Widmer Brothers Reserve Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout

An extremely rich and complex beer. The addition of raspberries during the fermentation process results in an almost purplish opaque color with a beautiful brown head. Warm chocolate and roasty notes compliment the hop bitterness.

3.6

347 reviews

Portland, United States

Community reviews

3.8 Lukt: Svak bringebær. Utseende: Sort. Skum/kullsyre: Ikke skum. Smak: Bringebær, kaffe og sjokolade. Hvor: Tasting kveld hos Untapd Geir med Bryne og Untapd Kristian. Medium: Flaske@500ml, ABV@9,3%, Når@10.12.2016

3.4 Bottle shared during the November THT tasting at deanso’s place. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma has chocolate, roasted malts and a bit of raspberry fruityness in there. Taste is very sweet and medium bitter with a nice subtle raspberry finish. Medium body, soft carbonation.

3.7 Bottle shared at the November THT at deanso’s place. Pitch black with a thin tan head. Notes of chocolate, raspberries, cocoa, roasted malts and some perfumey components. Nice, but the flavor feels a bit artificial.

3.5 Sampled from bottle at "This is not really deanso’s last THT"-tasting. Big deep roasted malts and some fruity notes. Medium body soft carbonation.

3.5 Sampled from bottle @ Benzai’s final THT although MrHangover thinks it’s something else. Brownish color, small off-white to beige head. Smell and taste malts, malt bitter, dark malt, very bitter, some raspberry. Ok.

3.6 Bottle shared at Novembers Tht. Thin ring off white head. Clear black pour. Raspberry.

3.0 Bottle shared. Near black with a ring tan head. Aroma of big raspberry, roast, dark chocolate, toffee and caramel. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and heavy bitter. Light full bodied with soft carbonation.

3.2 Copenhagen 5/11 2016. 65 cl bottle from Føtex. Looks very classy with wax seal on the cap and a lot of "Special edition" and numbers giving the impression that it is a rare event to drink this purple fellow. Pours opaque dark brown with lively bubbles and beige head. Settles as very thin layer of foam barely covering the surface of the beer. Aroma is bitter sweet. Some dark chocolate and coffee intermingling. Roasted malts. The raspberry is not very strong which is completely all right with me. Soft carbonation and medium thick palate. Flavor is heavily sweet followed by medium bitterness. Some raspberry sweetness in the lingering aftertaste. A bit cloying to be honest but much nicer than I expected (I was nurturing a fear that this would be close to raspberry Wine).

3.6 Bottle. 9.3%. Best before 01.05.17. Pours a dark brown, almost black, with a tan/khaki head. Good lacing. Sweet, roasted, fruity aroma. Light raspberry note as it warms, slightly tart. Flavour is roasted with a light raspberry note. Bitter, roasted finish with a lingering dryness and a bit more outspoken raspberry note than in the initial flavour. Mild alcohol burn as well. Overall good; the raspberries are pretty well-balanced and not overdone, making it not nearly as cloying as it could have been – but it is still a wee bit cloying in the long run. And maybe a bit generic too; it’s well-made all right, and the raspberries makes it stand out a bit, but it’s not over-the-top-good. 04.10.16.

3.5 Bomber tucked away since 2012...color is black with a huge head..tons of lacing....beer is not as good as i thought it would be...some berries and chocolate...ok not great.

4.6 Eine beerig, samtige Wohlfühlangelegenheit. Tolle Aromen von Wein, Rotfrüchten und natürlich die unvermeindlichen Röst/Schokogarnierungen lassen das Herz höher schlagen. Hochklassig und im Mund ein extrem rundes Vergnügen. Die Hopfenbittere während des Ausklangs, harmoniert hervorragend mit der durchaus vorhandenen Espressosäure. Stark und ein echtes Kaminbier. Verköstigung zur späten Stund, während der PELAGIC ZONE Record Release Party 2016 in HH. Bernd spendete das edle Fläschen. Thanx a lot :).....

3.9 Aroma is rich dark malts, caramel, chocolate, cereal, molasses and a slight bit of raspberry. Taste is a deep rich maltiness with caramel, toffee, fig, espresso and dark chocolate. Very faint raspberry on the finish. Very nice and complex. Appearance is black with a fine beige head that retains fairly well.

4.1 Visual: Pours very dark brown with just a hint of purple, barely any head, micro-fine half layer of retention with minor lacing, surfacing bubbles at the center along with super tight clustered streams along the side of the glass. Nose: jammy raspberry syrup mixed with brown sugar barley malt (lvl-8)-pungency Attack: slick-thicker, tingly bite Mid-palate: background raspberry jam, (lvl-7-sweetness), roasted barley, molasses, dark chocolate Finish: alcohol tangy-zingy mixed with SHARP burnt wood bittersweet roast Summary: Big thick roasted barley malts as you would expect from Imp stouts but the added raspberry twist adds a pleasant brightness that counterbalances well. The sharp burnt bitterness at the finish is a tad harsh and prevents this from being truly epic. Still, this is a delightful beer. 2nd bottle retasting November 11, 2021, cellared for 5.5 years, bought for $14 at Bainbridge in February 2016. Attack: smooth silky Mids: deep bittersweet roast, lvl7-sweetness, controlled boozy, tangy bitter chocolate raspberry jam Finish: lingering bittersweet roast, fruity raspberry exhale Overall: still superb almost 6 years after purchase. Smooth, bold and robust.

3.6 Bottle 22 Oz. Pours black with medium creamy beige head, nice lacing. Sweet raspberry aroma, like raspberry jam, with roasted malts and a hint of coffee. Taste is quite dominated by coffee and roasted malts, while the raspberries fades in the background. Medium sweet taste with some bitterness in the aftertaste - which balances well. Medium to full body with some carbonation.

3.6 650 bomber from Canada Craft club. Aroma: intense raspberry jams (raspberries with sugar) mixed with molasses and light roasted malt but really far behind the raspberry aroma. Not unpleasant. I could even say it’s quite pleasant. App: almost pitch black with brown / purple tint, minimal brown head, good lacing. Taste and palate: medium body, a tad oily, slightly creamy, but more liquoreux, lots of raspberries with lots of ashes with a dry bitter finish. Overall: hum...since I’m not a big fan of raspberry stouts, my expectations were pretty low. I did enjoy the aroma, didn’t enjoy that much the taste and the mouthfeel. Feels a bit light. On the other side, I’m glad this isn’t too sweet. That was probably my biggest fear and I’m glad this beer proved me wrong that my all raspberry stouts are sweet. That kind of dessert beer to share with friends.

3.6 Bottle. Nearly black pour with a small beige head. Aroma is very roasty chocolate and coffee with some raspberry notes. Taste is roasty and bitter with nice berry notes. Lighter bodied than expected but tasty.

3.4 Interesting bottle with the cap waxed on. Almost black with a hint of red. Huge brown head. The first aroma is full of rasberry, but after the pour this fades a bit in favor of coffee, burnt malt and toffee. Taste follows with a long aftertaste of burnt coffee. Alcohol clearly present.

3.9 90% opaque black pour, with a medium beige head. Big, boozy roast, with a solid amount of raspberry sweetness and jam. Mouthfeel is silky, carb is soft. Finish has a big raspberry kick, some raspberry jam flavour, some big coffee roastiness with some light chocolate. Pretty nice stuff.

3.5 Bottle: Poured a deep black color stout with a medium size foamy head with OK retention and some light lacing. Aroma of fresh raspberry juice with some chocolate and residual sugar notes is pretty enticing. Taste is a nice mix of fresh raspberry juice with some chocolate notes and some residual sugar. Body is thinner then I was expecting with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Interesting mix thought a little bit thinner then I was expecting.

3.5 Si c’est réellement une 2013, bue après 3 ans. Robe noire opaque sans col de mousse. Arômes de malt rôti, coulis de framboises, chocolat au lait. Bref, ça sent le gâteau au chocolat et framboise (Doigt de dame). En bouche, malt grillé, chocolat noir, framboise. Le fruit est bien dosé, pas trop sucré et le profil de la noire s’affirme bien. Finale plus chocolatée, un peu amère. Texture huileuse et corps moyen à rond. Très bien.

3.4 Clear, nearly black, small light tan head. Aroma has roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and notes of raspberry jam. Similar flavour, bitter, some sweetness and booze.

3.6 Corked bottle from BC Liquors, Park Royal, West Vancouver; Limited Edition n.8, 2013 Black color, good chocolate flavor with a mild raspberry tart touch, moderately sweet, some booze. Balanced and tasty.

3.7 Bottle - Sweet dark roast, chocolate and some light raspberry note. Deep jet black brown with a light brown head. Solid.

3.2 Pours a lasting beige head atop an opaque black body. Nose of seeds of raspberry or even the sweetness of strawberries with a rhubarb finish. Very light by comparison to the 9.3%. Nice flavour.

3.6 Un nez étonnament frais pour une telle bière foncée. Je pense à des framboises congelées, glacées. La mousse est timide mais crémeuse. En bouche, c’est mi-mince. On goûte les framboises, le chocolat et un brin de café. Le "An extremely rich and complex beer" est un peu exagéré, mais c’est tout de même fort agréable.

4.0 Bottle. Pours pitch black, beige head. Aroma is chocolate, light roastiness and raspberries. In taste medium sweet, chocolate and raspberry flavour upfront with some licorice and coffee in the back. Full body, soft carbonation, finish is lightly sweet and acidic. Very nice.

4.2 Aus der Flasche (0,66) von Getränkefeinkost getrunken. Tiefschwarz im Glas mit stabiler brauner Schaumkrone. An der Nase zurückhalten. Im Geschmack vielfältige Kaffeenoten. Die annoncierte Hopfenbittre ist gut versteckt.

3.7 650 ml bottle thanks to Adrien. 2013 vintage. carbonation is ok. Aroma is light oak, mild dark fruits and slight oxidation. The flavor is muted Berry. The base has light roasted malt base with a very weak bourbon finish. Body is a tad thin for an imperial stout but still decent. Dry texture. Again I am impressed that this is still pretty drinkable for the amount of time it has sat in the bottle.

4.1 Bottle from Beerlovers. Very dark brown color with small beige head. Aroma of raspberries, whiskey, dark malt, coconut. Taste, coffee, cocoa, raspberries, dark chocolate, whiskey. Tasty.

4.2 Bottle. Bolime tasting. Black colour, beige head. Aroma coffee, chocolate, coconut, vanilla, raspberry, bourbon, tobaco. Taste is roasted, coffee, raspberry, coconut, wood, noble alcohol. Lingering woody and bitter aftertaste. Very good.