Wellington Imperial Russian Stout

A rich, dark, coffee-flavoured beer of exceptional depth and complexity; a gold medal winner.

3.6

351 reviews

Guelph, Canada

Community reviews

3.4 Can from Urban Srpawl. Oily black with a tan head. Aroma of malt and sugar. Flavour is chocolate, coffee, molasses. Creamy finish.

4.5 One of my all time favourite stouts.Rich, dark, coffee and an almost chocolate flavour. Crazily full-bodied with a long finish. One of my "chewy" standards.

3.5 16 oz can. Pours black with a tan head. Some dark fruit, molasses aroma with a touch of smoke. Cocoa flavor, roasty. Decent, though not that exciting.

3.6 Enjoyed this one on tap at The Rhino Restaurant + Bar on Queen st. in Toronto. Arrived with a nice layer of brownish foamy head. Has a dark brown appearance. Dark roasted coffee grinds in the aroma. A bit of a watery mouthfeel. Weak lacing. For flavours, they are abundant: Chocolate, coffee, mocha, molasses, and hints of nutmeg and a dash of caramel. Pretty good stuff.

3.6 Canette acheté à la LCBO. Arôme assez doux d’espresso sous une vue d’un noir dense avec une petite mousse couleur crème! En bouche, on y retrouve un joyeux mélange de chocolat, noisette et d’espresso. Une finale assez douce et onctueuse en bouche !

3.3 Pours jet black, with a dark tan head. Aroma is of coffee, chocolate, burnt malts, and licorice. Tasting notes include chocolate, espresso, chocolate, rich malts, and a bit boozy. Not overly complex, but a decent intro Impy.

3.5 Thanks to HogTownHarry. What can I say? Thanks Harry, it was great to meet up and share some beers this summer. Particularly liked sat in The Bottle Shop with you and Dave chatting baseball. Can. Black beer lasting tan head. Chocolate and roast malt aroma. Malty imperial stout. Some liquorice. Well it’s the best Canadian imperial stout I’ve ever had in a can. The chocolate finish is pleasant. I also don’t think I’ve had a beer in a 473ml can either, so another first. Quite smooth in the mouth. A bit too much liquorice for me. Still it’s quite an impressive impy stout for a can. Just a touch boozy. Cheers Harry.

4.0 Best IS in a can ever? The nose is a solid combination of coffee, vanilla and cream. A thick tan head on a near black body. Some really solid tastes in balance here. Slightly bitter coffee, chocolate, molasses, burnt maple sugar, tar, cream and some hops underneath. A really nice sipper and a great value at the price

3.7 Can from LCBO. Pours near black with a modest tan head. The nose is indeed complex: roasted malts, ash, dark fermented - almost smoked - fruits (apples even), liqorice, tar, caramel. Tastes roasty and sweet with notes of coffee and dark fruits (figs, prunes, plums), and faint liqorice. Carbonation thin and active, body not nearing heavy, but around medium. Somewhat syrupy in the mouth, finishing slightly ashy. Good stuff.

3.4 Can. Pours a dark black with a thin tan head. Aroma of coffee and cherry. Taste is slightly sweet. Palate is full with a long roasted aftertaste. Overall good beer.

3.7 Can @ Bier Markt Ottawa. Pours cloudy very dark brown with airy but stable tan head. Clear aroma of malt and fruit, with touches of roast and coffee. Sweetish flavour of caramel malt and chocolate, with estery and roasty notes and touches of coffee. Bitter, roasty aftertaste. Creamy mouthfeel. Warming alcohol presence. Well-balanced and nice. Decent.

2.9 This is my 2nd time with beer: big head(brown), black beer. smells of cherry, roast some bitterness. Taste bitter, cherry, roasted, a little boozy. Medium bodied little thick little thin. cheers.

3.5 Canette de 473 ml acheté chez LCBO (Rockland, ONT) au coût de 2,85$. Arôme: Odeur de café torréfié avec une pointe de caramel. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque avec une très faible densité de bulle. Présence d’un mince col beige mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de café torréfié avec une pointe de chocolat et de vanille. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de vanille arrière goût. (Rating #6357)

3.7 473 mL can. Thick dark, almost black pour. Thin tan head, leaves a good cap. Sweet and very rich, lots of chocolate, with a bit of surprising spice. Good full body.

3.2 Opaque black with a very thin mocha head that rapidly disappears entirely. Some dark chocolate and black coffee on the nose. Definitely some roasted malts. Mouthfeel is relatively thin for a stout. Some metallic undertones, are hurting the tastes, which are dark chocolate, liquorice and dark fruits. This one was close to being a better beer, but compared to some of the stouts I’ve had in the past year it is middle of the road at best. Mildly surprised to read it won a Gold medal.

3.8 Pours dark brown, almost black, with a spare light-brown head. Roasty aroma of caramel malt, mild chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Flavour follows the aroma but with more alcohol bite along with some spices and a surprising amount of hops. Body’s a little thin and the flavour is a little mild.

3.9 Not as heavy as I thought it would be. Very dark, slightly sweet. A little bit of bitterness. Lots of toffee notes and coffee as well

3.8 473ml can from Guelph LCBO, thanks Peter. Aroma: dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, roasted malt. App pitch black, small brown frothy head. Taste and palate: full body, smooth, medium sweetness, slightly dry and light long bitter finish. Overall: rich but highly drinkable. A great replacement for dessert.

3.4 Cette RIS au nez sec et torréfié dégage de profondes arômes d’amertume. Le malt bien rôti nous annonce un café brûlé Le liquide noir opaque est quant à lui bien invitant. En bouche, le liquide est plutôt mince. Tel qu’anticipé, la bière est sèche et sans arrière goût. La poudre de cacao, l’amertume et le caoutchouc sont à l’avant-plan. Il manque ici de rondeur et de profondeur ce qui n’est pas un mal pour une RIS d’été!

3.6 Can at Vinifero. Rich body, roasted malt, dark chocolate, touch of nuts, bitter coffee finish. Solid imperial stout, maybe a tad too heavy if anything.

4.0 Nez de chocolat noir, malt grillé et café. En bouche, forte présence de sucre venant du chocolat et de grains de café expresso. Bonne rondeur et un petit goût minéral se dégage. De l’anis se fait sentir en finale accompagné du houblon. Aucune trace d’alcool. L’amertume est goûteuse, houblonnée et amère, presque sèche.

3.3 473ml can Into pint glass. Toronto airport. Pours dark dark. Tan head, which is fairly bubbly. Aroma is chocolate, dark malts, alcohol, coffee. Taste is subtly bitter and sweet. Medium body, rich frothy texture, medium finish. Decent enough beer. Fairly good flavor and texture.

3.9 Complete black. Brown head, quickly disappears. Chocolate and coffee aroma. Chocolate is stronger. Roasted. Sweet malt. Mollasses. chocolate. Full body and complex. Low carbonation. Pretty good overall. It’s not overwhelming, but 8%! Careful. Head is completely gone now.

4.0 473 ml can for the LCBO. Appearance: Pours an imperial jet black with two fingers of dense tan head with great retention. Leaves tons of thick lacing. Aroma: Alcohol, roasted malts, hint of licorice. Flavours: Chocolate, coffee, burnt malts, toasted nuts, molasses, dates. Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy. Overall: Wonderful stuff! Thick and creamy and it kind of feels like chocolate milk at 8.0% abv. The chocolate and coffee flavours are great and I think this one is a real bargin for the price.

3.5 Can from LCBO in Ottawa. Dark brown-black pour with minimal head. Aroma is toasty, mildly raisiny, chocolate and coffee. Taste isn't as big as I thought - quite drinkable though. Chocolate, some coffee, roasted malt. Bitterness is more burnt than hop, but both present. Not a bad imperial stout at all - more drinkable than most

4.1 From my friend Melissa. Black with brown foam. sweet mildly burned malt in the aroma with a hint of alcohol. Sweet, candy, with sweet burned aftertaste. Highly drinkable

3.3 473 can from the LCBO. Black/brown body that pours in an oily fashion with a deep tan head that’s thin and dissipates quickly. Alcohol choclate and vanilla notes are present. Espresso as well. Oily texture, roasty overall.

3.6 473 mL can to snifter (shared with the Mrs.). Looks good; a mostly opaque dull black with foamy beige head. Smells solid; dark malt, chocolate, roast, and toast. Tastes like it smells with a medium-bodied mouthfeel. Enjoyable.

3.1 473 mL can from the LCBO. Pours a dark black with no head. Roasted coffee and chocolate aromas. Heavily carbonated. Bitter roast on the tongue, like espresso. Long finish. An interesting stout but not one I'd order again.

3.7 Can from the LCBO. Deep black pour with a small tight tan head that fades quickly to a sheet. Nose is roasted malts, coffee, dark fruits and faint vanilla and chocolate. Lightly sweet toffee start followed by bitter coffee and roasted nuts with a little smokiness and a warming bitter finish. Medium slick palate with soft carbonation.