Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Wilmington, DE
Full-bodied stout that starts with a sweet and high-roasted mouth feel that is balanced with the use of citrusy American hops. Highly malty with a complex roasted chocolate character. 2010 GABF Gold medal & 2010 World Beer Cup Gold medal winner.
ABV: 9.8
ABW: 7.84
COLOR: 50
BITTERNESS: 75
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1098
AVAILABLE: DE, NJ, PA
This Russian is a handsome pour with a swarthy body and a rich, dark khaki head. Aromas get easier to pick out as the beer warms in your hands, with dark-roast coffee and semisweet chocolate taking the lead. The first sip is reminiscent of a chocolate milkshake, but that French-roast coffee quickly takes the spotlight, while dark fruits and licorice hover in the background. Milk chocolate comes back right at the end as some citrusy hops make an appearance. This Russian imperial stout is rich enough to feel decadent, yet is never cloying. Definitely a beer to snuggle up with in the coming cold, dark months.
Pouring near-black with a gloopy texture, this looks like being a chunky drink. The aroma—of caramel, chocolate, latte coffee and crunchy cookies—suggests nourishment and richness. On the palate, silky chocolate, caramel and coffee luxuriously layer the tongue, with bitter roasted grains, aided by tea-like hop notes, supplying a good contrast to the generous sweetness. That sticky malt sweetness continues in the finish, but ashy roasted grains and coffee bitterness eventually take over. At all times, alcohol is safely under control. A well-made stout, perhaps a touch cloying in places, but otherwise very satisfying.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
