Berkshire Russian Imperial Stout - Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.

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BA SCORE
90
exceptional
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381 Ratings

THE BROS
100
world-class
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rAvg: 4.04
pDev: 11.14%
Reviews: 288
Hads: 93

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Brewed by:
Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.

Massachusetts, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | 8.50% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (269), on-tap (8), nitro-tap (6), cask (5).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

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Reviews

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Reviews by BadBadger:

BadBadger

New York

4/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Berkshire Imperial Stout pours forth from the bottle a nice dark color. The head was a tan color and moderate in both size and duration. The smell was mainly of of the alcohol cutting through the malts. NO hint of hops were detected by the olfactory apparatus. The taste was malty smoothness with just a bit of alcohol and bittering. This is a descent RIS which I am happy to have come across. While not a "must have", this is certainly a rather enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2007 22:46:06 | More by BadBadger

More User Reviews:

thegerm87

Connecticut

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

05-16-2013 00:30:33 | More by thegerm87

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.5/5 rDev -13.4%

05-13-2013 01:04:29 | More by BarrytheBear

Kevincredible

Massachusetts

4/5 rDev -1%

04-26-2013 03:46:19 | More by Kevincredible

Hanzo

Virginia

4/5 rDev -1%

04-14-2013 15:45:05 | More by Hanzo

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5 rDev -7.2%

04-09-2013 00:09:43 | More by acurtis

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5 rDev -7.2%

04-09-2013 00:05:56 | More by djrn2

CTJman

Connecticut

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

04-04-2013 23:20:45 | More by CTJman

bootdown21

Connecticut

4/5 rDev -1%

03-20-2013 19:04:57 | More by bootdown21

drummermattie02

Texas

2.5/5 rDev -38.1%

03-18-2013 02:36:21 | More by drummermattie02

Blanco

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

03-11-2013 03:18:36 | More by Blanco

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.28/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Super dark brown, almost deep blood red, and nearly black with sediment floating around. Big, frothy, fizzy, light brown head that really sizzles near the edges of the glass. Never really seen that before. Just a bit of lace and retention.

S: Big aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malt, molasses, some booze, and some spice. Very rich.

T: Wow...spectacular. So smooth and so much flavor. I can already tell this beer kills you with consistency. Nothing too crazy...just big RIS character. Huge dark chocolate, heavily roasted malt, and a bit of lactose sugar to sweeten it up just enough. I loved every sip.

M: Velvet. Great balance of roasted malt, booze, and sweetness. Roasty finish is superb.

O: I'm very, very impressed by this beer. With all the hyped RIS out there, this is a safe alternative when you don't want to worry about off-flavors or a huge price tag. Relatively inexpensive but not short on flavor. A new favorite for the style. I never buy cases and rarely consider it but I may consider buying a case of this stuff next winter. I also like that the ABV isn't going to knock you on your ass. Huge fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 02:16:03 | More by Gatch

emottram

Massachusetts

4/5 rDev -1%

02-24-2013 17:36:21 | More by emottram

hopley

Massachusetts

4.5/5 rDev +11.4%

02-23-2013 04:23:08 | More by hopley

BoardwalkBock

New York

4.26/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a Stone pint glass.

A: Black. Get some hints of dark red when held up to the light, but really only around the top.

S: Boozy, Caramel, Coffee.

T: Chocolate and Caramel upfront. Coffee and roasted malts afterward and alcohol on the aftertaste. Alcohol comes in and mixes well. Overall, solid taste.

M: Heavy and smooth. Right up my alley.

O: Very solid beer. One of my top RIS and definitely a mainstay in my fridge. Haven't tried to age it yet, because I can't hold on a bottle long enough. It's just that good. Very comparable to Old Rasputin and Siberian Night, but doesn't take the rain of top RIS. Just moved to RI recently and can get it locally and on a constant basis. Relatively cheap too. Roughly $5.50 per bomber. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 03:59:14 | More by BoardwalkBock

brureview

Massachusetts

4.05/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured a dark chocolate color with a 1 finger head into a snifter.

Excellent aroma initially: chocolate and cocoa. The strong aroma fades quickly with warming.

Mouth feel is quite carbonated and enjoyable in the style.

The taste is initially a strong chocolate-cocoa which also fades quickly with warming. Some hints of licorice.

Overall a good Russian imperial. The aroma and taste elements don't linger. The stout is also a bit thin for the style. Worthwhile drinking, but I was disappointed by the fading of important taste and aroma characteristics of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:47:33 | More by brureview

erlenmeyer

Maine

3/5 rDev -25.7%

02-02-2013 03:59:13 | More by erlenmeyer

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5 rDev +5.2%

01-28-2013 20:55:22 | More by DmanGTR

tscanlon51

Massachusetts

5/5 rDev +23.8%

01-26-2013 02:11:21 | More by tscanlon51

KalH

Maine

3.94/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Standard RIS black body with a quickly dissipating tan head.

A - Dark fruit, chocolate, roast - Subtle aroma coming from the nose.

T - Dark fruit plays a prominent role along with milk chocolate in the flavor profile. Rich and coating on the tongue with a nice black licorice and roast aspect in the finish.

M - A lot thinner than I like my RIS. Felt this could have been a little more full, though it does have a great silky smoothness and even carbonation.

O - Felt this could have been more forward in the aroma and been more viscous, but other than that this was a good RIS. Be aware, the alcohol definitely creeps up on you! The dark fruit really plays nicely in this and I felt this was surprisingly easy drinking for the style. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 01:27:24 | More by KalH