Alpine Beer Company Boris

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Imperial Stout
Alpine, California USA

Poured into a snifter, as an extra from TheEpeeist. Pitch black pour with dense dar brown head, good lacing that dies to a good layer. Opaque. Aromas are pretty lively, strong coffee wiyh chocolate, roasted malts, and touch of alcohol and licorice and strong warming bourbon notes, nothing too hot though. Initial is a thicker body, but a little thinner in the flavor department. Moves a good coffee and roast up front, bitterness with light chocolate. A little chalky towards the backend, as we move towards warming bourbon and boozy finish with good bitterness. This is a good beer, great appearance and aroma, but lacks the complexity and barrel charcater many of the top members of the style possess. Ok, overall. Cheers!

It poured a dark chocolate brown with a coffee colored head. It was too carbonated and too thin for my taste. It’s bitter, bitter like the sole of a shoe at a shit factory. The coffee taste is there, but not that great. tastes like the coffee a meth addict would buy at a gas station in Bakersfield. I dont get any good roasted and malty flavors, it actually tastes more like a burnt turd.

Not as good as I would have liked or expected from Alpine. Pours dark brown, roasted malts, little chocolate, little coffee, little hops, little dark fruits.

Pours black with thick tan head. Aroma of coffee, vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate. Taste has big coffee bitterness. Nice bourbon flavor not overdone. Medium mouthfeel. Too much bite to the overwhelming coffee flavor. Just OK.

Bottle, thanks dchmela Very dark, much more carbonated than I though. Almost a sourness to this one. Lots of floating yeast. Still nice roasted malts, chocolate. Tasty.

Pours black and thick with lots of yeasty floaties and a thin tan head. Coffee, chocolate malt and bourbon aroma, nice complexity. Coffee, chocolate malt, bourbon barrel and a weird slightly sour twang in it. The hint of sour was the only real problem I had with this. Solid brew.

Boris pours black, thick, and viscous with a dark tan head softly gracing her oily depths. His tan head fades slowly into a soft puddles encircled by a thick puffy ring. No lace to speak of, but he foams very nicely upon command. Before my glass even has a chance to reach my nose, his powerful bouquet of chocolate, toffee, bourbon, oak, wood, and vanilla assaults my senses, taking them hostage. Not that I am complaining, of course. Freshly drawn espresso and magnificently toasted malts hold it all together just long enough to draw me in for the first of many luscious quaffs. I expected a heavy mouthfeel and body, but instead, Boris is frothy and soft with fresh espresso, coffee, and caramel nab my tastebuds first, leading into delicate chocolate esters. Pervading each quaff of Boris is a growing warmth which hints of bourbon, wood, vanilla and spice much to my delight. For such an overwhelming nose, I find Boris’ palate to be one of subtle grace. Instead of slapping me upside the head with chocolate, coffee, and bourbon barrels, Boris slowly embraces my senses with loving warmth which lingers in a dry kiss. As Boris warms and my glass empties, I am enveloped in lightly spiced warmth nipping at my tastebuds with bourbon, vanilla, oak, and fresh espresso.

Boris leaves me most perplexed. On one hand I wish he had more of the strength and resolve he showed in his nose. On the other hand, I wonder if he may have been overly domineering had his strength of palate matched his strength of impression. Quandaries aside, I really enjoyed the little slice of nirvana which Boris showed me. Hopefully, there will be more bourbon-barrel coffee filled imperial stout days to come.

Bottle thanks to drewbeerme for this sample. Pours a dark black with a beige creamy head. Coffee roasted malts, burnt caramels, and ashy aroma. Flavors are similar. Coffee, burnt, somewhat stale caramel malts. Ashy finish. Slightly bitter and sour. Not too enjoyable.