Mission Brewery
San Diego, CA
A dark version of a Russian Imperial stout, with a rich and roasty aroma, notes of plum and port and a velvety texture.
ABV: 9.8
ABW: 7.84
COLOR: N/A
BITTERNESS: N/A
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: N/A
AVAILABLE: AZ, CA, NC, NJ, NY, PA, VA
It’s exciting and invigorating to witness the revival of old beer styles. This 9.8% beer is a Russian Imperial Stout, a style exported to the Baltic in the 18th and 19th centuries by London brewers of porter and stout. This version has a jet black color with a ruby edge. It’s followed by a big aroma of burnt, roasted malt, licorice, espresso coffee, cigar smoke and hop resins. The palate is sweet with dark, roasted grain, burnt fruits, licorice, treacle, coffee and gentle hop bitterness. The finish is dominated by sweet grains, dark fruits, coffee, licorice, tobacco and spicy hops. Nostrovia!
Black as oil, this beer raises a scant mocha foam. The aroma is heady, full of espresso, tar, cacao beans and licorice. Hop and roast bitterness combine sharply at the front of the palate, then open up onto a dry but rich fruity, roasty center. The finish is long, and bitterness lingers cleanly. This beer is austere and slightly challenging, but also elegant and very well brewed. Go for it. It will age magnificently.
Author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. Respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. and www.protzonbeer.co.uk.
Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and a veteran host of more than 800 beer dinners in 15 countries.
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