Appearance: solid blackness, reflecting nothing, and a rich chocolatey-brown head holding court atop.
Aroma: whiskey, vanilla, oak, deep and delectable, hanging tight on top of massive malt. Sweet and lovely.
Taste: starts out hot and heavy, rich and forceful. Full-bodied, abundantly malty, with all the requisite flavors from the beer and the barrel. Some cocoa, some coffee, a little bit of anise, all dripped over with whiskey. Not too thick, never overly rich, surprisingly smooth, and ultimately delicious. Yeah, it's pretty good.
What's the label have to say? "Like a Russian nesting doll, the secret of Dosvidanya Russian Imperial Stout lies locked deep within here dark, mysterious and elaborate wooden layers. The hidden soul of this oak bourbon barrel-aged beer we said Dosvidanya to several months before revealing, is it's rich, robust and roasty maltiness that finishes dry. Please consume slowly and enjoy. Cheers." alc. 12.5% by Vol. IBU: 84.
Someday, like hop-related puns, we will finally run out of Russian phrases, historical figures, or cultural artifacts to refer to when creating new Russian Imperial Stouts. That day is soon.
3 comments:
I was so looking forward to trying this. I inquired at the Champaign Destihl and they told me they got one case it and it sold out quickly. No other shops had it until about a week later when it showed up everywhere. Unfortunately, I'll have to take your word for it as $17 for a 375ml bottle surpassed my sanity limit. It's available everywhere locally now, and may be for awhile at that price point.
Correction: I may be off on the bottle size, but the price ranges from $15.99 + tax to $19.99 + tax.
Ulp. That's outside the price range for me, too. This one, fortunately, was a gift.
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