Imperial Chocolate Stout
Sankt Gallen Brewery

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From:
Sankt Gallen Brewery
 
Japan
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
9%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 12.27%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
12
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 12, 2017
Added:
May 26, 2006
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by soulgrowl:
Photo of soulgrowl
Reviewed by soulgrowl from England

4.17/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Thick, chocolatey blackish brown with a deeply cratered, somewhat pearly mocha-latte-brown head with fair retention.

Smell: More imperial than chocolate, with plenty of burnt notes reminiscent of campfires, creme brulee, bitter caramel, and burnt cookies. It's smoky, too, almost to the point that I wonder if they used smoked malts. Chocolate is rich and dark in its own right, with an earthy cacao bean character that melds beautifully with notes of coffee, caramel, and Gran Marnier-like citric hops and alcohol.

Taste: Boozy, roasty, and chocolatey, striking a nice chord between bitter, sweet, and savory flavors. My first impression is chocolate chip pancakes, quickly bulldozed by aged Balsamic vinegar, dark rum, espresso, vanilla extract, Kaluah, and very high-cacaomass chocolate. A fruity-leafy quality gives the impression of cigarettes, especially noticeable in the sweet finish. Not quite as chocolatey as I like my chocolate stouts, but quite nice.

Mouthfeel: Soft and airy yet very, very thick and slippery, almost oily.

Drinkability: It's no session beer, that's for sure, but it is remarkably pleasant to sip on a lazy Sunday evening while watching "Persepolis" and eating a dessert of blackcurrant jam and Marscapone cheese.
Mar 23, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Aug 12, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by deac83 from Texas

Jan 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.44 by hakaiya from Japan

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by shigg85 from Japan

Jun 13, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by YamagamiTravis from Canada (BC)

Feb 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 28, 2012
 
Rated: 2.75 by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

Jun 22, 2012
Photo of afksports
Reviewed by afksports from New York

4.06/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks Martin for this one.

Beautiful lacing and deep brown hue that sticks to the glass on this black beer. Smells a bit weaker than it tastes, with more of the alcohol heat coming through than the roasty chocolate notes of the malts in the beer itself. There is some roastiness to the aroma, but it's coupled with burnt coffee which is a bit disappointing.

That said, boy does it taste good. Thoroughly thick and malty, this is the perfect stout to end a night easy. It's not overwhelmingly round, or even necessarily creamy thick, but it's got a solid mouthfeel that'll fill you up, and it's drinkable for it's 8.5% alcohol. Either age it or drink it fresh, the bottle I had was dated 2011, and it was certainly ready to please.

Thanks again Martin. And thanks to Dillon for splitting it with me while we Facebook stalk people. (Good activity for Russian Imperial Stouts!)
Nov 02, 2011
Photo of jhtipton
Reviewed by jhtipton from Spain

4.32/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
picked it up at the Vivre Food Store in Yokohama at a place called Porters. For a Rasputten Lover and Oatmeal Stout Lover I am not disappointed. It weighs in at a heft 8.5 abv and poure dnicely into the hotel glass. Some brown lacing which stuck around for a while. Nice smell, some chocolate and coffee hints. Probably more malt and coffee flavour than anything but it tastes good. Mouthfeel, thick and a little syrupy. Drinkability, I only had one but would try again, due to ABV, probably not a session beer.
Apr 11, 2010
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.02/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
330ml bottle (bought at a 0101 Family department store's basement grocery near the Mizonokuchi station for 630 yen). I have a picture, but I'm not going through the trouble of preparing it within BA's image size constraints. BM me and I'll send it to you. Poured into a small hotel glass. Bottle says 2010, so I assume it hasn't been on the shelf for years.

Pours basically black with a small, almost white head. Fine, noticeable carbonation slowly moving along. Smell is somewhat mild, but pleasant. Chocolate and coffee are up front, a little noticeable alcohol in the smell, some hops.

Taste is bittersweet with surprisingly noticeable hops -- serious hop finish. Big surprise, and quite pleasant, although it drowns out some of the thick malty character.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light (which lends to its drinkability), although it clings for a while. Quite drinkable, nice beer. Try it if you have the chance.
Apr 06, 2010
Photo of Naerhu
Reviewed by Naerhu from Japan

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to BeerBelly for giving me this limited edition bottle.

A - Dark opaque black body.
S - Roasty charred chocolate nose.
T - Really deep roasted chocolate malts. Amazing integration of malt and hop. Hop flavors not really apparent except for in nice medium bitterness.
M - Medium body, but amazingly vivacious. Slick and delicious.
D - This stoled the show at our little tasting.
May 26, 2006
Imperial Chocolate Stout from Sankt Gallen Brewery
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 12 ratings