Moose & Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout - Laurelwood Public House & Brewery

smakawhat

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a large snifter glass.

Real nice super dark out of the bottle on the pour, hits the glass with a real creamy cocoa mocha brown head. Three fingers and settles to a real nice creamy top also. Good thick puck left with some nice lacing, and a very dark body of classic walnut black. Some faint carbonation can be seen on the edges. Very nice looking brew.

Classic bouquet for a Russian imperial. Good sense of dark chocolate, and a mild bitterness.
Good amount of char, with just a hint of cream.

Palate hits with a porter like body, a little wet but mostly really charring. Lots of carbon rich dark malt taste, and a little hint of hop. Mouthfeel seems a little light, but the flavors do manage to coat the palate and continue. Huge roasting character to this and not much sweetness either. Some lime like citrus hop just wants to creep out here, making it a bit more fun and less ordinary.

Overall not bad, worth trying and could have this again. A good go to Russian Imperial for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 22:40:10 | More by smakawhat

twelveinches

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-27-2013 05:53:06 | More by twelveinches

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-03-2013 03:53:49 | More by RedneckBeerz

redman683

Oregon

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-01-2013 01:49:47 | More by redman683

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.01/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into Sam Adams Perfect Pint glasses with a friend.

A: Inky black, lots of dark tan head, and tons of spiderweb lacing.

S: Dark chocolate, coffee, roast, black malt, cocoa, dry toast, dark caramel, licorice, leafy hop. Hints of nuts and dry wood. Possibly a faint suggestion of smoke as well?

T: Follows the nose with the slightest hint of booze. Moderate espresso dryness on the finish. Creamy dark chocolate and burnt caramel, lots of roast malt here. Anise shows up as it finishes.

MF: Viscous and fairly dry; full-er bodied.

O: Good stuff as a fairly safe, middle-of-the-road RIS. A sipper and one to share IMO; this drinks a touch 'bigger' than it actually is.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 15:51:12 | More by Scotchboy

eddiearmy

5/5  rDev +31.9%

01-21-2013 01:09:18 | More by eddiearmy

CoryR

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-10-2013 01:26:47 | More by CoryR

BeerNW

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

01-06-2013 00:57:14 | More by BeerNW

kylemckinnis

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

12-29-2012 22:00:05 | More by kylemckinnis

adkieffer

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%

12-17-2012 23:11:27 | More by adkieffer

YourOnlyMan

3/5  rDev -20.8%

12-11-2012 05:49:13 | More by YourOnlyMan

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle from LetsPour.com. No bottling info. Served in a Dogfish Head snifter.

Pours black with a fluffy full finger and a half dark tan head that laces well.

Smells roasty, brown sugar, slight char and earthy.

Taste begins with bitter roasty dark cocoa. Followed by burnt coffee, brown sugar, molasses, toasted marshmallow and bittersweet cherry pits. Only a faint booze kick towards the finish.

Creamy medium full feel with fairly high carbonation for the style. Long bitter roasty aftertaste.

A pretty good Russian imperial stout that favors the bitter roasty malts over sweet dark fruit. Not bad at all and I'd drink it again but there isn't anything to help it rise above the masses of other available options.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 18:47:21 | More by ThickNStout

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +25.3%

11-13-2012 06:20:02 | More by muchloveforhops3

johnnyboy76

Oregon

4/5  rDev +5.5%

10-04-2012 01:57:45 | More by johnnyboy76

beertunes

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

09-22-2012 22:40:52 | More by beertunes

Travisnin

Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

02-26-2012 17:32:56 | More by Travisnin

squaremile

Oregon

2.7/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

08 vintage poured at a recent BA tasting. Pours a dark brown with some light getting through, small tan head. Nose is pretty weak with some roasted notes and sugary malts. Taste is more of the same with some mild coffee added. Mouthfeel is really thin for an RIS, drinkability is OK but the flavors are kind of blah so that detracts.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 05:54:24 | More by squaremile

Arbitrator

California

2.63/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

On tap at the Green Dragon. Thanks for DDing, Frank! From notes.

A: Pours a very dark body, nearly pitch black but revealing a faint translucence against the light.

S: Earthy hops, coffee / roast, chocolate, and a hint of anise. Hits all the right notes.

T: Roasted coffee and bittersweet dark chocolate. Amply balanced with earthy hops and a hint of leafiness. Anise in the finish, which I enjoy. But otherwise it's a fairly average taste for the style.

M: Carbonation was a bit high and I had to swirl it out. Heavier than medium bodied.

D: The RIS is a popular style, and this beer doesn't measure up to many of the other examples in it. It's definitely middling.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2010 18:29:27 | More by Arbitrator

oregonskibum

Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On draft, served in a tulip glass. Review from tasting notes.

A: Pours very dark, almost pitch black with a nice tan head.

S: Little burnt coffee bitterness on the smell along with dark chocolate. Just okay.

T: First thing I noticed was the fruit - figs, raisins, other dark fruits jumped out. Dark chocolate flavors continue as does the unwelcome burnt coffee bitterness. Finishes a little harsh with some alcohol heat showing up at the back of the throat.

M: Fairly high carbonation. Big mouthfeel, but expected for an RIS, although just a little on the slick, oily side for me. Also finished a little on the chewy side.

D: A little disappointing. I've had this before and remembered it better than this glass tasting (and it was early in the night, so my tastebuds were still in good shape). This isn't a bad RIS, but doesn't stand up to many of the other examples available today.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2010 21:59:37 | More by oregonskibum

slaintemhor

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap this evening at the main location of Laurelwood Brewing in Portland, OR. The colour was completely black with a very thick tan head. The aroma was thick with dark chocolate, hops and hints of black coffee. On the palate, an interesting tanginess up front followed by biting hops, loads of roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, licorice and a lengthy, tangy finish.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2010 06:54:05 | More by slaintemhor

cbros

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving type- 1 liter bottle poured into a Duck Rabbit snifter. Got this in a trade from madhombrewer. 2008 Edition

A- Pours a jet black with a nice one finger tan head. There was a little carbonation activity that colleted on the side of the glass. Good cling to the glass as well.

S- Strong notes of chocolate, wood chips and even some tobacco as well. The smell combinations really hit after the pour, a strong presence but not overwhelming. As the beer warms I get a slight alcohol smell at the tail end.

T- As the beer has warmed a little I am picking up the chocolate, coffee and roasted malt. Its remarkable how much the flavors start to show themselves as the beer warms up.

I read about Moose and Squirrel here on BA and got this in a trade from Ben. In my opinion it is a very solid beer. This is the first offering that I have had from Laurelwood. I would definately like to have this beer again, nice to have a good solid Russian Imperial Stout on a beautiful drizzly and cold(almost Pac NW like) day here in NC. I look forward to having my friend Ben hook me up with some more stuff from Laurelwood in the future.

Thanks, Ben.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2009 00:25:52 | More by cbros

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with ruby-hued edges when held toward the light and topped by a short-lived, tan head.

Smell: Aroma of roasted malts and charred wood, with notes of chocolate, caramel, dried herbs, and a small handful of loose change.

Taste: Sweetish dark malts with a fairly restrained roast character and subsequent flavors of unsweetened chocolate and caramel sauce. Much to my dismay, it's at this early stage that the flavor begins thinning out considerably. Vague herbal and wooden flavors wrapped in a medium amount of bitterness. Faint metallic hints. Finishes dry but abruptly.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-low carbonation.

Drinkability: While by no means is it a bad stout, it does come up short in terms of malt depth, overall flavor, and body. Still though, it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 03:16:56 | More by ChainGangGuy

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Reviewed by Wisemen Nick and Justin. Enjoyed from a snifter and a pint glass, respectively.

Appearance: Pours thick and pitch black with tall, tight-packed, dark brown head. Not much retention sadly - dies to a creamy halo pretty quick. Light, spotty lacing. When swirled leaves soy sauce-like film. Looks fantastic when it's first poured, but beauty quickly fades... N: 4.0; J: 4.5

Smell: Tons of smoky/roasty aromas, chocolate, black coffee, warm alcohol, maybe some meat roasting in the background. Molasses and maybe some pine too. N: 3.75; J: 4.25

Taste: forest fire, Lots of wood and smoke, dark chocolate, cream, burnt sugar, and roasted malt. Once again, lots of roastiness and smokiness. Hopped generously - nice burnt flavor in finish. Alcohol comes through in the finish, maybe a little stronger since this was served around room temperature. N: 3.75; J: 3.5

Mouthfeel: Slick, dry, and clean. Slightly warm, and a little thinner than I had hoped. Some creaminess. We totally agree with the guy below on his 'coffee breath' sentiment. N: 3.0; J: 3.5

Drinkability: This was an extremely smoky RIS, though not that harsh. We could keep drinking this, but overall it just wasn't up there with some of the better Imperial Russian Stouts.
N: 4.0; J: 4.0

Wiseman Nick: B (3.75)
Wiseman Justin: B+ (3.90)

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2009 20:41:20 | More by ThreeWiseMen

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This RIS was released in mid-January at the brewpub on NE Sandy...had to stop in for a quick try. Poured to a 1/2 pint.

Notes from LW Blog:
8% ABV
55 IBUs
O.G. 20º Plato

A: Dark, dark, dark, but very thin head-wise - just a trace of ivory-colored sudsiness that disappears rapidly to a barely-concealing film swirl. Held to light, an auburn glow shows at the edges. Fair amount off lace glides gently down the glass, sort of pausing on the way down.

S: Dark malt, richly roasted and quite coffee-like. Sweet sugariness with a touch of vanilla makes this evocative of a mocha aroma-wise. All good, not terribly robust.

T: Big introduction of heavy, bittersweet chocolate and darkly-roasted coffee. After the blast of charred malt subsides, a sweeter milk chocolate and vanilla enter for balance. Though I found little fruit (maybe some ripe berry tang), the robustness of malt roasting and the subtle sweetening come together very nicely.

M: Not too heavy or coating, this has a medium-body and cool smoothness. Carbonation is soft, hardly detectable. Bitter roast settles on the center of the tongue and lingers more minutes after the finish ('do I have coffee breath?').

D: Bitterness is big, but is held in check; aroma entices; mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. It's a very solid RIS and, with a 'reasonable' 8% ABV (pretty low for the style), is a bit more drinkable than some of it's bigger brethren. One I'd like to have again and a nice offering by Chad and the LW team - worth seeking out!

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2008 16:22:22 | More by msubulldog25