a touch of wood & smoke, and finishing dryness. +.2

3.5 Brown bottle, 16 ounces, from Luc Bourbonnière, savoured on November 21 2011; eye: black, opaque, tiny ring of dark brown head, average lacing; nose: roasted malt, soy sauce, light candied fruits, coffee, dark chocolate, strong coffee; mouth: roasted malt, light burnt malt, slight soy sauce, strong coffee, dark chocolate, finale in roasted malt with presence of strong coffee, light alcohol, medium-full body, below-average carbonation, mildly salty, a bit thin; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 16 onces, de Luc Bourbonnière, savourée le 21 novembre 2011; œil : noire, opaque, petit anneau de mousse brun foncé, dentelle moyenne; nez : malt torréfié, sauce soya, léger fruits confits, café, chocolat noir, café fort; bouche : malt torréfié, léger malt brûlé, très léger sauce soya, café fort, chocolat noir, finale en malt torréfié avec présence de café fort, léger alcool, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation sous la moyenne, moyennement salée, une touche mince; en résumé : bien

3.5 A deep dark stout with a thick dark brown head. In aroma, a smooth herbal coffee, with light chocolate and brine. In mouth, a dry powdered chocolate with coffee grinds, molasses, smooth alcohol, not bad. Tasted Oct. 21 2011 with GRM and Boutip.

3.2 (16oz bottle) near black pour with dark tan fine bubbled head. Nose of dark chocolate, ripe banana, fudge. Taste of fudge, dry cocoa, cream, well balanced, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and cola-like carbonation.