Stone Imperial Russian Stout - Espresso
Stone Imperial Russian Stout is so thick, rich and well, sinful, you might worry that you’ll be doomed to the fiery pits just for thinking about a sip. It almsot seems evil. Rest assured, however, that even though this seemingly pernicious brew is indeed as black as sin, we guarantee that no actual sin was committed in it’s production...you’ll have to add that on your own.
This Odd Year addition was brewed in the authentic, historical style of an imperial russian stout, but with the addition of several hundred pounds of espresso beans from our friends at Ryan Bros. Coffee. Actually, this could be considered historically accurate, since the Russian nobility were as fond of earthy breakfast beverages as they were of hearty dark beers. Catherine the Great herself bolstered her finesse for ruling an empire by drinking five cups of black coffee every morning during her lengthy reign.
While we couldn’t fit five cups coffee in every bottle of this darkly delicious libation, we assure you that the deep, rich espresso flavors are unmistakable and meld beautifully with the roasty bitterness of the dark malts. Catherine would have whole-heartedly approved.
This Odd Year addition was brewed in the authentic, historical style of an imperial russian stout, but with the addition of several hundred pounds of espresso beans from our friends at Ryan Bros. Coffee. Actually, this could be considered historically accurate, since the Russian nobility were as fond of earthy breakfast beverages as they were of hearty dark beers. Catherine the Great herself bolstered her finesse for ruling an empire by drinking five cups of black coffee every morning during her lengthy reign.
While we couldn’t fit five cups coffee in every bottle of this darkly delicious libation, we assure you that the deep, rich espresso flavors are unmistakable and meld beautifully with the roasty bitterness of the dark malts. Catherine would have whole-heartedly approved.
4
608 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
Bottle from Systembolaget, cellared for a year or two. Pitch black with tan head, leaves quite a bit of lacing. Aroma of vanilla, ground coffee, red berries, a bit of roast. Taste is similar with quite a bit of sweetness. Roasted, coffee finish.
From 0,65l bottle: pours black color, clear, with tiny unstable brown foamy head, which immediately transforms itself to a ring around the glass. Aroma: rich roasted and dark malts aroma, supoorted with note of coffee. Flavor: rich dark, roasted malts, which takes on gentle roasted, coffee beans, bitter dark chocolate, supported with coffee note and dark fruits esters. Evident Stone RIS backbone, with dry, slighztly roasted-dry-bitter finish, thick body, smooth texture and low carbo. The fresh one would be much better. This beer is for sure not proper for aging.
Pitch black. Roasted malt, bitter coffee. Bitter coffee, roasted coffee beans, espresso, blanced by a rich roasted malt base and chocolate tastes. Lingering bitter coffee finish. Awesome coffee based Imperial Stout.
On tap. Pours black with moderate rain head. Aromas of fresh ground roast coffee and roasted malts. Flavors of acidic black coffee, vanilla, dry toasted malts and bitter dark chocolate. Slick and acidic maybe overkill on the coffee.
Pours a pitch black with big brown fluffy head. Aromas of coffee, smoke, dark chocolate. Flavors of espresso, tobacco, and dark dark fruits.
22 oz 2013 bottle at 2016 ASMF.
Strongly flavored with enough coffee, dark grains or hops to completely overpower the others in most beers. In this fine brew, however, they coexist in good balance.
Even after over 2 years, this is still a little boozy, but this works well for this strongly flavored brew. The coffee strength is surely lower than when fresh but is still the last thing to fade from the long lasting aftertaste.
Overall: with the base beer a favorite, this coffee-added version should be a winner and it doesn’t disappoint.
honestly not as coffee forward as some coffee stouts ive had and was a little thin. decent.
Black pour with tan head. Aroma of rich espresso, dark berries, ash. Tons of espresso comes through with burnt malts, berries, and chocolate. Surprisingly thin for the alcohol, but not a negative. Great sipper.
Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a two finger dark beige head that very slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Impressive retention for the style and high ABV with streaks of soapy lacing left behind.
Robust, deeply roasted dark malt aroma with subtle hops and a very strong coffee/espresso character. The dark malt and coffee notes are countered by a sweet, silky chocolate presence. Gourmet roasted espresso bean complimented by dark chocolate,oatmeal and toast. This is followed by a faint resinous hop character, bakers chocolate and cacao.
Full bodied with a huge espresso/robust coffee flavor that adds another dimension to the complexity of the base beer. Delicious roasted, slightly nutty, gourmet coffee flavor perfectly compliments the malt profile and subtle hop bitterness of the regular IRS. Robust and bitter but never becomes overwhelmingly dry or acrid. Lots of espresso flavor up front along with burnt toast, oatmeal, dark chocolate and subtle smoke. There’s some resinous hop bitterness mid-palate with some grass and pine needle followed by sweet, desert-like silky chocolate notes. Hints of fudge, German chocolate cake, cacao and subtle lactose toward the back end. Although this is a huge, complex beer, the high ABV is pretty much undetectable, making it deceptively drinkable. This is the kind of beer you want to slowly sip on and savor, but I love the flavor so much that I can’t help myself from downing the bomber very quickly. Possibly the best tasting coffee beer that I’ve ever had.
Awesomely rich, full, deep stout. Lots of French roast coffee and marshmallow. Very little hop harshness - smooth, malty, with a just a light touch of bitterness.
2013 vintage. Boozy dried fruit and bourbon on the nose. Not much coffee in here. Velvety smooth ice cream mouth full. Medium thickness. BooZy afterburn but nice and warming. Burnt brown sugar. Vanilla on the nose. Still pretty bitter up front despite being a couple years old. Dark dark chocolate. Not very sweet. Meaty. Possibly prefer the regular version but this is pretty good stuff.
22oz bottle enjoyed while organizing my cellar. Pours out black topped with a tan head. Nose is roast malts chocolate coffee vanilla and a nice sweetness. Taste is great rich malts chocolate espresso roast and a nice mellow end.
On tap at decicco-brewster. Great mouthfeel. Lovely chocolate. Very drinkable.
Bottle. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty chocolate and coffee aroma. Roasted malty chocolate and coffee flavor with hints of licorice. Has a roasted malty chocolate and coffee finish.
22 oz bottle shared with ebone1988. The pour is a nice medium black with a dark khaki head and a couple spots of lace left on the glass. The aroma is heavily dominated by the espresso. There is a good roast and some dark fruits present but the coffee aroma takes it. There is a little booze, but it's hidden for the most part. The flavor is pretty good. There is quite a bit going on. The dark fruits and light licorice start, then the espresso comes in and kicks ass. It's an overpowering coffee flavor that's really good and powerful. The booze character kind of remains present throughout the entirety. The mouth feel is good and viscous with a light carbonation that helps the viscosity. The aftertaste is all lingering roasty dominating espresso. A tough dry and really good. Solid solid brew
Bottle shared with koleminer20. Aroma is coffee, roasted malt, a little booze, licorice. Appearance is black, pours thick, light brown head. Taste is coffee, coffee, roasted malt, booze, touch of chocolate, aftertaste is overwhelmingly espresso. Mouthfeel is great, thick, viscous, perfect carbonation. Overall, I’m a sucker for coffee beer and this did not disappoint.
5/III/15 - 1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. bottle @ Drunken Driver’s tasting (home) - BB: n/a, bottled: III/14/13 (2015-269) Thanks to ElManana+1 for sharing the bottle!
Clear deep purple brown beer, creamy beige head, unstable, bit adhesive. Aroma: coffee, lots of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, mocha, bit sweet, very roasted, coffee. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: lots of chocolate, caramel, coffee, some alcohol. Aftertaste: coffee, mocha, caramel, nice roast, little sour. A lot of coffee for me, but very decent beer indeed!
Can at Drunken Driver’s Tasting @ tderoeck’s place. Thanks guys. Dark brown ,almost black with a nice brown head. Lots of chocolate, espresso, some soy sauce. Taste is more chocolate, espresso. It has 11 ABV but no alcohol noticeable. Boy this is awesome.
2 finger espresso head that fades pretty fast. It’s almost pitch black, amber/red edges. Well, as the name suggests, this is a very espresso forward aroma with bits of sweetened chocolate. Taste is nice. Crisp and full of chocolate chips, not too sweet, Some cheap candies, more chocolate than I can really handle. Finish is bitter, more lingering hop, some cookie dough. really interesting.
Bottle from Brewdog online shop. Black color, brown head. Bitter taste with roasted malts, espresso, dark fruits, vanilla, chocolate, nuts and a bit of hops. Bitter finish with espresso, roasted malts, vanilla and nuts. Exquisite imperial stout.
Bottle at Craig’s. Pours black, coffee on nose, chocolatey vanilla coffee taste.
Aroma: Coffee, Raisins, Rum, Vanilla.
Appearance: Pitch black, tan head.
Taste: Well balanced sweetness rounded off by a decent hop bitterness.
Very nice. Could maybe have toned down the hops a smidgins?
Black with a good chocolate head. Aroma is coffee, coffee, vanilla, green peppercorn. Medium-full bodied, slightly roasty bitter on the palate. Taste is coffee, green peppercorn, roasted grain.
22oz bottle from the cellar. Complex, not too sweet, well blended coffee. Stiff brown head despite the motor oil pour. Good bitterness level with no notable astringency from the espresso. No complaints, just a really nice stout.
22oz bottle. Pours a deep midnight black color with a creamy tan head that sticks to the sides of the glass. Smell is chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, slight char, and caramel. The coffee has a big presence in the flavor along with lots more milk chocolate, along with caramel and some toffee balanced out by a fairly stout coffee bitterness. A little hint of alcohol becomes present towards the finish. Silky smooth medium mouthfeel and a sticky finish.
Bottled. Pitch black beer, minimal head is vanishing. Strong aroma: coffee beans, roasted grains, a hint of smoke and dried plums, some creamy caramel and syrup. Heavy maltiness, liquid bread, salty licorice, dark chocolate and a hint of burnt sugar. Resinous bitterness hits in the finish. Full body, thick syrupy texture. Delicious.
Poured from a bottle. Inky black with a small, beige head. Coffee aroma and taste. Bitter.
May 19th, 2013 - Like it’s vanilla not-vanilla counterpart, the espresso version of Stone’s Imperial Russian Stout pours like a thick, oily ink from the bottle, immediately flavoring the air with the coffee house scents of freshly ground espresso beans, which have a unique tang to go with the deep earthiness and biting acidity. The scent is also made rich with the smell of sesame oil and/or sesame seeds and steak - a decadent Japanese steakhouse aroma. This may be smooth and sultry, but the texture is raucous and punishing. An over eager sip brings the acidic scratch of coffee grounds, where more moderate ones are better expressed by light coffee flavors and a well balanced espresso sharpness. The violent flavor and palate is actually kind of nice, even as it kicks and growls. In spite of a bubbly taste the flavor comes through, and only improves as it warms and settles, changing from a thrashing brew to a calmer, murkier, more flavorful drink.
A black body with a brown head that had mild retention. Aroma was a great mix of dark chocolate, coffee and leather notes. Some alcohol was present. Flavor seemed to have more dark chocolate flavors then coffee. Still had rich roasted malt flavors and the alcohol was a nice warming sense in the finish. Moderate mouth feel. Easy to drink.
Aroma of rich roast and coffee. Taste is semi-sweet, with a nice earthy coffee & milk chocolate, bundled with an evened out roast and a mellowed out licorice feel to it. Great mouthfeel, remember this as much better mouthfeel than the normal Stone IRS.