Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout - Cigar City Brewing

Marshal Zhukov's Imperial StoutMarshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout

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994 Ratings
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rAvg: 4.34
pDev: 10.37%
Reviews: 420
Hads: 574

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Brewed by:
Cigar City Brewing visit their website
Florida, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout |  11.00% ABV

Availability: Summer. bottle (382), on-tap (32), growler (6)

Notes:
This Russian Imperial Stout is dedicated to Georgy Zhukov, arguably one of the finest generals of World War II. Opaque black in color, with notes of espresso, chocolate, dark toffee and hints of backstrap molasses. The English hop varietals provide a subtle herbal dryness, and finishes with a hearty slap of roasty espresso. Pair Marshal Zhukov’s with Mushroom Solyanka, dark chocolate, cherries and ground wars in Russia.

We brew and release Zhukov's in the summer knowing that a beer of this heft reaches its full potential a few months after release. So save a bottle for the cold winter!

80 IBU
View:  Beers  (174) |  Reviews  (105) |  Events  (0)

Reviews

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Photo of jaasen64
jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

32oz swing-top growler thanks to biniek13. Filled 11/12 (approaching a month old). Poured into Hunahpu glass. This is my first time having MZ from a growler, however I've had it from the bottle a couple times (1st time reviewing).

A- Pours a very dark jet black like motor oil with a thick creamy half-finger dark mocha brown head (one of the darkest heads I've seen) that has decent retention but recedes to a perfectly flat top. Despite being almost a month old in the growler, this beer surprisingly still has retained a decent amount of carbonation of consistently rising bubbles. Some alcohol legs.

S- Dark chocolate, some creamy milk chocolate, dark fruits, some figs, raisins, and a hint of roasted malts. Fairly aromatic and nicely complex for a RIS.

T- Dark chocolate, figs, some raisins especially on the finish, a hint of bitterness from the chocolate. Nice complexity, awesome balance, and a great representation of the style.

M- Great thick body that isn't too syrupy, very smooth, extremely easy to drink (definitely hits you sooner then you know it).

O- Marshal Zhukov is a great representation of a RIS and one of many great beers from CCB. Definitely one of my favorites and I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the style.

Serving type: growler

12-09-2012 23:54:14 | More by jaasen64
Photo of QuentinCall
QuentinCall

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"I just wasn't prepared for it to bitchslap me with every sip."

This beer lumbers out of the growler: viscous, jet-brown and seemingly denser than physically possible. A foamy head the color of wet sand and milky espresso blooms and slowly settles to a sizable and velveteen layer. It's fascinatingly dark, honestly, darker than Expedition, darker than KBS. I feel like congratulations and chain e-mails and newscasts are in order to acknowledge that Cigar City has made the Black Materia of beers.
The roast profile of this beer is fairly astonishing and forthrightly stands as the dominant aspect of the nose -- a capacious and multi-faceted coffee foundation (somehow concurrently bright, earthy, robust and sodden) roundly supported by raw chocolate notes, a substantial dose of oak and traces of syrupy stone fruits.
This is an aggressive beer. The roast is translated and follows logically to the taste. Again, coffee dominates at every turn but it is, mostly, fitted neatly to lovely moments of bittersweet ganache, bourbon, and molasses. And while I think its delicious as well as a potential touchstone for its style, its also a little overwhelming for me. Simply, super heavy + intensely upfront roastiness = the slowest of sippers.
The mouthfeel here is the key asset and what ultimately clinches this for me. It is plush, wet, not overly carbonated (which I can easily imagine dooming this one) and not as sticky as the nose could very well lead you to believe. Thankfully, it lasts for a while and not much longer.
This is a massive and blatantly militant beer that could readily be construed as magnificently executed or somewhat overwhelming and unbalanced. However, what I feel is the most important thing to keep in mind: be amongst friends, you probably shouldn't drink this one by yourself.

Serving type: growler

11-02-2012 00:16:30 | More by QuentinCall
Photo of Lare453
Lare453

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

32oz growler into a dfh glass

a very dark dark dark brown. almost black. beautiful light brown head that leaves a ton of beautiful lacing.

s cocoa, bitter chocolate, coffee, malt, vanilla

t a big malty beginning, dry bitter chocolate middle. the ending is bitter coffee, chocolate and chicory. the aftertaste is long lasting and is a delicious mocha, chicory and coffee and it is a bit dry

m thick and rich. smooth and great carbonation. big body and bold

o amazing beer. i would highly recommend this to anyone that likes stouts.

thick, rich, delicious, dry, sweet. just fantastic.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2012 01:42:49 | More by Lare453
Photo of wyattshotmaker
wyattshotmaker

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

from the whole foods bowery growler room.

i honestly laughed at how dark the head was on this beer. poured into a tulip, looked fantastic. great head retention, great lacing.

nose is leathery, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted barley.

taste is big and roasty. huge roasted barley flavor, chocolate, coffee. not very sweet. dry, roasty, slight warming alcohol note.

super thick without being sweet. really a nice beer.

Serving type: growler

01-02-2011 01:02:20 | More by wyattshotmaker
Photo of phattysbox
phattysbox

New York

4.55/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bought a 32oz growler at the Bowery beer room (Whole Foods - NYC).

Poured jet black into a 7 oz tasting glass. Motor oil in color and consistency, one ca tell this is going to be a very viscous brew. A small 1/2 inch chocolate colored head establishes itself and lingers for quite a while. Surprised given the ABV. Looks great int he glass.

Smell: Nose is really complex here. Strong caramel and sweet malts dominate. Burnt raisins, plums, and dark chocolate fill the air when this is poured. Some roast but held in check by copious amounts of malt sweetness.

Taste: Quick flash of acrid roastiness that gives way to coffee-like character. Actually the coffee notes are quite strong in the brew and is very pleasing. The coffee/cappuccino notes mix well with a heavy malt profile. Chocolate covered figs and plums, followed by roasted caramel. The ABV is held in check with this brew - only a slight warming is noted. Mouthfeel is thick, creamy, and spot on for an RIS.

Overall: Great beer. Glad to be drinking this on a cold winter's night. Lots of complex things going on here - seek it out. I've never tried their barrel versions of this brew so I might have to now.

Serving type: growler

12-29-2010 18:03:56 | More by phattysbox
Photo of SiepJones
SiepJones

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a thick black body with a thin dark brown head. Roasty Malt wafts from your glass and a slight hint of alcohol reminds you how much artillery the Marshal is packing. The flavor begins with a nice roasted malt, into a bitter dark chocolate, then a hint of toffee on the finish. The body is very chewy and creamy with a slight nip at the end from the alcohol. The thin head that began disappears with each sip. Overall an excellent offering from Cigar City and now one of my favorite imperial stouts.

Serving type: growler

01-15-2010 02:36:32 | More by SiepJones
Photo of mechamifune
mechamifune

North Carolina

4.41/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a motor oil black with the slightest bit of a brown head. Only a whisp remains after a few seconds. Super sticky leg in the lacing. Carbonation minimal. After Dark Lord, about the thickest looking beer i've seen.

Smell is chocolate and dark fruits. Not overpowering but very good for the style.

Taste is chocolate, bitter roastiness, sugary sweetness, dark fruit, and a slightly bitter, dry finish. A nice complex taste with all notes integrated well.

Mouthfeel is full and super smooth. Reminds me a lot of Founders IS in that regard. The highpoint of the beer.

Overall, this joins Founders IS as my favorite "normal" IS. Of course founders is significantly cheaper and easier to find, so this loses out in that regard. Cigar City continues to impress me with their stouts and I look forward to trying more and more of their stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 16:17:33 | More by mechamifune
Photo of draheim
draheim

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL (bottled 8/31/2012) into a snifter. Pours a thick, oily pitch black w/ a deep reddish tan head. Absolutely opaque and black as night. This is an impressive looking imperial stout.

Aroma is thick and sticky as well. Molasses, dark roasted malt, rich chocolate, vanilla, dark stone fruit.

Taste faithfully follows nose. Bittersweet chocolate, sticky molasses, rum-soaked figs, espresso, vanilla, toffee, and just a touch of booze. There's a ton of dense sticky sweetness here, but it's balanced perfectly by a sharp, cocoa-like bitterness.

Mouthfeel is chewy and coating; thick and rich. Decadent. Yet it somehow manages to vanish off the palate and finishes semi-dry, leaving behind a nice chocolatey aftertaste that lingers like a rich bittersweet truffle.

Overall, a truly impressive Russian imperial stout and a genuine dessert beer. I was expecting this to be good, but not this good.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 03:07:56 | More by draheim
Photo of wyatt13
wyatt13

Illinois

4.74/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled on date of August 31, 2012, so about 9 months old. I actually bought this bottle from Letspour. Poured from a 750 ml bottle into my Cigar City snifter.

A - One of the most badass looking brews I have ever seen. Motor oil is honestly an understatement -- the viscosity of this beer is hard to describe, but it is extremely impressive. Even more, the darkest head I have ever seen pops up to cap off the beer. Nice alcohol legs, with nonexistant lacing.

S - Awesomely complex, with bitter chocolate, high-quality coffee (bordering on espresso), some nice hop bitterness, and a bit of vanilla to round things out.

T - Immediately pounds your palate with an immense bitterness, only to have this recede and the bitter chocolate, roasted malts and awesome espresso assault your taste buds. Each sip left an aftertaste of 5 minutes that imprinted itself on my memory.

M - Thick, thick, thick. Almost like a beer milkshake. Minimal carbonation, but that fits perfectly with the style, in my opinion. Layers upon layers of sweetness simply coat the mouth and lips. The most impressive mouthfeel I've ever had.

O - I was admittedly pretty excited to try this, but this even managed to exceed my expectations. Especially in terms of appearance and mouthfeel, I'm not sure that I can conceive of anything more ideal. Can't wait to open up my Hunahpu's now!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 02:31:12 | More by wyatt13
Photo of KYGunner
KYGunner

Kentucky

4.36/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours like motor oil; thick, viscous with little carbonation there's a brown sheen that adheres to the edge of the glass.

Chocolate malt scent with dried fruitiness such as dates or even apricot. There is a little coconut and vanilla in the scent.

The taste has dry chocolate, dried fruit, coconut, vanilla espresso, and salty soy. The taste and feel scream out creaminess with dry crackers tones. There is so much going on yet this is a solid cohesive stout. Strong, thick and tasty it's a huge player.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 00:20:19 | More by KYGunner
Photo of chanokokoro
chanokokoro

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 2012 vintage 750 ml bottle into a Cigar City Brewing branded snifter

Pours a thick, viscous dark midnight black capped by by a dark brown one and half finger head. I'm always amazed by how Zhukov pours; this is one huge, thick RIS. Strong roasty malt, bakers chocolate, boozy alcohol, and dark fruit. One sip brings an explosion of flavor, charred dark chocolate malt, huge plum, prune, and black cherry notes, molasses which finishes with continued bold roasted malt, dark roast coffee/espresso, and warming alcohol. Ridiculously complex. The mouthfeel of this brew leaves nothing to be desired, huge and viscious, oily, velvety, creamy and silky. The most full-bodied brew that I've ever had and possibly the best mouthfeel of any brew I've had. As far as I'm concerned Marshal Zhukov is the one of the standards for Russian Imperial Stouts. Quite possibly the best brew I've ever had in the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 05:35:26 | More by chanokokoro
Photo of mdaschaf
mdaschaf

Washington

4.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a very thick black, very oily looking and viscous. A small brown colored head forms upon pouring and reduces to a thin cap on top. Minimal lacing.

S: Tons of molasses, it really dominates the aroma. There is some chocolate mixed in, a little bit of coffee, and faint roast. Definitely know its got some alcohol in it as well.

T: The flavor is certainly still full of molasses, but to a lesser extent. The chocolate is more pronounced, with some licorice and faint dark stone fruit. The roast comes through on the finish nicely, not much alcohol presence.

M: Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Slight warming as it goes down.

O: A big stout for sure. Really over powering in terms of thickness and sweetness, great if it is the only beer you plan on drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 00:41:09 | More by mdaschaf
Photo of nootch23
nootch23

Massachusetts

4.51/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle poured into a snifter.

A - pours a thick, midnight black with a half finger of chocolate colored head. Can't see anything through the glass.

S - great smelling beer, smells really big. Smells of chocolate, roasted malt, coffee underlying the big boozy smell that is right up front.

T - really complex tasting beer. Really big notes of chocolate, molasses, licorice, coffee, and a lot of fruit flavors like cherries and prunes, if you can believe that. The alcohol is definitely there and has that alcohol burn with each drink. Despite the alcohol in each taste, it's an easy beer to drink, really smooth going down.

M - thick presence lingers with lingering tastes of chocolate, fruits and coffee. very smooth finish.

O - this is a great beer yet a pretty big one that will probably be unbelievable given 2-3 years in the cellar. I love complex tasting beers and each flavor plays beautifully off the other. The booziness is present but is balanced out pretty well so its not overwhelming or overpowering the rest of the beer. I'm really glad I had this and thank akuyper for sending it along in our trade. This is a beer that is definitely worth seeking out and trying and/or cellaring. Am very interested to see how this beer tastes after aging for a few years. I can see why it's so highly regarded.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 18:28:02 | More by nootch23
Photo of raznug
raznug

Ohio

4.71/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Marshal Z pours thick and black and is topped with 1" of brown colored head
Smell: The aroma is a blend of roasted malt, alcohol, toffee and chocolate. The aroma is rather intense good but intense.
Taste: The flavors that erupt from the pint glass is just simply amazing; chocolate, roasted flavors, coffee and a nice amount of alcohol burn.
Mouthfeel: Thick and oily is a great way to describe the way that this beer feels going down.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 17:46:22 | More by raznug
Photo of kawilliams81
kawilliams81

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2011 vintage (I think, old label). Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a Pipeworks snifter.

A- pours pitch black with a 3" dark cola head. Big trails and giraffe print of lacing remains on the glass, half finger of head remains as well.

S- sweet maple syrup, chocolate, roast, anise and some dark fruits.

T- sweet chocolate, maple syrup, anise, sweet dark fruits, roast and some ash.

M- full body and medium carbonation. Big thick feel, creamy and smooth.

O- better than I expected from what I have heard about MZ. ,anyone the age mellowed the sweetness some, even though it is still very sweet for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 02:23:25 | More by kawilliams81
Photo of BlurryVisi0n
BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.69/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Pours thick and dark, completely opaque brown-black. You have heard it before and will hear it again pours like lovable motor oil base with a slightly over-sized head just over a finger's length a very very dark tan with a deep mahogany tint.

Smell: Strong alcohol with a nice burnt sugar scent and strong molasses. This beer doesnt smell it dispenses aroma.

Taste: Comes off with strong molasses, and heavy dark chocolate that feels blended with roasted coffee. It's bitter no doubt but offset with slight sweetness that comes off borderlin perfect.

Mouth: With sweet bitter chocolate, seriously a rarity that a stout like this quenches your thirst. Medium carbonation feels a little lighter than some but how sticky it is what makes this brew worth it.

Overall: This brew hit me the way in way that honestly I would be crazy to leave it alone on the shelf. And to think I already thought I had the best Russian Imperial Stout before this. Great beer, go spend a few bucks...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 07:13:00 | More by BlurryVisi0n
Photo of AgentMunky
AgentMunky

Alabama

3.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a brandy snifter. Brewed 31 August 2012.

A: The darkest head I've ever seen. Dark chocolate brown, creamy, with good retention. The beer is black and opaque and viscous.

S: Booze, licorice, bittersweet chocolate. Strong, but not obviously complex. A hint of metal.

T/M: Soft, smooth, and thin. Not what I was expecting. I would say the mouthfeel is flat, but that's not quite right, because it's also velvety-creamy. The flavours are muddled. It's strongly malty, with hints of fruit (date? coconut?) and roasted barley and bittersweet milk chocolate and blackstrap molasses. Still, it's incoherent and I get the distinct feeling that it's not living up to its potential.

O: A nice RIS that's so smooth it goes down perilously easy, but it could perhaps stand a touch of carbonation or hop spice to accent the different, darker flavours that are (not) bubbling under the pitch-like surface.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 06:00:42 | More by AgentMunky
Photo of beerdrifter
beerdrifter

Germany

4.36/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up from a great trade with Mike! Thick, pitch black pour with an amazing creamy dark caramel colored two finger head with decent retention and crazy lacing. The nose is hugely roasty and subtly sweet with hints of espresso, molasses, dark chocolate, toffee, and booze. The taste is complex and is dominated by the roasted malt along with hints of strong bitter dark chocolate, espresso, wood, burnt coffee, licorice, and some subtle vanilla and dark fruits with just a touch of smoke. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy and slightly oily with a bit of sweetness that is abruptly squashed by a lingering bitter finish. For a beer with such a beautiful head, it had a bit of a flat feel and could have used a touch more carbonation, but that's really being picky. I love the way it coats your mouth with flavor. Overall, this is a big rich bold beer that's really drinkable. First ever Cigar City beer, but definitely not the last!

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 17:36:01 | More by beerdrifter
Photo of mhksuccess
mhksuccess

California

3.89/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into snifter glass
it pours extremely dark almost black
very little head
it smells very smokey
i would say this taste is very smooth, taste of toffee and a sweetness
on the back-end
very balanced hints of lot of flavors but a good mix not one that is overpowering
i spilled a drop with a swirl lol and get a hint of coffee/expresso
overall i find that the hop profile is a little not quite to my tasting
that is why i feel that an overall rating of a 4 possible little lower is what i woudl score
think i may pass on this next time

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 15:52:09 | More by mhksuccess
Photo of bigfnjoe
bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A- pours black with no head to speak of. Incredibly disappointing there

S- tons of licorice and ark malts, along with some slight chocolate. Pretty nice

T- licorice dominates the flavor profile. Getting some soy sauce too. Tad bit of chocolate. No coffee to speak of. Very, very disappointing

M- super thick and syrupy body. Dear god. Incredibly viscous

O- I expected much more, given the reputation. Very disappointing beer

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 00:34:12 | More by bigfnjoe
Photo of WanderingFool
WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Marshal Zhukov pour flat black into the glass with a very small brown head on top. A few spots of lace stick to the glass.

The aroma is rich with chocolate, roasted malt, nuts, dark fruit (raisin, fig) and a touch of coffee.

Each sip of this full bodied beer is velvety smooth, creamy with light carbonation. The rich flavor is loaded with chocolate, roasted malt, toffee, nuts, and dark fruit (raisin). It finishes mildly bitter with a touch of grass. Once gone the chocolate and nutty notes linger on the palate.

This beer has an awesome mouthfeel with a full flavor that expands as it warms. I hope someday I can get another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 00:20:01 | More by WanderingFool
Photo of Florida_SC_Trojan
Florida_SC_Trojan

Florida

4.26/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Let me start of by saying one of my top five breweries in the US. I had this beer in a 750ml bottle. This is a big bad beer and the name is fitting. A nice thick dark head. A nice rich dark chocolate smell. The taste is dark chocolate, malts and fruit with a bitterness at the very end. Well balanced and a touch of sweetness. The only problem I have with this beer is the mouthfeel. Too much alcohol burn. I would like at a lower ABV. Needs a year or two of aging.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 21:19:40 | More by Florida_SC_Trojan
Photo of elgiacomo
elgiacomo

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottled August 31, 2012. Served at cellar temperature. HUGE thanks to Mark for this treat!

Pours incredibly thick and black with without a doubt the darkest head I’ve ever seen on a stout. Leaves some lacing and recedes to a wispy cap and ring.

Aroma is really rich deep dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, espresso and gourmet coffee, dark fruits, rum-soaked raisins, figs, dates, anise, molasses, hint of smoke. Good to very good strength.

Flavor is espresso, serious coffee, dark chocolate, raisins, figs, burnt roasted malts, smoke, anise, molasses, caramel, toffee, fairly sweet, alcohol is there but fits in perfectly for a beer of this size. Unbelievably rich and complex.

Mouthfeel is full-on full-bodied, thick, chewy, sticky, eat it with a fork. Perfect.

Freakin’ fantastic. This is right up my alley. The thicker the better when it comes to Imperial Stouts...I find Ten FIDY to be a little to thin for my tastes...this one delivers. So rich. So complex. Tons of espresso and chocolate as well as boatloads of overripe dark fruits. My only bottle...I will cherish and savor this one and hope to land more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 05:45:19 | More by elgiacomo
Photo of haazer
haazer

Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Sat on this for about a year, perfect time open on this snowy night.

A- Holy sludge. Thick black high mileage motor oil. And this is the first black head I've seen. It towers in the glass and very slowly subsides, leaving lacing on the glass. The head does lighten to a brown cocoa powder color.

S- Burnt dark malty chocolate aroma fills the air at the pour. Such rich dark chocolate, good roast profile. Espresso, a bit of sugary molasses and underlying toffee. Booze is well masked.

T- Sweet chocolate syrupy flavor initially. The chocolate winds into a creamy espresso. There is toffee, and definitely thick molasses. The flavor rounds out with an earthy bitterness from the English hops. No alcohol detection at all. This is dessert in a bottle. It's as rich as a double chocolate devil cake if there is such a thing.

M- Full bodied and rich, thick brew. Molasses(re-occurring theme) viscosity, and mid to high carbonation.

O- This was sweet yet delicious. Decadent and rich. Would love to try any of the variations of this beer, especially Hunahpu. Probably the most chocolate profile you'll see in an RIS and I like it. Love CCB.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 03:29:43 | More by haazer
Photo of Pinknuggets
Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.34/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle to worthy sniffer

A:dark dark mocha brown with a dark red leather like mini foam that leaves a really thick lacing. This thing is totally opaque as no light went through

S: wow chocolate city so much so it's almost overwhelming there is some mocha in there maybe a hint of alcohol but mostly chocolatey goodness

T:the staring flavor is coffee and dark chocolate the coffee bitterness with a little bit of dark fruit in there. The chocolate carries through with a little bit of the mocha flavor and the dark fruit coming out more like figs or raisins this taste also could be coming from the molasses as there hints of sweetness as well

M: it is pretty oily and very thick and chewy toffee like for sure as you can almost feel the sugar sticking to your teeth. The expresso and fruit flavors add a crisp taste that seems like it could be smoothed out with more time though still very good.

O: I am very impressed with this beer but in mad at myself for not being able to wait longer to open as I know this would taste better with at least two years on it but alas I wi have to come back. That being said the chocolate and expresso flavor is some of the best I've ever had in a beer and is well balanced with the sweetness the dark fruit power should fade with age and that will make the better flavors come out more. So looking forward to coming back as enjoyed the hell out of this get it if you can

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 04:36:27 | More by Pinknuggets
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Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout from Cigar City Brewing
96 out of 100 based on 994 user ratings.