Brewmaster's Premium Reserve Russian Imperial Stout - Sprecher Brewing Company

vfgccp

New York

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75

2010 bottle opened 2013.

A - Nice creamy cap of dark khaki head. Great retention and nice lace. Dark brown, almost black body with cola highlights.

S - Super sweet. Plum, molasses, dark caramel, whoppers, tobacco.

T - Medium roast ice coffee, coca cola, molasses, blackened toast, burnt caramel. Great finish.

M - Medium-light body is surprisingly thin for the style.

O - Drinks like a flat cola with charred edges - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a shade sweet, but it's got a nice roast character and great integration.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:43:09 | More by vfgccp

sajaffe1

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

A- Very dark brown, light brown head that disappears fairly quickly, some lacing on sides of the glass

S- Charred oak, smokey, maybe a hint of coffee and dark fruit, hoppy

T- A bit of coffee, dark fruit, heavy hops presence

M- Somewhat creamy, medium carbonation, goes down quite easily

O- Not a bad beer at all, but there are better RIS out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 03:59:27 | More by sajaffe1

Mosca

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding, either. Dark, hoppy, beery. You know how, when you try new beers you taste and think, "That's ok." And you taste another, and you think, "That's okay." And another, and you think, "Yeah, that's OK." Well, this is okay. It's good enough. If you bought more than one, you'll drink the others, but you probably won't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 02:03:01 | More by Mosca

righthereisay

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Purchased for $2 at Harrika's Brew Haus in Swansboro, NC (A great place)

Poured dark black, dark brown head. Smells of bittersweet chocolate, coffee, maybe a little raisin, not sure about that though.

Doesn't taste that great. Nothing worth noting really. Chocolate, roasted coffee maybe. Doesn't remind me of an Imperial Stout, almost like a lame attempt at a dark Belgian beer.

No question, I would consider the label a little misleading. Would never have even thought it was from Wisconsin....I guess that is their strategery.

Anyways, not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 00:19:58 | More by righthereisay

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Bottle into Founders tuliped snifter.

Very dark body... Kinda brackish and murky looking with some serious rust color in the edges and legs.
Smells hugely of bitter chocolate and roast coffee. Very big roasty character with an acrid bitterness.
The flavor has just a little sweetness up front that rather remind me of plums before it turns bittersweet cocoa, dark cocoa, roasted coffee, and very bitter. The bitterness reminds me more of chocolate/coffee bitterness than it does of the usage of bittering hops, but perhaps I'm just projecting that.

Feels a little light of full, very oily, and a bit overcarbonated.

Overall-- far from terrible, but also far from good.
I wouldn't turn this one down, but I won't buy I again. I'll take Pleas the 5th, Expedition Stout, or Founders Imperial over this any day of the week.
The best thing this beer has going for it is that it is always available on shelves here in IL, unlike the ones I just listed. I was hoping I could stumble upon a secret, but alas, foiled again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 03:24:24 | More by AleWatcher

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

2.58/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a Capital Maibock pint glass.

Appearance- A very dark brown with nice 3 finger head that does dissipate rather quickly.

Smell- Faint nothingness. There was very little there and I won't justify trying to explains these faint nothingness for a bold style such as an Imperial Stout.

Taste- Not many flavors that I associate with an Imperial stout. Almost like drinking a pop with the slightly bitter hops and carbonation level.

Mouthfeel- Watery and highly carbonated for an imperial stout.

Overall- Very sad especially for the style. Looks nice but that is about it. Really like drinking a shitty porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 04:40:41 | More by BrownAleMale

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - pours black but a bit splashy. Nice mocha head, a little on the conservative side but attractive. Disappears kinda fast, making some lace legs along the way.

Aroma - nice big roasty sweet first impression. Notes of chocolate and coffee. Smells great!

Taste - roasty malts, quickly turning sweet with notes of licorice. Very nice footprint of coffee on the swallow and aftertaste. Long finish with some of the roastiness returning. Not a full-on imperial experience, but a good one nonetheless.

Mouthfeel - lots of crispness, good smoothness, not the biggest body.

Drinkability - pretty good stuff at the 7.9 level. These age wonderfully, this is the final of the set from three or four years ago.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 16:26:49 | More by brewdlyhooked13

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

When poured into a glass, it has a dark body with a small tannish head to it. The smell is of roasted malt and some chocolate coming through the nose. The taste is of dark fruit and some roasted malt up front with a burnt flavor on the back of the tongue. The mouth feel is ok and overall,i'm not a big RIS fan but i like to try them just to see if i find one i like.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 02:27:45 | More by chefhatt

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Brewmaster's Premium Reserve Russian Imperial Stout
Sprecher Brewing Company
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 7.90 %

LOOK: Stubby 12 oz bottle. Pours a darkest of browns bordering into black. Light brown head forms and leaves a fair amount of lacing.

SMELL: Toasted/roasted malts, coffee, herbal hops and alcoholic aromas.

TASTE: Robustly malty, with a small note of dark fruit. Herbal hop flavor and bitterness remains throughout with a moderate presence of alcohol. Roasted malt, smokey charcoal and coffee notes persist.

FEEL: Full bodied, low carbonation, smooth almost slick feel. Aftertaste of roasted malt and clean alcohol.

OVERALL: A solid export stout from Sprecher. Robust malty flavors, somewhat strong, yet satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 03:57:38 | More by Stinkypuss

barnzy78

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had this one a couple of years ago and wasn't a fan. New bottle size (12oz) this year prompted me to try it again.

7.9%, dob 12/3/11? Code on the bottle neck has series of numbers starting with 120311...

Pours black with a fluffy light brown head, decent retention, decent lace. Aromas are smoky with some dark chocolate trying to escape. Tastes are charred malts, extremely smoky (reminiscent of a Rauchbier), chocolatey, dark roast coffee, faint oak, but the smoke and char dominate the palate. Mouth-feel is rather thin, especially for the style. Finishes slightly bitter with a pine hop profile. Alcohol is well concealed. This was better than I remember, but still nothing worth recommending.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 01:31:03 | More by barnzy78

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Body is thin to medium looking with a thing to almost non existent band.
The aroma is unmistakably full of smoked malts, a rauch-lite note. Lets see how far it goes.
Upfront the flavors present an approachable level of smoked malts, i enjoy how far this one went. Rauch for beginners. Some chocolate on the back end. Chicory is there, and some licorice.

I dig this, but it is a unique beer some will not.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 03:16:01 | More by ChadQuest

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a motor-oil black in snifter. Light tan head that lingers along the sides of the glass.

Smell has almost a belgian Quadruple character to it. Lots of candied fruit. There are plums present. Toffee and caramel are there as well.

Taste is sweet toasted malts. Some molasses and coffee. Chocolate comes through as well. Mild bitterness to the finish. This is very sweet.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Full bodied.

Overall this was a little too sweet for the style. Like a Quad/RIS hybrid.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 01:58:41 | More by TrappistJohnMD

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had a SMBDC Stout tasting thanks to Amy and Michael, but don't remember who brought this one.

Pours a light fizzy head, dark brown molasses color.

Nose has syrupy malts, molasses, caramel, vanilla, candy like, malty sweetness, light oak, kinda like caramel candies.

Taste is lighter, little tart sour flavor as I think there's a slight infection, dark syrupy malts, little dark charred malt with a bit of salty briny char, bitter roasty, hint of chocolate and caramel, bit of vanilla.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, decent carb.

overall meh, a bit of an infection doesn't help, but this doesn't seem to be a big beer to begin with.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 23:39:50 | More by jlindros

Pintofbrown

Iowa

4.18/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this in a Premium nonic pint.

Appearance- The head only reached about a finger in width and is brown sugar - hued. The retention is bad and there is barely enough foam to cover the lid.

The body is completely black. That aspect looks great.

Smell- A sweeter head with some toffee and caramel that also features sweet and fruity alcohol. The roasted malt is just barely coming through, and easily stays behind the sweet character.

Taste- This is a pretty sweet RIS, but it works out very well. The front of the drink is all toffee and some of that fruity, brandy-like note that was on the nose. Even some mashed dark fruit kicking around.

The middle of the drink seems to grow in alcohol flavor, which is a little strange seeing as this one is not even 8% ABV. Brown sugar also adds to the experience, and it is not until the finish that the drink really starts to get roasty and has some leathery notes.

This RIS has a nice combo of flavors.

Mouth feel- This is one is a weird combo of creamy and watery. It may just be that the body is a pretty heavy medium, but there is virtually no coating.

Overall- Yeah, a good RIS that will not disappoint. It may not be the"greatest RIS I have ever had", but I certainly have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 00:20:41 | More by Pintofbrown

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Most Russian looking RIS I've ever had, the bottle itself just looks so Russian, from the label, to the shape of the bottle itself. Black pour, tan head, 1" in depth, respectable retention and lacing. Aroma is dark bread, mild chocolate, dark fruit in a miniscule way, with a little alcohol to round it all out.

Dry unsweetened chocolate, dark fruits, breadiness, licorice, and plenty of warming alcohol continues into the mouth on the initial sip. While the alcohol is there, it really doesn't detract from the drinking experience, plenty of thickness to the mouthfeel. Pretty smooth overall. Detectable amounts of toffee and caramel, but this stays below average for sweetness of an RIS, if you like sweet syrupy RIS, you might not be all in on this one.

I think this one might have a bit higher of a rating if it wasn't so dang cheap and available. Wisconsin makes some delicious stouts that are available off the shelf in 4 packs for around $10. If only they made them special releases and charged $10+ a bottle. . .

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 23:15:11 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My parents found this in Philly for 4 bucks.

A - Not very carbonated I get only a slight layer of mocha colored head that turns to a light lace ring. Color is a deep dark black.

S - Smells like overripe fruits (mostly plums) roasted malts and a touch of chocolate.

T - Kind of underwhelming I get almost a cherry roasted flavor (lactic?) and a smooth chocolate finish. Roast is nice though giving it a fairly creamy body.

M - Drinks very good for under 8 percent with an almost creamy aspect.

Overall defiantly not my favorite RIS but not bad either. Still I overpaid and it isn't as big as I like my RIS's so it's really not worth a revisit. Nice try though.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 00:16:43 | More by DrDemento456

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Aroma: Very rich. Coffee, chocolate, molasses, semi-sweet chocolate. Alcohol is only detectable by using quick short sniffs.

Appearance: Pitch black. Very dark, thick brown head. Good retention and a ton of lacing.

Taste: Disappointed right from the start. Flat, lacking boldness. Coffee, molasses, too much alcohol for only a 7.9% ABV brew. Mild anise.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Mild carbonation. Rather watery and a bit chalky.

Overall: Decent, but I'm not impressed. Flat, mild, too much alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 17:46:31 | More by soulfly1492

VoiceOfTheSoul

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It poured black with a thin, almost one finger dark brown head. The glass wasn't clean enough, so it didn't stay, and thus no lacing. It smelled of dark fruit, malty sweetness, some roast, apple strudel. It's sweet, dark fruits like raisins, apples and plums overtop light roasty malts. It feels thin with some light carbonation. This was nice at first, but a bit too sweet. It's pretty light - good for after dinner even on a pretty full stomach. I remember this leaving a somewhat flat kind of memory in my mind.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2011 20:39:38 | More by VoiceOfTheSoul

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving type: Sixteen-ounce bottle. There are cryptic batch codes printed on the shoulder, but no easily discernable freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a snifter. The color is a beautiful, opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to a lamp. About one finger of very tan, almost brown, head dissipated quickly to leave a thin film and bubbly ring around the edge.

Smell: Very dark and imperial. Exhibits a roasted character that is not overpowering. Dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and black licorice. It is very enticing. It has a brandy-like edge, which is very faint and sexy.

Taste: The mouthfeel is pretty dry and on the thick side. It basically mirrors the smell, but the flavors do not stand out as much as their aromatic counterparts; they overlap deceptively. The roasted character, though, is more pronounced. The dark chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and black licorice are also present, and each sip is punctuated by a little alcohol sting.

Drinkability: I am not an expert on imperial stout, but this is good stuff. It is not excellent, but is quality stuff. Leave it to a brewery from a city with deep socialist roots to brew a good Russian stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 04:56:39 | More by TheQuietMan22

Tilley4

Tennessee

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A new addition to the local scene here...

Poured into my NB globe...

Rich chocolate aromas seemingly dominate right up front with touches of coffee and anise lingering in the background... Deep roasted malts invade the senses with every sniff...

Rather thin feel for an RIS... Taste is pretty good with those roasted malts taking hold of the palate and giving it a good shake... Little bits of coffee and chocolate here and there... Perhaps the slightest hint of booze? Can't say for sure though...

The thin palate sort of brought this one down a bit for me... A little more creaminess and a richer more luxurious palate would've helped this one out immensely... A good stab at the style, but Sprecher has much better brews...

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 14:22:56 | More by Tilley4

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep ruby brown ale here with little in way of foamy head. Some carbonation is in there.
Big malt bill with molasses and licorice and a nice dose of booze.
Taste is of big roasted malts and dry bitterness.
Drinks thinner then it looks.
Faily flavorful with some swetness upfront and some bitter dryness at end.
A good sipper here.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 18:31:25 | More by micromaniac129

beveritt

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: Poured from a 16 oz brown bottle into a Duvel chalice. Label is flat paper and depicts the bulb shaped domes so typical of Russian architecture. No clear freshness date, but there are some numbers stamped on the neck. Picked this up while in Tennessee a few weeks back.

Appearance: Pours with 2 fingers of thick, viscous dark tan head. This settles very slowly to a still complete cap of foam. The beer itself is black as night and completely opaque.

Smell: Strong sweet molasses smell with just a hint of roasted barley and anise in the finish.

Taste: Sweet taste of dark fruits and caramel upfront. This fades quickly to a not quite substantial enough backbone of chocolate and coffee malt with slight undertones of roasted barley and oatmeal smoothness. Lingering aftertaste of chocolate sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Average carbonation with great body; very thick and viscous.

Drinkability: Not bad, but certainly not up there with what I would consider some of the top notch yet widely available Russian Imperial Stouts. Sprecher does a lot of styles very well; I just don't think this is one of them.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 02:46:41 | More by beveritt

chinchill

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16 oz bottle poured into extra large Austrian glass beer mug.

Pours near black with some dark brown/reddish hues. Large, creamy tan head has a trace of orange coloration and good retention - leaves a good amount of sticky lacing on the glass.

Sweet and lightly spicy aroma. Less clear-cut aroma of dark roasted malt than expected. Hints of dark, ripe fruits.

Taste is unusually sweet. The hops that lend a spiciness to the aroma fail to do enough to counter the sweetness until the finish, although the sweetness does linger into the finish. Seems to lack a solid dark malt base until near the finish. A bit of tartness to it.

Mouthfeel is smooth, but with some tongue tingle; Full body. Light carbonation that seemed appropriate.

Overly sweet from the start to mid-taste. More of a sour component than usual.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 23:47:09 | More by chinchill

Koufax21

New Mexico

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A - deep black pour. Ruby red around the rim of the glass when held to the light. Nice thick tan head that dissolves quicker than expected.

S - chocolate, coffe, fig, licorice. Very complex. Smells great. Little booze as to be expected.

T - yummy. I sure do love the 1st stout of the cold season. Very rich. Lots of bready malt, cocoa, fig, coffee. Very good beer.

M - big and viscous. Mild carbonation, just like I like my stouts.

O - I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I will definitely keep this in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 02:13:42 | More by Koufax21

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Sprecher Premium Reserve Russian Imperial Stout looks like a huge, viscous stout as soon as I start pouring it. The body is black, opaque, and pretty thick looking. The brown head is a around a finger in height, but very solid and it it has good retention and lacing.

A little bit of alcohol in the nose, with black bread and dark fruit.

After pouring and smelling this beer, I wasn't surprised that this is a big stout. I'm a little bit surprised that it is one of the more fruity versions of the style that I have tried. Dark fruits mix with a distinct flavor of black licorice. A little bit of roast and baker's chocolate mix with black bread. The finish has a pretty powerful warming sensation along with a bit of alcohol flavor.

Really thick body, big mouthfeel.

Sprecher has a slightly different take on the style here, but it is just a little too boozy for me. I do really like the label though.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 15:29:14 | More by Hojaminbag