Cryptical Imperial Stout - Starr Hill Brewery

Beer_Runner

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 09/07/12, and aged about five weeks before opening.

A: A fairly aggressive pour into a standard pint glass produced about an eighth of a finger of dark mocha colored head that dissipated to a collar in about two minutes. It did not leave any lacing. The brew is a black hole type of black - absolutely opaque.

S: The aroma is primarily hops - a strong pine and citrus hops combined with an earthy hops that smells a little like wet leaves. And, there is just a small hint of coffee and grain.

T: The taste follows the aroma very closely. There is pine and citrus, and earthy wet leaves hops. There is not much of a malt backbone. At best there is a hint of coffee and grain.

M: The body is light and a little thin with a fairly high level of carbonation.

O: Somehow this beer really misses the mark. It is surprisingly mild for a Russian imperial stout. It does have an interesting hops profile with the pine and citrus combined with something that smells like wet leaves composting on a forest floor (but, not in a bad way). But, the lack of a malt backbone to provide balance and complexity, and make it a Russian imperial stout, really hurts this beer. The brewery might be onto something with the leaf-like hops, but there is still a lot of room for improvement with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 23:36:39 | More by Beer_Runner

KMcG

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%

05-19-2013 21:26:20 | More by KMcG

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -32.6%

05-10-2013 12:53:01 | More by tommyguz

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.1%

04-28-2013 15:35:19 | More by Jason1337

ChopsMeister

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7.8%

04-13-2013 03:35:20 | More by ChopsMeister

gregu2

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

04-07-2013 03:53:49 | More by gregu2

GaryMarkle84

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +21.3%

04-05-2013 21:47:08 | More by GaryMarkle84

Falcon2008

Wyoming

3/5  rDev -19.1%

04-04-2013 00:57:25 | More by Falcon2008

hersh500

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

03-28-2013 01:15:51 | More by hersh500

Mattyb79

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7.8%

03-17-2013 12:34:00 | More by Mattyb79

jlindsey

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

03-17-2013 03:35:53 | More by jlindsey

bigbutter

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7.8%

03-13-2013 22:57:44 | More by bigbutter

dvmin98

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

03-12-2013 22:14:54 | More by dvmin98

jjd315

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%

03-04-2013 13:48:25 | More by jjd315

ChadA83

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7.8%

03-03-2013 03:33:50 | More by ChadA83

speedvagen

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -25.9%

02-24-2013 23:09:17 | More by speedvagen

IdrinkGas

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

02-10-2013 23:56:50 | More by IdrinkGas

trc77

2/5  rDev -46.1%

01-06-2013 02:13:44 | More by trc77

Ryanm1

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this straight out of the bottle. This is labeled as am Imperial Stout/Americal Double. I'm sure black in color. I thinkBeer Advocate got it wrong calling it 7.52% abv while on the label of the bottle it says only a flat 7%. My first impression by reading the label is that "this is a bit on the lower side of ABV" for an imperial beer. I thought this beer didn't really have a lot to offer. I thought for an imperial stout it was overly hoppy. Sky high 70 IBU rating. You hop heads will enjoy it. Upon checking the Starr Hill site it states that this beer uses Simcoe hops which are thought to have a cult following. Doesn't stack up against the really good imperial stouts such as Old Ras and Yeti.

All and all, if you're a hop head you'll like it, if not, I'd pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 00:41:41 | More by Ryanm1

avisong

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%

12-25-2012 05:17:25 | More by avisong

TheRougeBastard

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%

12-24-2012 22:41:03 | More by TheRougeBastard

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Served in a snifter, dark brown-black pour, with a small, tan head; moderate retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, hints of anise. Roasty dark malts, pretty typical stout material, ntoes of coffee and anise detected in the aroma, with a slight earthy hop presence. On the heavier side of medium-bodied, soft carbonation, fairly smooth, but not quite as rich as many of its peers. Pretty solid basic stout overall.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2012 04:59:54 | More by Rifugium

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7.8%

12-18-2012 01:29:37 | More by stereosforgeeks

cliff1066

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%

12-16-2012 23:30:23 | More by cliff1066

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Birthday gift from "bro" Artied2... 750ml bottle, with no freshness dating visible...

Using a small DT tulip, this bier has an opaque, dark brown color. Head is frothy and rocky, nicely beige colored, and lasts well at about 1/2"... Lacing? Quite nice and lasting well... Aroma has some bitter, burnt notes, plus some licorice and a little florality. The bier passes rather smoothly down the hatch, and the body is medium at best. With this style, I'd like to see more "oomph" and heft bodywise.

Flavor is malty and roasty, with dark choco, cocoa and some espresso notes. A little bitter coffee is also present, plus licorice and floral, flowery hopping in the dry finish. Verry similar, imo, to Smutty RIS.... Thnx Bro!! Prosit!

4.03/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1550

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 23:07:39 | More by Bierman9