Russian Imperial Stout - Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

Birdiebeagle

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler pours a hazy dark brown with a frothy light brown head. Very good lacing and head is lasting. Aromais of heavy chocolate malt. Some coffee. A dry chocolate flavor. A soft medium beer with all the goodness I expected. I am pretty close to Iron Hill so I taste all thier stuff, and this is one of the best.

Serving type: growler

01-23-2006 23:17:51 | More by Birdiebeagle

goodbyeohio

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml courtesy of larry.. kind of an "im sorry your experience at iron hill sucked monkey testicles" olive branch type offering.

pours a resinous, viscous shiny black with frothy tan topper. head becomes soapy with rest and leaves spotty lacing. surprisingly mild yet malty nose showing big hits of vanilla and toffee caramel. aroma balanced nicely by some faintly detectable juicy hops. slick mouthfeel.. goes right down with little/no carbonation interference.. doesn't need it, this beer has body and its allowed to shine thanks to low priming levels. hops tickle the back of my throat and the beer, with its upper-middle class abv, warms my tummy. hops are more noticeable in the flavor, but exist to accent not to dominate. the dark malts evoke creamed coffee and heath bars. those green buds add something fruity to the finish and this beer really packs a very underwhelming bitterness.. which is a refreshing change for a big RIS like this. maybe a bit too sugary for some- even seems to be approaching barleywine in its grand scheme. wonderful, nice beer.. thoroughly satisfying and more than makes up for any wrongdoing on the part of my iron hill waiter from last august.

(bottle cellared 6 months)

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2006 05:47:21 | More by goodbyeohio

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

HMMMmmmm, another interseting offer from IH. Well, the nose and taste wreak of cofe. Buth the tase is a solid, roasted, coffee tase, mixed with a hoppy bitter sweetness and a solid malt base. The coffee doinance is matched by a burn undertone and a malt base. Solid ABV taste to mtach it. Overall, a nice brew to end the night one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2005 04:34:52 | More by PSUDREW

francisweizen

Australia

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A nice new seasonal on-tap now at the Iron Hill in Media, Pa. This is a very dark brown/black brew, but it is not quite opaque. The aromas are of roasted malts, alcohol, espresso, currants, other dark fruits, dark chocolate, and a bit of fresh hops. The taste is very roasty up front with some lovely complex malt flavors in the middle (chocolate, coffee) and a smooth finish that is very espresso-like and slightly hoppy at the same time. Ya know what? For Iron Hill, this is a damn good beer. Sure, it may be a bit light for an Imperial stout, but it is to style and the "lightness" of this version only adds to its imminent drinkability. Definately worthy a try when it is on tap....and perhaps my favorite brew from this brewpub so far.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2004 21:52:21 | More by francisweizen

mophie

Delaware

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another damn fine beer from my friends at Iron Hill. 1/2 gallon growler. Ruby-brown in color, with just a trace of light poking through. First pour produced a really appetizing cafe-au-lait head, but subsequent pourings were relatively flat. Regarding the smell: my kids thought it smelled great (they're 8 and 11 years old, so my wife pretty much freaked), but they're right -- really nice fragrance of chocolate, plums, raisins, roasted malts. As for taste: when I was at the brewpub, I watched a guy at another table try his first sip. Upon tasting, he got one of those looks on his face that indicated he had just experienced something really special. A really nice malt backbone, with just a hint of hop bitterness. Burnt toast qualities, with an ever-so-slight alcohol spiciness. Oh yeah, baby. Be it food or beer, Iron Hill puts out a first-rate product.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2002 18:15:06 | More by mophie