Catherine The Great - Brouwerij Smisje

t8s8l8

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Difficult beer to judge. Draft at monks reddish brown color off white head. Aroma a soft chocolate some sour notes as well. Def. Funky unless this is what it suppose to smell and taste like. Not bad but not an imperial stout. Girl told me it was pouring wrong all day. Would try again just not for 8 dollars a pour

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2013 02:32:05 | More by t8s8l8

chefpeet

New Jersey

2.75/5  rDev -17.9%

05-23-2013 19:07:47 | More by chefpeet

MallyOMight

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -17.9%

04-06-2013 01:46:58 | More by MallyOMight

clayrock81

Virginia

3.59/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Perhaps I'm being too judgemental, but this beer arrived with a brownish body and light white head that died quick and I wasn't thinking I had the right beer at first since it's labeled as a RIS. I did pick up a little bit of stoutish aroma but it is mostly covered up by the funky cherries and other sour ale charateristics. Good beer, great idea, just didn't come across as anything more than a one off for me. Has some sour fruit/cherry notes in a medium body and passes easy, and there's touches of sweet malts and a little dryness in the finish from roasted malts and/or the sourness of the beer itself. Even my notes are a little boggled with this beer; all I can say is it is worth a shot and the ABV isn't noticeable but you'll feel it after a draft.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2013 16:13:59 | More by clayrock81

TrickkyGangsta

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +4.5%

03-24-2013 22:20:10 | More by TrickkyGangsta

asafarc2

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev +4.5%

03-23-2013 01:40:39 | More by asafarc2

westcoastbeerlvr

California

1/5  rDev -70.1%

01-09-2013 20:40:12 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

zonker17

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +4.5%

01-01-2013 23:56:15 | More by zonker17

acurtis

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -25.4%

11-26-2012 01:13:25 | More by acurtis

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Apparently everyone says this is an Imperial brown ale so I shall review it as so. Picked up an old bottle for 4 bucks at the House of 1,000 beers.

T - Well right off the bat I could tell it's not a RIS. The head is all wrong just mildly opaque and it's barley even black. Color is good for a brown ale giving a hazy shade of chestnut brown with mild sediment bits.

S - Lightly soured mash with cherries upfront. In the glass I get more brown ale notes of hazelnut and caramel malts. Yeast still smells rather fruity and vibrant.

T - Really dig the chocolate malt in this one. Like a dry cocoa that never gets too sweet. Soured doughs and mashed pecans take mid palate and the finish is dry and kind of chalky. Mid glass the chalky yeast and what can only be a bitter hoppy/chemical taste is kind of off-putting.

M - Well it says it's 10% but it hides it well. Kind of underwhelming fizzy flavor.

Overall not worth picking up again and not even close to either a Imperial brown or RIS. More of a Belgium ale with brown malts added.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 02:34:42 | More by DrDemento456

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +26.9%

11-17-2012 02:51:11 | More by PEIhop

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -3%

11-12-2012 02:48:13 | More by t0rin0

SPRichard

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -10.4%

11-11-2012 13:22:52 | More by SPRichard

FlyAwayPhil

3.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Cloudy and dark brown with some light carbonation. The head lingered longer when it came from the tap. Nice lacing on the glass

S - Roast dark malts and some vinegar tartness. Hints of fruity spices

T - Tastes of roasted malts and a slight hoppiness on the finished with some yeast. The alcohol is rather well hidden.

M - A bit heavy at first but finished with a rather light dry finish.

O - I quite enjoy this beer, but I would argue that it's more of an imperial brown ale than a Russian imperial stout. I've had it before and it was described as an imperial brown ale, so I wasn't disappointed like some other people that the style differs from the one on the label. Enjoyed in my Westmalle chalice for this review. Growler from the Birch bar in Norfolk, VA.

Serving type: growler

11-01-2012 23:54:17 | More by FlyAwayPhil

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark brown in color but appears black when viewed from afar. A very careful pour resulted in a two finger high beige head that has good retention properties and took a long time to die down but never completely faded away.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of chocolate malts along with some notes of roasted malts.
T: The taste has flavors of dark malts with notes of roasted malts and hints of chocolate.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of dryness in the finish.
O: This beer is rather over carbonated and seems a little light in body for the style. It goes down rather easily because of its lighter-bodied nature and a lack of alcohol in the taste. I wished this could have had a fuller body and some more roasted malt flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 01:59:36 | More by metter98

imperialking

Illinois

3/5  rDev -10.4%

10-23-2012 14:45:11 | More by imperialking

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2010 bottle

tons of floaters, reddish brown pour, tons of creme colored head. awesome amounts of thick sticky lacing.
smells of cherries, roasted grains, burnt caramel, vanilla.
the taste is slightly smoky up front.. a lot like tobacco.. very earthy/dirt-like, hints of sour fruit notes (cherries, grapes), dates, nuts.

medium body, nicely carbonated, creamy mouthfeel.

i was honestly expecting a completely different mouthfeel/appearance. seeing head on a 2 year old stout is strange. still feeling the carbonation is even stranger.. the alcohol was unrecognizable. a GREAT beer for aging.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 07:26:26 | More by facundoCNB

Texasfan549

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -3%

08-15-2012 01:25:23 | More by Texasfan549

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 5/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Dark brown pour with a huge off-white head. Tons of carbonation, half a glass, spooned out quite a bit just to get the the beer. Sour, sulfur aroma. Alcohol, smoky malts, light sour with roasty malt middle. Mouth explodes with carbonation. A bit of wood, smoke at the end. Not well balanced. Underlying flavor kind of nice, but blown out of the water by odd flavors and explosive carbonation. Whoops. There's a interesting beer in here trying to get out.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 19:37:23 | More by LiquidAmber

oline73

Maryland

3.03/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I had this on-tap at Max's on Belgian Independence day. Poured into a tasting glass.

Appearance: This beer pours a very dark amber, but you can see through it, which is weird. There is a layer of fluffy off white head that fades to a ring around the glass.

Smell: Rather tart, berries and vinegar. Some malt sweetness as well.

Taste: Some roast here. I'm getting dark chocolate and tart berries. The finish is roasty with the sourness fading. I'm also getting some Belgian spice here.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a finish that is dry and a bit gritty.

Overall: This one threw me off from the start and I can't say I was a huge fan. A sample pour was ok, but that's about it for me.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 02:08:44 | More by oline73

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.18/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Looked interesting in a bottle store over the weekend, but after pouring this I'm a little skeptical. Served in a tulip, the beer pours an auburn-brown coloring, thin and hazy to the point of opaque, with a heavy, tall, foamy head that settles in at about an inch of beige colored foam. Aromas of bread, tangy fruit sweetness, and pungent floral overtones. Flavors are all over the place, with a roasted and slightly smokey molasses backbone that leans more towards an off-balanced barleywine. This does not remotely resemble an RIS, in my opinion. Heavily spiced throughout, with some nutmeg and coriander coming through. This has a very watery, foamy feel as you drink. Tangy sweet, almost sugary aftertaste. Limp, watery finish with a slight linger to the spicing.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 22:51:04 | More by GarthDanielson

nmann08

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -3%

07-20-2012 16:41:18 | More by nmann08

duceswild

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +4.5%

07-16-2012 04:02:48 | More by duceswild

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a stemmed tulip: Deep plum-brown with crimson highlights under 3 fingers of fluffy, souffle-like cappuccino head. Tiny, fast nucleation around the sides & some sediment.

Very fruity nose up front, with plum, a little tart pomegranate, grape jam, a little cocoa underpinning with just a little peppery quality.

Sharp wine-like grape quality, some other dark fruits (plum, raisin), rum-like sugary booze, moving into a thin dark chocolate taste, & right around the finish a kind of savory, meaty, smoky character emerges that gives it a nice twist. Can't say I love it from beginning to end, but that robust character really redeems it, lasting well into the aftertaste. Low roast.

Full-bodied but effervescent & with some bite, a little hot but not what I'd expect 10% to be.

Not what I was expecting & probably one of the better Belgian RISs I've had, perhaps in spite of the stylistic divergences. Complex taste makes it worthwhile.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 21:40:58 | More by OneDropSoup

Hanzo

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -3%

06-17-2012 15:26:59 | More by Hanzo