Cigar City Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout

The winter months roll on, so i'm neck deep in stouts.  And one of the better ones i've had the chance to drink comes from the always dependable Cigar City with their delicious Marshal Zhukov's Russian Imperial Stout.  The 11.8% ABV brew is a straight forward take on the style that really excels on every level.  The beer pours a dark, oily black with a brown head and smells of chocolate and coffee with some notes of dark fruit.  The flavor is a nice and balanced mix of said chocolate and coffee along with notes of black cherry and molasses all in a smooth and full mouthfeel.  It's really just a perfect example of what an imperial stout should be.

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Community Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion

While it's warming up, and my weekend daytime palate usually consists of lagers and IPAs, evenings at home (all of them these days) call for something a little more robust.  And i can think of nothing better to sip while watching Joe Bob Briggs on a Friday night or a 10-part Michael Jordan documentary on a Sunday than Community Beer Co's Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion, a tasty 12% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that totally rounds out my weekends.  The beer pours a dark black with a beige head and smells of chocolate, malt, oak, booze, and a hint of coffee.  The flavor is heavy on the chocolate and oak, but with the malt balancing it out, the booziness hitting on the back end, and subtle notes of coffee and toffee throughout.  Sip slow and enjoy.

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Squatters Outer Darkness

It's Halloween, so it only seems right to post about a seriously evil looking brew...that comes from Utah of all places.  Squatters Craft Beers' Outer Darkness is a dark and heavy Russian Imperial Stout, pouring black as the darkest of hearts with an aromatic and foamy head.  The brew smells of roasted malt and barley with hints of molasses, chocolate, oak, and alcohol.  It's a relatively smooth beer, notes of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits meshing excellently with the oak and high alcohol (10.5%), all with a bitter bite at the end, a dark and tasty libation for an October evening.  Happy Halloween.

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Community Barrel-Aged Legion

It's been a busy 10 days.  I became a dad again, and combined with all the day to day bull one has to take care of and the joy and struggle (mostly joy) of raising a toddler, i haven't had a lot of time to drink any beer.  So, when i get to sneak one in, i've got to make it count.  And at 11.6% ABV, the Barrel-Aged Legion from Community Beer Co. certainly does just that.  A dark and tasty Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels, the beer pours black with a brownish tan head, and smells of roasty malts and notes of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla.  Those aspects are also present in the taste, mixing deliciously with hints of dark fruit and bourbon.  This is a complex brew, a wonderful slow sipper that's smooth and finishes with just the right amount of bitterness.  Well done.

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The Good, The Bad, and The Unidragon

Last week, an old friend and fellow beer enthusiast came into Austin to visit and to attend the Flying Saucer's annual Beerfeast event.  After an afternoon spent in the sun imbibing beer after beer, sample after sample, the fest was capped off with a little 14% ABV brew from Massachusetts' Clown Shoes Brewery, the lovely titled The Good, The Bad, and The Unidragon.  A Russian Imperial Stout, this beer is dark and black with a brown head and lacing that never leaves the side of the glass.  Aromas and flavors of roasted malt, some dark fruit notes, chocolate, toffee, and alcohol are abundant, but for as strong and intense as the beer is, it actually goes down quite smoothly.  Maybe a little too smoothly.  It's really an amazing beverage, and currently only available here in Texas.  We are special.

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Real Ale Commissar Russian Imperial Stout

The springtime usually puts me in the mood for lighter beers or IPA's, but i just had to make an exception for the always dependable folks at Real Ale and their Commissar Russian Imperial Stout.  Weighing in at 9.8% ABV, this big boy does not mess around.  The beer pours a dark black with a good and foamy tan head.  Aromas of roasted malts, some dark fruit notes, and hints of spice.  The beer is roasty and full bodied, the malts, subtle fruit, and hints of coffee and chocolate hitting at first taste with a nice and bitter backend.  The Commissar is definitely a sipper, but i really enjoyed it.

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Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #15

Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing Company will occasionally put out small, one-off batches of different kinds of beers they are tinkering with.  These batches are called the Divine Reserve, and number 15 in the series was released a couple of weeks ago, this one being a tasty and smooth Russian Imperial Stout that weighs in at 10.1% ABV.  The beer is dark and black with a tannish head and smells of spices, molasses, and dark fruits.  Those dark fruits are very evident in the brew's flavor, added in with some maltiness and some notes of toffee, chocolate, and subtle hop spices.  This beer is delicious, and its limited nature makes it a pretty hard brew to find before it's all gone.  Lucky me, the corner store near my house has had it in stock the last three times i've been there...but screw you.  Go find your own.

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