Your Black Heart Russian Imperial Stout - O'Dempsey's

dvmin98

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

02-27-2013 01:59:44 | More by dvmin98

megamass

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

06-07-2013 04:51:26 | More by megamass

CanMan79

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

05-29-2013 05:19:20 | More by CanMan79

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

2.88/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a large snifter.

A: Sludgy, oily black on the pour. The tan head sputters out almost instantly. Spotty and patchy lacing.

S: Fudgy, brownie batter, semi-sweet dark chocolate. Touch of smoke, mild char, coffee roast. Salty/mineral. Dried fig and dried apple.

T: Soy sauce and a brine-like saltiness right up front. A slight rubbery flavor could be coming from a high phenol spike or just some heavily charred malts. Fudge, brownie batter, smoke, deep roasted malt char and soot. Fig and apple fruitiness. Long roasted malt finish of char and chocolate, but unfortunately a slightly distracting solventy alcohol taste follows into the finish as well.

M: Slick, sludgy body. Thick and chewy. Weighty and a little viscous. Light prickling carbonation. This part is done very well.

O: This beer has a lot of potential. You can tell there's some real greatness underneath the flaws. Looks like they just need to nail down their quality control.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 17:07:45 | More by ryan1788a5

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a dark blackish brown; clear with a tan head. Leaves a good amount of lace on the snifter, and looks very nice.

Aroma: Consisting of roasted malts, dark fruits, smoke and alcohol. Also kind of has a woodsy hint to it as well.

Taste: Robustly malty, reminiscent of a strong coffee. Mild citrusy hop flavor, but fairly bitter. Malts have some peat and nutty cocoa notes. Alcohol is present but well tempered. This imperial stout is warming and tastes quite nice.

Feel: Full bodied, well carbonation. Malty sugars linger into the finish along with some smoke, like sweetened coffee.

Overall: A nice beer brewed by Thomas Creek, O Dempseys must be contract brewed. Thomas Creek seems to do a lot of that, they need to get credited for their work on this site. Good recipe, that's for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 17:11:12 | More by Stinkypuss

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +2%

05-17-2013 01:21:18 | More by Bill235

neckbracesub

Indiana

3/5  rDev -23.5%

04-28-2013 13:03:14 | More by neckbracesub

csparace

Illinois

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Picked this up back home as I sampled all the local flavors. Currently working as my night cap and is working perfectly for that task!

Smell (4.25) – The biggest thing present here is chocolates and roasted grains. Hints of fruits and coffee notes. The smell makes me think its going to be sweet and even a little milky. Once it's poured the coffee notes come out a bit more. If you really really look for it you can potentially smell alcohol – or something else that smells similar.

Appearance (4.00) – Pours a pith black tar with a two finger nutty brown head. No light penetrates. Huge active bubbles in the head which comes down quickly. Once the head comes down you can see slight amounts of carbonation coming to the top.

Taste (4.25) – Initial impression is that of roasted grains and coffee with a hit of hops. The coffee fades while the roast continues. The hops come out more a few seconds later. A slight smoke feel is present throughout. The roasted flavors are huge in this beer but not overwhelming at all.

Mouthfeel (3.75) – This stout has a moderate thickness. Lips are decently sticky. Its definitely a slow drinker but not to the extent that you're chewing it.

Overall (4.00) The main idea of this beer seems to be in the bitterness that the roasted body delivers. It's pretty satisfying as a stout and delivers a complexity that includes chocolates and coffee.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 05:26:32 | More by csparace

akttr

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

04-21-2013 03:28:02 | More by akttr

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.51/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Incredibly dark in fact down right black. The head is a dark beige pushing brown.

Aroma: Heavy dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate with some milk sugars. Light char, dark roasted hops with a floral note. A few dark fruits in the back.

Taste: Very malty in the front that has so many chocolate malts. Silky smooth mouthfeel, hops are roasted very dark. Milk sugars, and some char.

Notes: Very tasty all over and would pick this one up again. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 23:17:06 | More by horshack7

bcm75

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%

04-12-2013 00:59:37 | More by bcm75

ltdantheman

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

04-10-2013 14:10:43 | More by ltdantheman

Zach136

Georgia

4/5  rDev +2%

04-08-2013 01:50:16 | More by Zach136

Falcone

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%

04-07-2013 19:31:10 | More by Falcone

mychalg9

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%

04-06-2013 04:15:13 | More by mychalg9

yaksurf

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%

04-03-2013 20:04:31 | More by yaksurf

bacasnax

Florida

4/5  rDev +2%

04-01-2013 23:57:24 | More by bacasnax

PatDow

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%

04-01-2013 01:03:21 | More by PatDow

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%

03-30-2013 05:30:34 | More by chanokokoro

acsprouse

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%

03-25-2013 00:39:21 | More by acsprouse

ascags

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%

03-24-2013 02:49:58 | More by ascags

jefftuck47

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +2%

03-23-2013 04:22:25 | More by jefftuck47

hardrock

Arkansas

4/5  rDev +2%

03-10-2013 23:28:12 | More by hardrock

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +2%

02-22-2013 14:08:53 | More by PEIhop

AmitC

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A very thick pouring brew, dark brown to almost black in color. Pitch black inside the glass. A good shining brown colored less than a half finger thick head that stays really well. An excellent lacing on the sides. Opaque.

Aroma is of dark roasted malts and some hops. A bit of coffee aroma, not really ground. Strength is mild to only moderate. A good burnt up nose. No alcohol. Difficult to pick up mainly due to fading aroma.

Flavor is that of burnt up and charred malts. A good and balancing hop profile. Finish is dry to slightly bitter. Some chocolate and coffee in the taste.

Mouth feel is full bodied. Low carbonation. No astringency of any kind. Drinks really nice and easy. A good alcohol warmth.

Nothing really wrong with the brew but no wow factor either.

Style Rate: 4
Personal Rate: 4.25

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 02:56:40 | More by AmitC