Laika's Imperial Stout - Straight To Ale

sirtomtom

California

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

In Alabama, had to try some locals. The fact its local probably skewed my scoring.

A: Jet black, with a coffee colored head. Dissipates to a ring around the beer.

S: Caramel, dark fruit and lots of booze.

T: Caramel, dark fruit, coffee, booze and nice bitterness couple with a mild sweetness.

M: Silky, full-bodied, and a bit dry at the end.

O: An exceptional imperial stout, if I could get it in California, I would. Any improvement to this would be to throw it in some old bourbon barrels to smooth it out. God this was an excellent imperial stout. Stone could learn something from it.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 05:20:39 | More by sirtomtom

richj1970

Alabama

4.31/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 22 oz bottle into goblet.

A: Poured pitch black with nice one finger chocolate brown head that dissolved to a thin ring which followed the beer all the way down.

S: The nose of this one is incredible. Lots of roasted malts, chocolates, caramel, expresso, and maybe a bit of hops.

T: Big flavors here as well. Bitter chocolate, coffee, caramel, a bit of fruit undertone.

M: Thick and creamy. Everything you want in a big stout.

O: Pleasantly surprised here. This is definitely a top notch stout, and from a local brewer on top, nice!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:38:15 | More by richj1970

GPHarris

Alabama

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

a - poured a one finger thick dark brown head into a snifter that left a thin ring throughout. the body was dark black.
s - coffee, roasted chocolate, some caramel sweetness.
t - roasted chocolate, coffee with some hop flavors coming through.
m - medium and creamy.
o - another really solid beer from STA. this reminded me of left hand's imperial stout as it had more hop character than most.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 16:10:39 | More by GPHarris

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. Served at cellar temperature.

Pours thick black with barely a finger of very dark brown head that leaves some short-lived lacing and recedes to a wispy cap and ring.

Aroma is coffee, milk chocolate, dark roasted malts, dark fruits, anise, some caramel, hops are there in the background. Good to very good strength.

Flavor is rich coffee & espresso, dark chocolate, roasted malts, anise, molasses, dark fruits, nutty, underlying notes of caramel, fairly sweet, moderate bitterness, moderate alcohol.

Mouthfeel is very thick and creamy, soft carbonation. Really nice.

Very nice Imperial Stout! Straight to Ale is definitely doin’ it right in Alabama. Looking forward to trying some more from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:59:00 | More by elgiacomo

Tilley4

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a couple of these while in Nashville recently...

Glugs out into a tulip with a deep black appearance and a slowly forming mocha head... coats the glass with a swirl... looking really good thus far... appears thick and creamy

Very intense aromas of bittersweet chocolate, black coffee, some licorice.... this is extremely pungent... nothing subdued about this beer so far at all... the aromas practically blast out of the glass at me... smallish hints of booze here and there...

Rich, creamy and delicious.... the flavors, like the aromas, are intense and big... licorice, coffee, chocolate... all the usual suspects... done very nicely... maybe even a kiss of hops at the finish... sip after sip, this brew delivers... im very impressed...

I loved this offering from Straight to Ale.... a real sleeper here....

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 14:18:12 | More by Tilley4

sotted-moose

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving: On-tap at the Straight To Ale taproom. Served in a snifter-type glass
Date: 12/15/2012

A: Beautiful. Black of night, faint hint of head, ephemeral lacing.

Smell: Coffee notes, heavy breads, faint hops aroma
Taste: Complex taste, hints of coffee, dark chocolate, heavy breads,and an emerging sweetness as the beer warmed up.
Mouthfeel: Faint, lingering bitterness. Good, clean mouth-feel, a bit dry
Overall: An excellent beer. I'm quite impressed with the quality of the beer, which seems to be fairly standardized as I've had this on several occasions. It is good, reliable, and quite enjoyable. I will definitely seek out Laika in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2012 23:04:33 | More by sotted-moose

darkstar12

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served on tap into a heavy goblet at Mellow Mushroom in southeast Huntsville, AL

A: classic look of a glass of used motor oil. Not even a hint of either a head or lacing.
S: Faint amount of hops, not much else
T: some bitterness, roasted and burnt taste - begins to taste a little more sugary as the beer warms up. Didn't really taste the alcohol at any time.
M: Very thick and syrupy
O: Another very good beer from Straight to Ale. I'll ask for the beer again

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 23:44:56 | More by darkstar12

Reaper16

Alabama

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

served on-tap into a pint glass @ Suds of the South beerfest

Pours an inky pitch black. Which is, of course, a good thing. A finger and a half of loose but still voluminous dark tan head forms and doesn't go away quietly.

What strikes me most about Laika is how well-crafted it is. This beer is all about balance (albeit in an admittedly extreme style). There's lots of roast here, but it is held in check by sweet malts. There's some hops here (maybe not enough), but they don't take center-stage at any point. There's some dark fruits here (maybe not enough), but they're always quick to share space with the graham crackers and black bread flavors. The aroma is pretty roasty, but the flavor is so balanced. It provides pretty much every type of flavor that imperial stouts should provide.

The mouthfeel is pretty creamy but not chewy or thick in the ways that some imperial stouts are. Your mileage my vary, but I think it makes the beer quite drinkable. Overall, this is a pretty good imperial stout. Probably the best I've had from an Alabama brewery. It isn't a subtle style, but what separates Laika from, say, Good People Fatso (and there isn't much separation) is its sorta' subtle balance.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2012 17:26:15 | More by Reaper16

sommersb

Tennessee

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at The Nook in Huntsville, AL. Laika was the name of the first animal to orbit the Earth, a Russian dog. Very fitting name considering Huntsville's space history and the Russian Imperial Stout style.

A: Dark black in color, with no visibility through the beer when held to the light. A small amount of dark brown head with little lacing.

S: Rich aromas of coffee, dark chocolate and roasted malts were dominant.

T: Heavy and complex, I picked up flavors of roasted malts with a subtle sweetness, chocolate and coffee flavors. It had some burnt character to it, but not in an unpleasant sense. The balance of malts and hops was done well. Also had a boozy quality to it.

M: Full body and a dry finish with a slight lingering bitterness.

D: This is an intense brew; not one to take lightly. The big flavors are very enjoyable, although this is not a beer I'd drink more than one of at a time.

I updated my score for the appearance after having this in the bottle. The head was a good size with good retention and lacing.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2010 06:24:27 | More by sommersb