Southampton Imperial Russian Stout - Southampton Publick House

Gavage

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle label: 2013 version, bottle #149 out of 450.

Appearance: pours a black chocolate color with a mil chocolate colored 2" head that slowly falls to a thick surface foam.

Smell: roasted malt, chocolate, and some alcohol come through to the nose.

Taste: big roasted malt, dark bread, and dark chocolate flavors here. Prunes, a bit of molasses, and a hearty bitterness rounds out this big beer. Alcohol provides a bit of warming after you swallow.

Mouthfeel: heavy in body. Smooth at the start, velvety at the finish with some warmth and a touch of dryness. Long lasting aftertaste here.

Overall: Super RIS. Very slow sipping, but this is a meal in a glass. Expensive at $16 a bottle, but worth the splurge.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 19:59:20 | More by Gavage

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.21/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2011 edition.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle to a snifter. Served north of 62º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a dark chocolate head of a thick frothy consistency. Body color is a near black, moderate viscosity. Head retention is above average despite some bubbly activity. Really pleasing appearance with a great deal of depth in the head and body. 4.5

(Smell) Bitter roasted malts, mild syrupy sweetness. Mild funk and cardboard from moderate oxidation. Potency is high on aroma. Very high potency and sharp tones. 4

(Taste) Cocoa nibs, black malt bitterness, graham crackers, touches of mild fruit character, cherry. 4.25

(Mouthfeel) Textures of mild syrup, mellow viscosity and moderate thickness. Carbonation is light and creamy. Alcohol presence is medium. Body is shy of heavy for the style, and heavy overall. 4.25

(Overall) A really deep and complex RIS with a ton of flavor and character. No regrets trying this one. 4.25

Southampton Publick House's
Imperial Russian Stout
4.21/5.00

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 05:18:19 | More by Jadjunk

HugeBulge

New York

4.84/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2013 bottle # 448 of 500

Served from the bottle in a Dogfish head snifter;

A: B L A C K. Thick and caramel colored head.

S: Roasted malts and oaked.

T & M : Thick and Balanced. extremely malty and hoppy.
Amazing beer. One of the Best I've ever had

I love how far this beer has traveled from east long Island in the reviews.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:36:56 | More by HugeBulge

birchstick

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle 376 of 650. Pours a beautiful black color with a gorgeous chocolaty 2 finger head on it. Nose starts off with grainy malts with a nice chocolaty mix in the air. Taste starts with milk chocolates that move into a roasted coffee flavor, almost a bit ashy at time, akin to eating some chocolate and taking a drag off of a cigar. Finishes with a nice roasted and chocolate mix. Mouthfeel is full and luxurious. Overall, this is a nice RIS. Definitely not worth the hype that the bottle count rarity demands, but it is a good RIS comparable to other easily obtainable RIS's.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 05:56:42 | More by birchstick

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lovely pour, black body with a huge tan head of great retention. Excellent lacing; looks like a stout milkshake. Aroma of bitter chocolate, roast malt, mild earthy hops, subtle anise. Typical but nice.

The flavor matches the aroma. Typical imperial stout but very well made and drinkable, rich and flavorsome, particularly for a non -barrel aged example. Bittersweet chocolate and roasted malt dominate; again there are hints of anise and verbally, earthy hops. Booze is pretty much hidden and any amount of modest sweetness the beet has dries up almost completely on the finish. A little bit of bitterness lingers in the aftertaste.

Medium full bodied, medium carbonation, smooth overall feel. This one isn't a monster, it's balanced and exceptionally easy to drink for the style. Not earth shattering, but elegant and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 12:05:28 | More by tobelerone

dtmets84

New York

3.88/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2011)

Acquired via trade and I am forgetting who I traded this with so thanks!

Poured a whole lot of head about 2inches of it and looks like a giant chocolate milk shake.

Smell was toffee and some malt. Did not get anything to write home about.

Taste was the same old stout. Good but not great . Was hoping the bottle would be the BRL so I could get to dabble in the BRL and the RIS but it was RIS straight up.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 01:01:06 | More by dtmets84

ehammond1

California

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, whartontallboy!

Black throughout with a small dark brown head. This looks thick and menacing, leaving spots of lace down the glass.

Big, full aroma of roasted malt, some coffee, a bit of bready sweetness, and some alcohol heat. Straightforward, though mightily expressive.

The taste follows the aroma, with huge notes of roast and coffee, very mild chocolate, and just a hint of dark fruit. There's a bit of an alcohol presence also, but it's not distracting and even complementary.

Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Perfect for the style.

Very nice. I'd tried a 2008 bottle a few weeks prior to opening this 2012 bottle fresh. I prefer it aged, though it's good either way.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 19:38:20 | More by ehammond1

FosterJM

California

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1297th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
750ml

2010-- Bottle #425

30th Birthday Party
Thanks to ?? for this one. I think Callmecoon, but maybe DJFartyFresh??

App- A basic dark brown stout with a few bubbles that fall to a bit of a pond layer as it warms. No real cling or lace to it.

Smell- Nice rich stout. Had a good amount of chocolate and cream behind it with a nice backing malt backbone.

Taste- A nice stout. Wasnt mind blowing. Up there with some of the better ones in style. Nice malts and chocolate balanace with a touch of cream behind it.

Mouth- Body was the best part. Lush and creamy with a nice balance of malt/chocolate. Medium and a medium carbonation.

Drink- A nice stout, but not a great stout. For the low bottle count I can see how some wanna chase it. I wouldnt mind a bottle. Was very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:40:26 | More by FosterJM

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle pour sampled at mrbubbler's tasting courtesy of mrbubbler himself.

2008 vintage.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a dark khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark malt, dark fruit, and slight roast aromas. Taste is the same with a mild roasty bitterness after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good RIS but it seems pretty subtle in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:17:55 | More by UCLABrewN84

Dope

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Fresh 2012 bottle.

A: Bottle uncorks with just a whisper of carbonation. Absolutey pitch black pour, like used oil. Tiny 1/4" dark brown head that fades almost immediately. Tiny ring of head that's left does leaving decent spots of lacing everywhere at least.

S: Wonderful strong roasted malt aroma. Decent bit of coffee with some really nice dark chocolate.

T: Thick and heavenly roasted malt everywhere. Wonderful char but not overpowering, quickly backed up with some mild coffee and lots of bitter baker's chocolate. Hint of vanilla throughout. Maybe just a touch of licorice in there as well. As it warms there are hints of dark fruit. No evidence of booze at all despite how fresh this is.

M: Super heavy. One of the thickest, creamiest beers I've ever had. Very low carbonation (hence, no head). Like drinking brownie batter. Coats the mouth wonderfully. I rarely give 5s, this beer is stunning in this category.

O: Wow, this is a special one. I was a little concerned when the beer poured almost still with no head, but boy did it make up for it once I started sipping. Goes to show you that a beer doesn't need all kinds of extra flavors or barrel aging to be good. Not humongously complex, just well balanced and perfectly executed, with one of the best mouthfeels of any beer ever.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 03:06:54 | More by Dope

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from the 2012 release.

A - Pours pitch black with a decent one finger tall tan head leaving spotty streaks of lace down the glass.

S - Smells of dark roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and some fresh cream. Good balance of sweetness to roast.

T - Starts off with plenty of dark roast slowly giving way to a good amount of sweetness - mostly from the vanilla, chocolate and cream - and some day old coffee grounds. Finish is best described as sweet roast, lingering on the pallet for some time after consumption.

M - Big body and lots of roasty flavor with a good amount of carbonation, growing a little thin as it sits in the glass.

O - Not my first time having this one. I think this particular one is still kinda raw, some of the aged versions I have had have been much better. Still one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 01:14:32 | More by orangesol

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a CBS snifter.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/Retail1LO/Good%20Brews/ccd074e1.jpg

This is THE sexiest looking beer I've ever poured. Onyx black with the thickest, stiffest, richest looking mocha foam crown EVER. You could float a quarter on this. The smell is roasty but sweet. Perhaps bittersweet. Vanilla, mocha and coffee notes. A tad of toffee too. The taste is out of this world. Complex and bold, this is a tremendous meld of coffee, malt, toffee, vanilla, and a touch of booze. The mouthfeel is so goddam smooth. This is thick, rich, and velvety. It lays heavily upon the tongue, coating it with a lush texture that lasts long after you smooth. Small touch of heat is easy to deal with. Overall...this is just amazing. Great beer. I want another. NOW.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 02:32:42 | More by Retail1LO

oline73

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours black as night with a finger of brown head that fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Roasty and sweet with some dark chocolate and dark fruit notes.

Taste: Quite smooth but still rather roasty. I'm picking up some dark chocolate along with bitter hops. Warming alcohol shows up in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with way too much carbonation. The finish is mildly dry.

Overall: The only problem I had with this one was the carbonation. I thought it took away from everything else. Didn't knock my socks off, but I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 01:06:06 | More by oline73

DrewZ926

New York

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a jet black body with about three fingers of cocoa head. Surprisingly highly carbonated, appears fairly thick.

Wonderful aromas of bitter espresso beans, inviting milk chocolate, plenty of caramel and chocolate covered raisins. Also a hint of piney hoppiness.

Fantastic balance here. Starts with sweet vanilla, baker's chocolate, molasses. Evolves into wonderfully roasted coffee, a tinge of hop resin, and bitter cocoa.

Mouthfeel is a bit thinner than expected and a bit too carbonated for the style. Highly drinkable however, does not wear on the palate or belly.

Overall this beer lived up to the hype in my mind. Found it to be an excellent representation of the style and an extremely well crafted ale. The balance was superb and should improve with time as some of the sweetness mellows. Not boozy at all might I add. I would seek this out again (next year's release) and recommend anyone in the area to do the same. Found the IRS highly comparable with Marshall Zhukhov in many dimensions.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 00:00:15 | More by DrewZ926

drowland

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

12/17/10. 750 thanks to Keith (fata2683) for his leaving Florida party! Solid opaque black pour with a small brown head. Nice roasted aroma with hints of sour American stout. Hugely complex stout flavors with sweet, coffee, dark chocolate, roast, sour, fruits, molasses, and anything you can think of! Very nice!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 22:18:10 | More by drowland

ixodus

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the tap into the South Hampton release snifter.

A: Pours a thick black in color with a beautiful coffee colored head with good head retention and lacing.

S: Bittersweet chocolate, cacao nibs, plums, dark roasted malts, faint earthy hops. The aroma has a bit of smokiness to it as well.

T: Burnt malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, raisins, plums, figs, molasses, smoke, bitter dark coffee, slight hop bitterness. Impressively smooth.

M: Full bodied smooth, viscous, soft carbonation with a pretty dry finish.

O: Overall a fantastic RIS. For such a big beer it's so smooth, alcohol is barely present. Glad I picked up 4 bottles of this beast.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 18:19:57 | More by ixodus

mikeyv35

New York

4.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Date: 01/28/2012
Type: On Tap @ Release
Glass: Commemorative SH Release Snifter
Vintage: 2012

Have been going to this release every year since 2008, have sampled numerous times, but never took the time to enter in a review.

Pours a viscous looking midnight black in color w/ a 11/2 finger medium brown head that left heavy, sticky lacing on the glass for days. Aromas of charred malts, burnt brown sugar, dark chocolate, molasses, smokiness, and that unique vanilla marshmallow note. The taste starts off w/ sweet molasses, vanilla marshmallow, and charred malts up front, leading into peated smokiness, and finishing w/ a good amount of herbal hop bitterness. Full bodied and creamy w/ adequate carbonation. Definately a sipper, but that's what it was designed for.

Overall, fantastic as usual! Phil Markowski and SH strike again, but do they ever miss!?

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2012 00:35:47 | More by mikeyv35

cosmicevan

New York

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the release thisyear. Poured this into the release day commemorative snifters. Deep chocolate mud jusr like last year. Roasted chocolate malts on the nose. Deep dark chocolate roastiness. Much like last year, nut not nearly as hot. Drinking great from the tap.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2012 19:36:12 | More by cosmicevan

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to Shane for sharing this at a recent small tasting at sirotan’s up in Ann Arbor. 2010 vintage.

Appearance – Pours into my tulip with a dark black color and about a half finger of mocha colored head that dissipates slowly leaving some nice lacing.

Smell – Loads of bittersweet cocoa/chocolate and roasted malts. This is always a positive sign to me because it means the initial aromas are not too sweet...which personally is a bit off putting for a RIS. A hint of molasses and caramel, but again it is not the dominant aroma.

Taste – Char, roasted malts, and bittersweet chocolate up front. A very dry stout. Mixes in with just a hint of sweet molasses (and a touch of toffee).

Mouthfeel – Medium to full bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy, finishes dry.

Overall – A great RIS. Very glad I was able to try this due to a generous BA. Would seek out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 02:03:36 | More by SpdKilz

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle sharred with many BA's at this years Darkness Eve tasting. Thanks Kevin for sharring this bottle.

Bottle# 5/500

A- No apparent head in the initial pour no lacing, dark black color, very opaque.
S- I get dark fruits upfront (plums, raisins, figs), dark roasted malts, slight chocolate presence, coffee.
T- Really smooth drinking, dark fruits, raisins, plums, dark malts, coffee, roasted notes, well balanced, really nice RIS.
M- Medium mouth feel, well carbonated, smooth drinking, dry finish.
O- Overall its easy drinking and enjoyable, not a beer I would hunt down, but glad to try it once, thanks kbutler1 for sharing this.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 03:16:44 | More by Chriscrundwell12

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle. 2010 vintage. #5/500. Pours a dark brwon color with a tan head. Roasty, leather, and dark fruit. Medium/heavy mouthfeel. Rich and complex aroma. The taste is dominated by an over roast note that I find a little detracting. Roas, dark chocolate, and leather in the flavor as well. Overall, decent but the over roast bittereness to me is offputting and as I said detracts from my overall enjoyment of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 17:19:59 | More by kbutler1

joefuzz

New York

4.85/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2011 vintage Bottle 301 of 650 split with a friend poured into snifters.

Pours jet black, used motor oil black with a dark brown head.

Smells of roasted malt, coffee and ripe plums

Taste is amazing, huge malty taste up front with a pleasent coffee aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is pure velvet its so smooth carbontion is perfect.

Overall mind blowing RIS can't wait until this comes out again next year.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 05:48:21 | More by joefuzz

grittybrews

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured cola black with a finger of dark tan head. Aroma dominated by cocoa with some roasty coffee and caramel in there as well.

Moderate carbonation and a creamy but slightly thin mouthfeel. Lots of chocolate flavor with coffee, hints of oak, and a touch of caramel. Some roasty bitterness on the finish.

Nice flavors but nothing really stood out beyond the chocolate notes, which were pretty pleasant. Drank easier than the 10% would indicate.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 02:20:36 | More by grittybrews

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured jet black with good carbonation leaving a nice brown cap

S: Funk, faded hops, cocoa and caramel

T: Typical profile. Roasted malt, light coffee faded bitter chocolate and hops which once lended some floral notes. Has a nice dose of funk and caramelized sugar

M: Thinner than expected, still a big bidy but watery, faded hops and malts which are not holding up and some light booze which has also faded

O: Average RIS

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 16:21:42 | More by barleywinefiend

youradhere

Arkansas

2.9/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

South Sound Tasting Notes

Pours black with an extremely thin tan head, amber edges shine in the glass. Smells of faint chocolate and stale coffee, some brett funk and fruitiness showing through the two dimensional base nose of this brew. Taste is bland dark chocolate, stale coffee and wood char; a slight sour funk adds some depth and character to an otherwise unimpressive RIS. Mouthfeel is extremely thin- it felt like a porter rather than an RIS. High carbonation created too much carbonic acid, effectively weakening any flavor character. Overall- not horrible, not great, but surely not worth the trade price.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 18:46:28 | More by youradhere