Though the weather has not cooled enough to have me wanting stouts on a regular basis I simply could not pass this one up when seeing it a little while back.  I am not one to keep black licorice around the house, but I really was interested to see (or rather taste) how that flavor worked with a big, bold stout.  The answer is that I think it works well and certainly much more so than I thought roasted buckwheat did.

Easing into the weekend . . .

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)

Name: Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (or maybe Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer)

ABV: 10.50% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled a little early to warm a bit before being served in a snifter.

Aroma: A full, smooth, chocolately roasted malt character with a more subtle licorice aroma underneath. Well balanced and quite pleasant overall with maybe a bit of alcohol there.  – 9/12

Appearance: Dark, dark, dark brown (black) in color.  One finger light brown head that is pretty thick, holds fairly well, and leaves some legs on the glass.  Opaque and even so at the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: A deep roasted malt flavor with notes of bittersweet chocolate and a light molasses-like sweetness.  The licorice flavor comes through middle to finish with some bitterness and a bit of astringency (from roasted malt profile) coming out near the finish.  Otherwise finishes fairly smooth with some lingering chocolate and anise. – 15/20

Mouthfeel: Full body with a moderate to low level of carbonation.  Smooth and pretty creamy on the palate with a bit of warmth noticeable. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: First significantly sized glass of stout in a long time.  I actually prefer this one not as warm as I usually do a big stout as the licorice gets to be a little too prominent and out of balance.  The aftertaste and astringency are like that after eating some very dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage.  I could see this one pairing really well with the appropriate desserts. – 8/10

Overall: B+ (39/50)

Stone Brewing Co. - Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

This is a beer that reminded me again that another tweak to my grading methods might be necessary to make me happy with it.  If you look at the final tally for this one you would see that it essentially gets 64% of the possible perfect score, so I think it is the associated term of “Very Good” that I have an issue with (since I would not describe it as very good).  I think that I will likely still keep the 50 point scoring system, but will look into making my own tiers with my own descriptive terms for each.  That will make it much more personalize to this site as well.  So stay tuned on that front.

Moving on to the review for this Friday . . .

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company (Downingtown, PA)

Name: Storm King Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.10% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled early to warm some before serving in a snifter.

Aroma: Deep roasted malt nose with some slight sweetness and a floral hop character floating around in there as well.  The floral character gives it a slightly funky note in combination with the rest and results in a strange overall aroma (not in a good way). – 6/12

Appearance: Black (really).  Two finger light coffee color head that is frothy with good retention and leaving a solid trail.  Opaque to the point that you can barely see through the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Dark roasted malt flavors up front, then transitioning into some slight bitterness and coffee flavor.  Pretty good hit of hop character from the middle to the finish.  Some dryness at the finish with some lingering notes of coffee flavor.  – 15/20

Mouthfeel: Full body with a moderate level of carbonation.  fairly smooth with a bit of astringency at the finish and some slight warmth noticeable.  – 3/5

Overall Impressions: The flavor is certainly more enjoyable than the aroma.  Even though the flavor does save the overall, it is not outstanding.  It finishes pretty nicely, but I am not a big fan of it overall and do not think I will be grabbing again anytime soon – 5/10

Overall: Very Good – 32/50 (see intro)

Victory Brewing Company - Storm King Stout

Closer now

Sure this one falls into the “excellent” range when all of the points are tallied, but that word carries some serious weight if I was to describe a beer as such to my friends.  I am not sure that excellent would be the first word used to describe this one if asked how I liked it.  If I put some thought into it I am sure that I could come up with my own words to describe each of those point ranges that I would be more comfortable with.

This one is described to be at least inspired by wanting to combine the flavors of their Jahva and Choklat beers.  If that was indeed the goal, they should be happy with the results.

Continuing on with this STBC February ‘11 . . .

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)

Name: Mokah

Style: Russian (or rather American) Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.20% (on website) or 11.00% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a snifter after being allowed to sit at room temperature for a short time.

Aroma: Sweet roasted aroma with some deep, strong notes of dark chocolate and dark fruit (raisins/currants).  Some warmth noticeable. – 9/12

Appearance: Appears black, though is dark brown when held to light.  Slight light brown color head that dissipates pretty quickly and leaves very little trail (though some legs).  Opaque though can be seen through when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Slight molasses-like sweetness with strong notes of burnt grain.  Light chocolate up front that fades into a strong coffee flavor that stays through the finish.  A snap of bitterness in middle through to the finish where there is a lingering flavor of black coffee.  – 15/20

Mouthfeel: Full body with a fairly low level of carbonation.  Some astringency from loads of roasted/burnt grain character.  Warmth noticeable, but not overwhelming. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Really intensely flavored and a slow sipper for sure that is a little tough to take on if not prepared.  I think the carbonation level is pretty spot on to compliment the flavors.  The chocolate flavor comes through at the finish more as it warms.  I imagine that this would be nice after dinner or with dessert. – 7/10

Overall: Excellent – 38/50

Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Mokah

Coffee anyone?

Though I am enjoying the new scoring/grading system, it does seem like there is quite a lot that will fall into the “very good” range of 30-37 points.  Now that may be just because I am liking the STBC beers, but I think it will be a continuing trend.  There is a lot of room above it with “excellent” (38-44) and “outstanding” (45-50), so I will still be able to easily differentiate what I think is great from what is just “very good.”  I am also curious if I will ever use the bottom end of “fair” (14-20) or “problematic” (0-13).

The evaluation for each beer is done right after I open it so that I can sit and relax with the rest of the bottle.  Sometimes as I sit with it I like it less and sometimes even more.  I often think about revising the grade after, but I have never done it.  What I am trying to say is that the final point tally is really only my first impression of the beer.

Continuing on with this STBC February ‘11 . . .

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)

Name: Oat

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (or perhaps American Imperial Oatmeal Stout)

ABV: 10.80% (on website) or 11.00% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge (put in morning, consumed evening after pulling a little early) and served in a snifter.  11/3/10 listed on additional bottle sticker.

Aroma: Full, sweet aroma with very light roasted notes and also those of dark fruit.  Some earthiness and a bit of alcohol warmth noticeable. – 10/12

Appearance: Dark, dark brown (black) in color.  Slight light brown head that dissipates quickly with some trail on the glass (has legs).  Opaque – can barely see through the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: Sweet, lightly roasted maltiness up front with some bitterness after that and through to the finish (though not too much).  Nice bit of lingering sweetness and bitterness at the finish.  Sweetness seems to dominate.  – 13/20

Mouthfeel: Full body with a fairly low level of carbonation.  Very smooth and creamy on the palate.  Some warmth there, but not harsh. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Aroma is more appealing than the flavor turned out to be.  I expected a little more depth in flavor, especially as it warmed some (style usually opens up as it warms, but this one really did not).  A good sipper and very good, but far from outstanding. – 7/10

Overall: Very Good – 37/50

Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Oat

Really that dark.

After staring at the multiple kegs of this beer sitting on deck for weeks and weeks I was sure to stop by once it finally did go on the draft lineup. Since The In-laws were in town it was a perfect occasion to show them the bar at the same time as well. We are all about efficiency in this house!

On we go with a Saturday B Note . . .

Brewery: Terrapin Beer Company (Athens, GA)

Name: Big Daddy Vlady’s

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.25%

Location: Redlight Redlight – Teege, Richard, and Dom behind the bar. With The Wife and The In-laws

Tasting Notes:

• Dark, dark brown in color with a light tan head. Quite opaque though it was dark in the room as well.
• Full, even roasted malty aroma with a bit of sweetness and some light chocolate notes.
• Initial sip was a little boozy until my palate adjusted to it a bit.
• Nice deep roasted malt flavors with some addictive roasted bitterness. A little hop flavor is noticed early, but blends into the bittersweet chocolate flavors the more I drink.
• Medium to full body, but lighter in body than the appearance might suggest. Feels a bit thin for what I expected.
• Not great but not bad overall and certainly smoother and more enjoyable as it warms up and the more I drink of it.

Terrapin Beer Company - Big Daddy Vlady's

Cheers!