Berkshire Russian Imperial Stout - Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.

Jason

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 22 oz brown bomber style bottle with “purchase before month notched” marked properly. The two brewers are on the label as renascence king and jest with frothy mugs in hand.

Appearance: Opaque black with a thin yet unwavering light brown lace, very tiny bubbled even with a sturdy pouring.

Smell: Dark chocolate and light dark roasted coffee overtones and an underlying mixed berry fruitiness are the forefront with a trace estery alcohol in the end.

Taste: Smooth and a little slick, light carbonation with a creamy mouth feel. Big broad malty body, Black Forest German Cake comes to mind, deep berry fruitiness is found by the tongue. Heavy malt flavour takes the show over for a while with sweet dark chocolate, brownie like to a point. Alcohol is mellow though still makes a point of warming the mouth and body right away to show that it still holds its strength. Bitterness from the hops is muted a bit from age but that does not take away from the balance it give along with the bitterness from the roasted malts. In the finish the mouth is full and flush with warming spicy alcohol, roasted remnants of a big stout and a lingering flavour of a fudge brownie that was devoured.

Notes: American brewers take a style and mold it into their own whether that beer style has been dead for decades / centuries or not. Berkshire Brewing has taken in the Imperial Stout Style into its home to befriend it and make it a charmer for beer geeks and stout lovers to gawk over. A brew that I will make a point of visiting again.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2002 03:20:53 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Whoa! Now here's a beer. This is dessert (life?) in a bottle. Seemingly pitch black in colour with a coffee head. Aromas of wood, sherri and chocolate. Syrupy, sweet, thick, rich and robust on the palate. Tingly and tight carbonation. Fruity, dark. Huge chocolate, caramel, sherri, wood and liquor notes. I even pick-up some vanilla and smoke lingering in the background. Bitterness is there, kind of twangy, and wrapped within the roasted quality of this beer. Mmm ...

Alcohol is spicy, and has a warming quality that builds-up in the brain, massaging and eventually numbing it into utter beerdom.

Boys and girls ... this is some bad-ass juice in which to warm your cockles during the winter. Seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2001 16:48:57 | More by Todd

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

stoppertb18

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

01-15-2013 23:01:42 | More by stoppertb18

TheBeerologist

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -1%

01-12-2013 05:11:54 | More by TheBeerologist

BigTrubble

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

12-26-2012 22:13:47 | More by BigTrubble

pveilleux

Massachusetts

2/5  rDev -50.5%

12-17-2012 04:54:07 | More by pveilleux