Siberian Night Imperial Stout - Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

smooth great drinkable major league stout. Midnight black and after alchohol kicks in, you'ss spend the night anywhere. Better than almost any drink. Not too coffee but rich malt chocolate taste covering the 9%. hoppy too! Must have another. Great late night drink. Possibly best US made stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2004 02:16:06 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.45/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Motor oil black with roughly the same degree of opacity and, if the pour is any indication, a similar viscosity. Hell, the head is verging on mahogany. It has the consistency of ice cream and looks like it'll sit at two fingers until tomorrow. I'll edit this review when I get up in the morning to describe the lacing.

The nose is good for the style, but not great. While it has a fair amount of power, it lacks that commanding presence that the best RISs possess. TDSNIS smells like dark chocolate and double espresso, with no molasses that I can appreciate and very little black licorice.

Superb. Every bit of the miniscule amount of power and presence that was lacking in the nose has been located. Each mouthful brings a palate punch of vinous, black licorice-like, coffee bean-flecked, gooey chocolate fudge. Are there hops present? I can't tell, my taste buds are still staggering. Yes, I think so. I think I detect hops struggling for their very lives under the malt assault.

This beer is hugely malty, roasted to within inches of its life and is smoky sweet. The sweetness is effectively cut by a charred bitterness that works exceptionally well in the grand scheme of things. It struggles to maintain some semblance of balance and ultimately succeeds. The body/mouthfeel is thick, chewy and as mouthfilling as they come; a laudable achievement.

Siberian Night is one of the best Russian Imperial Stouts that I've ever had, but is still only second in the state of Ohio (Great Lakes Blackout Stout is my slight preference). Having said that, this is spectacular beer and is yet another example of why this style is now a solid second to my beloved IPAs. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2005 23:19:45 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Poured jet black, motor oil like with a small tan head that had a quick fade, and had a nice lace down sides for the duration of the glass.

S - The smell was light but very sweet. Caramel and sugar being the predominant flavors. A very light hint at chocolate and a modest amount of alcohol were present as well, though this did diminish as it warmed.

M & T - The first obviuos shock for me was a bitter hoppy finish that seemed to come out of no where on this black liquid. Lots of caramel flavors mixed in with black licorice made this one yummy drink indeed. The feel feel was thick, creamy almost chewey in consistency. Very robust full body and flavor..

D - Overall this was very very excellent, and definatly a winner in my book. The alcohol is soo well hidden that this is actually dangerous and could rightfully catch up to you at any moment. In fact if I did not know better I would almost say it was sessionable. Truly a fantastic robust stout, QUALITY!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2007 00:22:15 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to a generous trader for this bottle.

Pours a dark black with a slight dark tan head and some sticky lacing as it goes down my snifter. The nose has some familiar notes of roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate, but nothing too outstanding. The taste is much the same, but lacks the overall intensity of some of the better stouts. Medium to full body. Much better than the average RIS, but not among the best.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 02:04:34 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I'm in the mood for a delicious stout. I'm sure Siberian Nights is up to the task, though.

Appearance: Pours an opaque, oily black body with a thin, dark mocha-colored head.

Smell: Enduring, earthy roasted coffee aroma. Which is a good thing! You know, iffin you like the smell of coffee. Also, the scent offers plenty of bittersweet chocolate, sorghum,

Taste: Bam. Bittersweet chocolate, caramel, nougat, marshmallows, espresso, and smoke. "Just everything a growing boy needs." While the flavor is dominated by sweetness, a light hop bitterness runs throughout the flavor and into the roasty, sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body that's almost staggeringly smooth. While the mouthfeel is, in part, thinner than other stouts, the flavor and excessive creaminess more than make up for it.

Drinkability: With a heavenly taste that's wonderfully smooth, this beer is a noteworthy example of the noble RIS style.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2006 22:38:21 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a deep mocha brown color with a thick brown head that has good retention and leaves some lacing

Smell: French roast coffee, charred wood, bittersweet chocolate - hits all the Impy Stout buttons

Taste: Starts out with a a rich dark chocolate flavor wih tinges of coffee arriving by mid-palate; after the swallow, the roasted bitterness takes over although the finish is rather chocolatey and sweet, with some alcohol as well

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Drinkability: Very easy to drink for a big beer as it fails to challenge on the hop front like some other Imperial Stouts

Thanks, AKSmokedPorter, for the trade.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2006 02:25:57 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to jmpizzo for sending me this one!

Pours an opaque black with a 3 inch puffy dark khaki head that fades to a small cap. Thin foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt and milk chocolate candy. Taste is of dark roasted malt, milk chocolate, and slight coffee flavors. A mild roasty bitterness quickly fades after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a solid RIS all around. I am glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 02:48:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle (Courtesy of Daalamar): Poured a pitch-black color stout with a small dark brown color head with better then average retention. Aroma of roasted malt with a nice dose of coffee. Taste is lighter then expected with some nice chocolate and coffee mix with some semi-sweet roasted malt. Hops are not prevalent in this beer, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I would have enjoyed some more bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden and body is about average. Good imperial stout but I just don’t see what supposedly make it so great.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2006 16:08:06 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma: highly roasted barly and lots of malts. low hop aroma. Is there a cherry in there?
Appearance: Thick, dark, and Black. Nice 1" head that lingers. Bubbles are tight, creamy, and light yellow. Can't wait to dive into this one.
Taste: Very bold, well balanced, well hopped, gains a bit of bittering from the roasted barley. Maybe a bit grainy, but not a bother. A lot of flavor, cherries, coffee, chocolate, a very 'chewy' and creamy beer.
Aftertaste: slowly disipating sweetness, coffee, chocolate. Increasing heat from the now pronounced alcohol.
Impression: A well bodied, well balanced, heavy stout. Just what you would expect from an Imp. You've got to like 'em rich, thick, heavy and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2005 21:33:07 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

I have sampled this beer a few times in the past now on tap at Cole's in Buffalo,came to the table a jet black with a rich mocha colored head atop.Black licorice and burnt notes are big with underlying biter chocolate coffee as well,that licorice is even bigger on the palate I am not a huge fan of black licorice so I didnt care for that but it also has some deeply roasted and chocolate qualities wich are nice full and creamy mouthfeel.A little different flavor wise than alot of the style if you like the licorice than you'll like this alot.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2007 19:07:35 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This review is based on a bottle that was contract brewed at the Frederick Brewing Company in MD.

Appearance: Typical Imperial stout appearance with a long-lasting head but limited lacing (which is actually typical as the higher alcohol level tends to help kill the head).
Smell: Dark fruit (but not quite the normally associated burnt-currant, and some orange?!); rich and dense, lightly sweet chocolate cake; sweet mocha java. Nice.
Taste: The flavor offers all that the aroma does and more, with some additional caramel and nuttiness. It's sweet but bitter, and chocolatey and coffee-ish with a fruity side. It finishes with a long-lingering combination of the dulled components of its flavor.... leaving a kind of perfumey (from the alcohol and hops, perhaps?), molasses-like-burnt-caramel-residue flavor that's roasty and lightly-smokey, and even anise-like in flavor about the mouth.
Mouthfeel: Fairly full-bodied, creamy, and smooth. Nice!
Drinkability: It's certainly drinkable as in "approachable" and "enjoyable"; but I'm not sure that there's enough richness or complexity there to create the desire to have more than one.
Overall: As far as Imperial stouts go it's not bad but it's not overly great either. The acohol is, for the most part, well-cloaked - which is nice; and the fruitiness is good, and it's very well-balanced... but there's not quite enough of everything else there to bring it full circle.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2005 00:17:52 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

I've been meaning to revisit this for so long, as I really enjoyed it back in my college days. Let's see if things have changed (they have been known to, mind you): It pours a bleak obsidian topped by a finger or so of golden brown foam. Damn right. The nose comprises darkly-roasted malts, chocolate syrup, light char, caramelized sugar, and a touch of dark coffee. The taste follows pretty closely, with some mild hints of dark fruits and raisins somehow finding their way through the din of roast and chocolate. Nice. The body is a light hefty, with a light moderate carbonation and a chewy feel. Overall, for once, my memory was dead-on. This is a fantastic stout, one I wish I ahd regular access to. Get some!

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 17:51:26 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Total blackness, full, thick opacity marks the glass, and on the top floats a big, burnished brown layer of foam, settling into a tight, yet bubbly ring.
Aroma hits you from the start, twisted and viscous, massive, tumbling out flavors of molasses, dark rum, black pepper, anise, cloves, rich and ripe, and plenty boozy, as well. Deeee-lectable!
Brash, bitter hops clash on the palate, and sticks around for the duration, turning tricks in the mouth, whisking waves of flavor everywhere. This is a flavor that doesn't hide, doesn't shirk, and gets all up in the mouth, everywhere. Potent alcohol presence, never lets you forget it's there, yet still doesn't dominate, for the thick, rewarding taste is ever-prevalent and remains star of the show. Very rich, this is best kind of darkness, a great example of an Imperial Stout, with chocolatey, dark, rich flavors, and just a bit of fruit in the finish. huge mouthfeel, vast body, impressive flavor...this is one quality Imperial Stout! My first Thirsty Dog brew, hope it's not my last!

Cheers to Northyorksammy for the samples!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2004 11:00:18 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a pitch black color with a thick frothy tan head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a warm, black and roasted malt scent along with a dry, earthy character. The taste is good as well. It has a stiff, warmth that comes out and grabs you. The malt bill is well crafted with loads of roasted and caramel malts. This is a slow drinker, but one with lots of character. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a well crafted IS. It's complex and flavorful with the perfect amount of heat.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 23:22:17 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tempted to try this side by side with BORIS but I'm inpatient. Beer is black and has nearly no head. Some lacing, tiny brown bubbles. Carbonation ?

Sweet and roasty, smells like a poster boy RIS. Good.

Beer is smooth and kind of ashy at the back. Strong roasty bitterness. Smooth mouthfeel, mildly creamy, a little thin. Sweetness is mild, its a complex big flavored beer. Its quite good, heavy in the mouth though. Its a good decent RIS. Glad I had it. Thank sitarist for this thoughtful extra in our improptu trade.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 19:17:55 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle. This is one of the Russian Imperial Stouts that I have been wanting to try for several years.

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with a tan head. The aroma is full of heavily roasted malt with some coffee and chocolate notes. This smells like an imperial stout should smell.

The flavor has the same components. The dominant flavor is intense chocolate with a lot of coffee coming through as well. I also get a lot of roasted malt notes. The flavor is very sweet and the alcohol is well hidden.

Thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice stout that did not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 04:07:34 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high tan head that died down and left a thick ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: As the beer warms up, aromas of burnt and roasted malts become apparent in the nose.
T: The taste has complex flavors of burnt and roasted malts, coffee beans and chocolate along with a light amount of bitterness. The roasted and burnt flavors linger through the finish.
M: It feels full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a bit of dryness in the finish from the roasted malts.
O: This is a nice beer to slowly sip and savor and close the night out with. The alcohol is relatively well masked from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 21:43:19 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out an opaque, jet black color with a small, caramel colored head. It left some thin rings of lace.

S - It smelled of chocolate and molasses. A very sweet nose.

T - It tasted of roasted malt and sweet milk chocolate. It had subtle coffee notes and hints of boozy alcohol.

M - It was smooth and creamy. A medium-bodied RIS.

D - This is a really good brew. My first Thirsty Dog was a good one.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2009 18:49:25 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at Siciliano's in Grand Rapids about a year ago. No obvious bottled dating. Served in my Half Acre pint glass.

A - Pours with a half-finer of tan foam that dissipates to some light haze and a thin ring. Maybe a few spots of lace. Body is nearly pitch black, with only the faintest glint of red at the bottom of the glass when held to the light. Pretty ominous and imposing, even at only 9%.

S - Charred multi-grain bread, caramel, dark fruits, roasted nuts, chocolate fudge. Reminds me a lot of Ten FIDY, but not as hoppy.

T - Toasted malts, some light dark chocolate, dark fruits, anise. Finishes with light bitterness. Alcohol is very well-hidden. Again, it's very similar to Ten FIDY, but not quite as rich.

M - Smooth, creamy, with light carbonation tingle. The body is medium-full that is appropriate for the 9% ABV. Not much obvious heat. Finishes very sticky and chewy.

D - One 12oz bottle went down quite easy, and I could probably do a second with the excellent feel and an ABV on the lower end of the RIS spectrum. Also, quite reasonably priced - wish this one was available in Illinois.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 20:28:08 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours carefully with only a wisp of a brown head, when roused a rich chocolate brown head foams up and then slowly settles back down again. The color is opaquely black, yet showed a clear deep brown color as it was poured into my glass. The aroma is thick and fragrant with notes of burnt coffee, concentrated malt, sweet dark chocolate, and a dry slightly acidic finish of espresso roast. The beer is smooth and creamy on the palate up front, but then as it crosses the palate a hint of liveliness is picked up from the subtle carbonation and it melds with the bitterness in the finish that is a mix of hops and concentrated burnt roast notes. The beer has a concentrated malty sweetness to it that is cut by the darkly roasted coffee notes, notes of dark chocolate and the bitterness in the finish. This beer is quite rich and flavorful, yet not cloying and too rich like some Imperial stouts. Don’t get me wrong this is a sipping brew, but I don’t get the sensation of getting full while trying to work my way through this beer. There is a nice hop character here as well, it is second fiddle to the concentrated malt notes, but it adds a nice backdrop, and a nice foil to the other flavors that are here. This is definitely a solid example of and Imperial Stout, one I would be happy to try again.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2005 19:01:08 | More by Gueuzedude

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Mad props to beeronthebrain for this one!

Pours a noisy & effervescent & ebony with 2 fingers of mocha colored head. Much oilyness to the appearance; Nice sheets of lacing chase the beer down the glass. But about 2/3rd through, no lacing or head retention

S: Coffee & baker's chocolate

T: Rich chocolate, iron, & some coffe up front, Vanilla, molasses & dryness as this warms, along with Kona coffee & oakyness. fishes dry with much coffee & a smidge of vanilla. Almost pulled a 5.0

MF: Chewy, oily, & enough carbonation to make the flavor pop

Drinks great for the abv & style, but I'm sure 2 X 12ozs of this is conducive to an early night! Just a little more malt depth & I'd say this puppy is best of show!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 05:54:07 | More by russpowell

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from mcallister, so a big “thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a very thin brown head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The smell isn’t very strong but contains dark chocolate, roasted coffee a little bit of dark fruit and alcohol.

T: Dark chocolate is the dominant flavor, with some smokiness and hints of coffee and dark fruit. After-taste maintains the bitter dark chocolate flavor.

M: Smooth & crisp, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is a little sticky and dry.

D: Tasty, but kind of filling, a good sipper. A decent representation of style and an overall good beer, but I didn’t find it to be anything extraordinary.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2006 04:13:38 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of Thirsty Dog's best I'd say. This brew is pitch black and had a sliver of brown head over the top of the beer. The smell of the beer is highly roasted and burnt aromas along with some hops too! Some flavors of wood, a little smoke, some hops, Chocolate and coffee all come together in this one. The mouthfeel is on the thicker side which is great. I feel that this beer is a really good attempt at mimicking the Russian Imperial Stout in an American way.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2011 00:49:00 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to paco1029384756 for this one. Poured into a snifter at 47º. Obsidian with a hint of dark brown at the rim, only when backlit. At first it had a very compact head, then it faded to a ring at the edge fairly quickly. Dense chocolate aroma, cocoa, tobacco, a touch lactic like a chocolate milkshake.

Very rich feel, with a nice level of bitterness, its a fairly low undercurrent that still makes itself known. Earthy bittersweet bakers chocolate, dried fig or raisin sweetness, roasted malts in the back have that dry tobacco earthiness too. Body is dense, slightly viscous, this is the real deal. A rich RIS from the midwest, glad I had the chance to try it!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 02:08:06 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pitch black with a tan head that slowly descends to a thin cover.

The smell is of rich dark chocolate with dark fruits. Robust aroma.

The taste is of dark chocolate. Light smokiness. Deep-roasted coffee notes. Underlying dark fruitiness. Sweet, acidic finish.

Full-bodied, rich, creamy and smooth (esp. for abv level). Alcohol is fairly well-hidden, adding a fruity touch, but with a late warming effect.

For abv and style this goes down (too?) smoothly. Full, but not overly thick. Tasty. Very good brew here.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2007 03:05:20 | More by jwc215