Stone Imperial Russian Stout - Bourbon Barrel
The beer is Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and it was aged for about a year in a used bourbon barrel. From that wooden cask, we were only able to keg up very little.
4.2
506 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
Kind of bastardizes the original - don't love the barrel job here. Roast and lots of bourbon. Oily texture. Pours black with good head and lacing. Boozy bitter end. Coffee and caramel. Tap at Richmond brewery.
Bottle at Craig's. Pours black, nose is chocolate, caramel, vanilla, fudge, coconut, taste is sweet, chewy, oak, bourbon, chocolate, coffee
Pitch Black. Thin tan head.
Aroma is Roasted malt, oak, vanilla, coffee, some sweet fruit.
Flavor is roasty malt, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, caramel. Never boozy.
Very deep brown with a tan head. Toasted oak aroma. Roasted malt bitterness nicely complemented by the hops. Vanilla and caramel notes. Full body. Alcohol is integrated well even as the beer warms. Great stuff.
Draft pour at Dominion Wine and Beer, as Fyodor's Classic. Poured a pitch black color with a small, wispy white head. Aroma was super smooth bourbon, chocolate. No alcohol burn to speak of. Flavor was dark chocolate, woody vanilla. Smooth malt. Thick mouth feel. Really good.
January 4, 2019 - bottle picked up years ago at Stone. Black pour with limited tan head. Aroma was very sweet with vanilla and chocolate, but also had a nice amount of bourbon. Taste was consistent with the aroma, but also had a slight bitterness. Bottled February 2014, Batch 3.
Bottle, 2017 Batch 2, bottled 10/2017. Inky brown-black body, medium deep brown, quickly dissipating and disappearing head. Potent aroma, with bourbon, oak, and booze aggression, mixed with roasted, charred malts, dark fruits and figs, and a warming alcohol burn. Intense body centered on sharp burnt sugars, marshmallow, and coffee bean bitterness, with wood, bourbon, and prune in a supporting role and licorice notes increasing with warmth. Vinous, boozy, rich. Fairly well-carbonated despite the lack of head retention. Hits all the right notes. World-class.
2014 500 ml corked and caged bottle. Pours a pitch black color and topped by a small tan colored head of foam that fades away quickly and rejoins the body below. The aroma shows notes of dark chocolate, dark roasted malts, earthy roast, bourbon, and vanilla laden oak. The flavor follows suit with the dark chocolate and dark roasted malts right up front balanced by some earthy bitterness and bourbon soaked oak while vanilla ties it all together and adds further depth while the alcohol starts to peak through as it warms up. Medium bodied and slick on the palate with subtle carbonation that leads to a dark chocolate and bourbon soaked oak finish with some lingering roasty bitterness on the back end. This one is obviously oxidized a bit, but has held up really well for being 4 years and you can easily tell that this was really solid barrel aged imperial stout when fresh.
Powerful! Roasty & bold. Flat black pour & very Russian imperial. Good & tasty!
500ml caged & corked bottle from Woodmans in Waukesha as Fyodr's Classic 2017 Batch 2, cellared 10 months and served at cellar temperature. Celebrating Stone's 22nd anniversary weekend! Pours a surprisingly head-less dark brown. This was corked, but no foam. Aroma has bourbon, sweet and roasted malts, dark chocolate, marshmallow and some oak tannins. Taste is of sweet and roasted malts, dark chocolate, vanilla, cocoa nibs and some oak. The barrel is still a big player so perhaps a couple more years of cellaring would be best. About full bodied, the blend is quite good and there is an alcohol presence. Finishes sweeter than bittersweet, with the bourbon/caramel holding off the dark chocolate/roast. This is a solid & tasty brew. Hopefully some time will mellow the bourbon to more thoroughly balance this. 16.8
Bottle, 500 ml at Greg Koch meet & greet at Fakin. 2015 version as Fyodors Classic. Shared with others. Dark brown with brownish head. Chocolate, oily, lots of bourbon, some wood, light fruity notes. Low carbonation. Sweet. Medium to full bodied. Felt a bit thin, seems past its prime.
500 ml bottle as Fyodor's Classic, bottled march 2015. Shared by Werckmeister, many thanks!
Black body, with a small, creamy, dark beige head.
Aroma of bourbon, booze, wood, dark chocolate, vanilla, coconut, soy sauce, some dark fruits.
Tastes similar, with some more liquorice.
Medium, oily mouthfeel, with a low carbonation.
Finishes medium boozy, medium dry, wooden, with bourbon, dark chocolate, cocoa, soy sauce, some liquorice.
Very nice, while I was expecting a bit more. Quite boozy and somehow simple, almost a bit thin in the taste. Still with very nice bourbon and dark malt notes especially in the nose. Not outstanding, there are lots of Bourbon BA Imperial Stouts like this, while still a nice sipper.
Score: 8 / 4 / 7 / 4 / 15
500 ml bottle at home, vintage 2015, shared by Werckmeister, many thanks! Pours a nearly black red-brown with a tan colored head. The aroma is very meaty with soy sauce, bourbon, some vanilla, toffee, nuts, caramel, marzipan and hints of alcohol. Medium-full body with a soft carbonation, a medium sweetness. The flavor starts with bourbon notes, alcohol and vanilla, followed by sweetish roasted malt, molasses, nuts, chocolate. Finishes with even more bourbon and a warming feeling. I really liked the smell but in the flavor the bourbon notes are a tad to dominant for my liking while the malt body is slightly to thin and also quite heavy on the booze. Still pretty good.
Aroma: 8
Appearance: 4
Taste: 8
Palate: 4
Overall: 15
0,5l bottle at Powys place shared by me. As Stone Fyodors Classic 2014. Bottled 03.2015. black color, very small coffee colored head. smells bourbon, earthy, vanilla, bitter chocolate, light booze, some mint. very nice smell. full body, light carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes of bourbon, earthy, spices, some vanilla, peppery, licorice, marzipan, very light bitter chocolate, light soy. finishes lightly dry with notes of bourbon, bit watery and some marzipan. very nice one, somehow the taste was a bit thin (almost watery) which might be a result of the age. overall very nice one.
$15.49 corked bomber from Rio Hill Wine. Bottled as 2017 Series 2 Fyodor, 13.5%. Brewed July 17, 2016, bottled October 2017. Pours black with a small dark brown head. Aroma is boozy chocolate, coffee, light smoked peat, wood, earth, vanilla, leather. Flavor is sweet dark chocolate, leather, light booze, vanilla, bourbon, caramel. Very nice. Smooth. Hides the 13.5% very well - not that you can't tell there's booze there, but it seems less.
Bottled 500ml. -at Fakin Zagreb, shared with Marko, kajser27, hrabren and JFK as Fyodor's Classic. Pitch black coloured, medium sized brown head, alcohol, light chocolate and whiff of wood in the nose. Pleasant bourbon barrel taste with notes of chocolate, alcohol and light dried fruits. 13.0%ABV.
A bottle shared among Marko, Kaiser and Ogi. Black. Small tan head. Moderately intense cocoa, alcohol, rum cake, slightly spicy. Cookie dough. Flavours are alcohol, cake, dried fruit, toasty, roasty. Roasted wood and ash. Thick texture. Lasting finish.
2015 Fyodor's Classic. Pitch black, small tan head. Heavy caramel, sweetish, barrel, mild orange liqueur. Spicy full malty dry taste, fresh, nicely integrated barrel, alcohol, lovely really. Orange liqueur, dark grapes, dry. I actually dig this quite a bit! Unsurprisingly, heh.
Alkohol: 13% obj.
IBU: 43
Słody: Pale, Amber, Black, Roasted Barley
Chmiele: Warrior
Uwarzone: 2 Czerwiec 2014
Butelkowane: Marzec 2015
Okres leżakowania: 7 miesięcy w Kentucky Bourbon Barrels American Oak
Butelka: 500 ml
Kolor: Czarny jak węgiel brak przejrzystości.
Piana: Krótka, niska, beżowa o strukturze złożonej z małych pęcherzyków powietrza.
Momentalnie kurczy się do łańcuszka. Na krawędziach TeKu nie pozostawia ani śladu swojej obecności.
Zapach: Aromat jest bardzo głęboki i trwały. Beczka po bourbonie roztacza swoje piękno. Fyodor pachnie wanilią, czekoladą, nadzieniem kokosowym, migdałami, cukrem Muscovado i karmelem. W drugim rzucie pokazujà się suszone owoce: śliwki,
trochę ciemnych winogron oraz rodzynek.
Całość otacza klimat palonych słodów, a w szczególności prażonego jęczmienia.
Smak: W smaku już po pierwszych łykach można trochę się zdziwić. Piwo jest mocno palone z długimi posmakami prażonego jęczmienia, intensywnie palonego ziarna kawy oraz gorzkiej czekolady.
Piwo charakteryzuję się również wieloma cierpkimi nutami pochodzącymi od ciemnych owoców. W szczególności ciemne i czerwone winogrona, a także kwaskowate wiśnie oblane likierem.
Beczka po bourbonie jest obecna, ale daje mało słodyczy.
Alkohol jak na 4 lotni trunek również mocno drapie w gardle.
Goryczka jest wyraźna nacechowana długim, potężnie wytrwanym i palonym finiszem.
Tekstura umiarkowana, a całość średnio przyjazna dla podniebienia.
Wysycenie: Średnie.
Podsumowanie:
Podpisane jako 2014 Stone Imperial Stout Ale Aged In Bourbon Barrels, natomiast 2015 Series.
29-ty najlepszy Imperial Stout na świecie!
Jestem w ciężkim szoku jak słabe jest to piwo...
Owszem aromat jest czarujący i wcale nie zwiastuje tego co wkrótce ma nastąpić w smaku.
Na języku dominuje ogrom słodów palonych i prażonego jęczmienia.
Mocny, palony charakter dodatkowo pogrąża cierpki posmak owoców wiśni oraz ciemnych winogron.
Na sam koniec szorstki, ciepły alkohol rujnuje resztki tego co pozostało w tym piwie.
Jest to zdecydowanie najgorszy Imperial Stout z Top50 RateBeer i z całą pewnością nie zasługuje nawet na Top200.
Pours a one-finger brown head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Black color, no highlights. Medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Bourbon nose and flavor is bourbon, some caramel. Decent RIS. Seriously expensive at $15.99 500ml bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.
Pours black with low brown head. Aromas of bourbon, coffee, chocolate raisins, dades, vanilla, hints of roasted malts. Taste has notes of bourbon, vanilla, dark fruits, muscavado, hints of coffee, chocolate, raisins. Mouthfeel is velvety, smooth, full bodied, low carbonation, low bitterness
Pours black with a low white head. Aromas of chocolate and roasted notes with bourbon an oak notes. Taste is chocolatey and roasted with vanilla and caramel notes along with nutty and bready notes. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Pours black with low tan head. Aroma of bourbon, coffee, dried fruit, light molasses. Taste is bourbon fiery, slightly bitter, boozy, lingering alcohol finish. Rich and smooth body with soft carbonation.
500 ml. "Fyodor" bottled October 2017, #02 in the Small Batch Series. Iniciates 13.5% abv so not sure the alias that sends me here is exactly correct, but here we go. Look is similar to “Mikhail” with a deep black body and small ring of bubbles. Aroma is vanilla, bourbon, caramel, soy and a touch of chocolate. Tastes the same with a bit of the oak barrel showing later in the long finish. Well disguised abv and a nice balance for such a big brew. Medium-plus body has a medium carbonation. This is really good but I liked the Mikhail even better because it tasted of more Stout and less whiskey.
Kolor: prawie czarny nieprzejrzysty z lekkimi refleksami, klarowny.
Piana: średnio obfita, drobno pęcherzykowa, w miarę trwała.
Zapach: intensywny aromat ciemnych, suszonych owoców, fig, daktyli, rodzynek, trochę miodu pitnego, lekkie aromaty drewna, beczki, delikatne nuty palonych słodów, czekolady, alkohol wyraźny.
Smak: dość wyraźna pełnia, trochę słodyczy, intensywne nuty ciemnych suszonych owoców, fig daktyli, rodzynek, trochę nut drewna, beczki, wyraźny alkohol, lekko piekący, brakuje charakteru stoutu.
Wysycenie: w kierunku średniego.
Long time since I've had a beer this good. Great bourbon flavor, thick and delicious. Alcohol is very well hidden. Delicious.
Bottle from Stone Berlin. Pitch black with white head. Bourbon, vanilla, cocoa. Oaky. Rich chocolate and liquorice. Delicious.
500 ml bottle labeled 2017 Batch 2. This was brewed in July 2016 and then aged for 14 months, so if my addition adds up, its been sitting around for about 6 months since release. Poured into a tulip glass, it appears an imperial opaque black, with a few tan coloured bubbles that surely cannot be considered any sort of head or froth. Aromas are a mash of chocolates and coffee, with very dominant bourbon booziness and dried fruits. In the mouth, it is rich, smooth, slick and oily, coating everything. The flavours follow the aromas, only now that the bourbon booziness becomes even more pronounces, and the ABV strong gets more prominent, especially as it warms. A very distinct and intense Russian Imperial Stout, fitting named for Fyodor Doestoyevsky!
2017 bottle of Fyodor, 13.5% ABV. Delicious monster of an Imperial Stout, beefier and boozier than normal Stone IRS and more indulgent, focusing more on deep, sweet chocolate and bourbon notes with vanilla, oak, and brown sugar coming through on the finish. Anise, black cherry, and cola come through as well, and the finish offers a firm hop bitterness coupled with moderate boozy warmth. Pours a viscous black with a thin brown head and slight lacing. Nose is bourbon balls and heat. Thick, warm texture could use a little more taming, but an all-around killer stout.
Fyodors Classic... excellent beer with the barrel treatment on it. Fudge, toffee, vanilla notes from the barrel. Really tasty too with similar flavors as what's on the nose.