Clown Shoes 'Blaecorn Unidragon' Russian Imperial Stout. 12.5% abv. Deep black in color. Finger of foamy mocha head. Outstanding retention and excellent lacing. Nose of bourbon, raisin, plum, molasses. Anise comes through in the aroma as the temp rises.

Front taste is bittersweet chocolate, dried plums, sweet bread, allspice. Dry finish. Aftertaste is cocoa powder, black coffee, tart plum, ample fruity bitter hops. Medium body. Mouthfeel is hot, sticky, boozy, carby.

This is an extraordinary beer, a great big Russian with a complex flavor profile that balances bitter dark fruit with spice, hops, and boozy tastes. The complexity is alluring, toying with your palate. The spice blend brings to mind anise, allspice, cloves, and coriander, even though I doubt any of those spices are present. There is a distinct bourbon whisky aroma off the pour, even though no bourbon was used in the making of this beer. 

With its high abv and hefty overall construction, this be can be aged for further excellence. A wonderful big beer from a colorful, creative, brewery that seemingly can do no wrong. Strongly recommended.


From the brewery:

"Brewed with a monstrous amount of malt and combined with aggressive American hops, this beer is powerful and complex and designed to age. Smokiness is subtle but present and blends nicely with the rich, dark flavors."

[source: clownshoesbeer.com]

"What should we call our Russian Imperial Stout? Black Unicorn? Soul Dragon? Nahhh. Let's combine them and create the ultimate mythical creature: Blaecorn Unidragon! Imbued with a monstrous amount of dark malt and aggressive hops, Blaecorn Unidragon is a powerful and complex brew designed to improve with age."

[source: bottle]

Firestone Walker 'Parabola' 2016 Vintage. Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout. 13.1% abv. 79 IBU. Dark brown, nearly black. Two fingers of dense beige head that slowly recedes to a thick reliable collar. Superb retention, outstanding lace. Nose of bourbon, caramel, brown sugar, oak expression. 

Front taste of sweet dark fruit, vanilla, bittersweet dark chocolate, molasses, heavy roasted malt, mellow oak, bourbon back end. Aftertaste is dark berry, raisin, notes of charred wood, bourbon ribbon throughout. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, thick, creamy, silky, carby, astringent sustain.

This is a world-class beer, a shining example of barrel aging. The profile is full of aromas and flavors, including dense dark fruit, rich caramel malt, tons of bourbon, with a wood/oak expression that starts mild and steps forward in the aftertaste, with a charred nearly smoky taste. The 2015 vintage was phenomenal, and this year's vintage follows tradition with a equally royal taste. One of the best. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Parabola is a beer of darkness and immensity, a barrel-­aged beast that is routinely ranked as one of the top beers in the world. This Russian imperial oatmeal stout is aged for a full year in a blend of bourbon barrels from Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Pappy Van Winkle, Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace, developing flavors of rich, chewy roasted malts, charred oak and bourbony vanilla. Parabola bares its teeth with its impenetrable black hue and soaring alcohol, yet its bite remains refined with a silky, balanced fiwish."
[source: firestonebeer.com]

Drake's Brewing 'Drakonic' Imperial Stout. 8.75% abv. 40 IBU. Black in color. Two+ fingers of thick creamy mocha head. Superb retention, outstanding lace. Nose of dark chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla notes.

Front taste of bittersweet chocolate, sweet bread, dark fruit, raisins. Aftertaste is black coffee, plum, black licorice, bitter fruity hops, resin sustain. Full body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, thick, creamy, boozy, astringent on the back end.

This is an outstanding beer, perfect within its category, and taller than most. The roasty malty backbone is awash with chocolate and coffee flavors, with bites of dank dark fruits and licorice. A wonderful beer, one that I've been meaning to taste for a long time. Another great beer from a reliably solid brewery. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Our malty beast. Two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and dark Crystal malts to make up the grist. One hop addition, added for bittering, allows the abundance of malt in this beer to shine through. Drakonic is smooth and dense with flavors of licorice, coffee, and chocolates. Sip, savor, and give in to its seductive malt embrace. Available Year Round... Despite the West Coast’s undeniable hop addiction and our general lack of truly cold weather, we here in Northern California still cannot resist the allure of an immense Imperial Stout with the strength and viscosity to tackle a Siberian mid-winter drinking session. With the hardcore beer aficionados of Northern California in mind, we crafted our first Imperial Stout in 2003. After many years of consideration while sipping and savoring this luscious, dense imperial stout, its name came to us in 2009. Drakonic Imperial Stout: seriously intense, seriously delicious."

[source: drinkdrakes.com]

House of Pendragon 'Crème de la Kremlin' Imperial Stout. 9.5% abv. 80 IBU. Black in color. Thick, creamy tan head. Good retention. Superb lace. Nose of roasted grain, smoky wood, chocolate, dark fruit. Front taste of roasted, sweet malt, bitter fruit, plum. Aftertaste of bitter hops, smoke, hickory, raisin on the back end. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, creamy, thick.

This is an extraordinary imperial stout, with its Spanish Cedar aging coming through in the long sustaining aftertaste, and a bitter flavor profile that is balanced well against the slightly sweet fruit notes. As the temp drops the aroma becomes rich with the Cedar wood. Wonderful. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Crème de la Kremlin is our yearly Russian Imperial stout. It's like no other RIS that you have ever had. This beer has been aged with Spanish cedar for two months to add to its rich complex flavors. CDLK has an intense dark dried cherry, chocolaty roastyness in the aroma. These aromatics follow through to the flavor where it melds with rich slightly velvety texture with a slight hickory wood flavor in the finish. Don’t miss out on this beer. We will be releasing it tomorrow for new beer Thursday. We are only releasing a few kegs of this beer while it’s young, and aging the rest for special releases throughout the year. So get it while you can."