Alpine Beer Company Boris

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

Bottled. A pitch black beer with a brown head. The aroma has notes of sweet malt and roasted malt as well as light notes of alcohol. The flavor is sweet with notes of wood, coffee, roasted malt, and vanilla, as well as light notes of alcohol, leading to a dry and roasted finish. The alcohol bites the tongue. Thanks Papsoe for sharing.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of TheCheeseMan. Pours completely opaque black with a dense, light brown head. Lightly tart aroma, notes of wood and hard roasted malts. Medium body, burned malty notes, distinct coffee and wood with a vague underlying tartness. dry malty bitter finish. 290509

From bottle, blind #5. Pours dark brown to black with a huge tan head. Aroma is caramel, chocolate and vanilla aroma. Light smoked, acidic, roasted and light chocolate to vanilla flavoured. Lasting vanilla and smoked base flavour into the far finish. Light acidic lasting note.

Bottle #5 at Papsø’s blindtasting. Pitch black coloured with a medium sized beige head. Roasted aroma of oak and hops with notes of coffee and cocoa powder. Roasted flavour of oak, hops, coffee and cocoa powder. Roasted, oaky and hoppy finish. Nice.

Date: December 10, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: South Bay Drugs, San Diego
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: black, fine tan head, mirrored surface, bits of lace
Aroma: sweet bourbon and dark chocolate aroma with a big espresso character, touch of vanilla and oak
Body: big body
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, vanilla sweetness is followed by the bourbon and then balanced by the espresso, touch of oak comes along with light bitterness, roasted character and associated bitterness keeps growing to balance the bourbon and vanilla sweetness and then some, chocolate and bourbon come back for another wave but without a lot of sweetness

Date: November 21, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting
Vintage: 2008
picking up a touch of tartness that is killing the vanilla sweetness, kind of a barrel funk character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Black color; creamy head. Musky aroma, roasted malt, vanilla; maybe some cardboard later. Medium body, it has some roasted malt flavor, liquorice; the mouthfeel is drier than the average Imperial Stout, there is a light sourness (from the roasted malt) and too much alcohol, getting rather unpleasant. Missing sweetness. Unbalanced. Not impressive.

(22oz bottle, thanks Ibrew2or3) Black body with brown edges, small brown head. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, cognac, roast, some smoke. Taste is moderately sweet, smoke/burnt, some chocolate. Low carbonation, medium-full body, light stickiness.

(22oz. bottle, courtesy of BMan1113VR) Pours an opaque black body with a small tan head. Aroma of coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, and chocolate. Flavor of roasted malt, chocolate, light lactose, dried dark fruits, light bourbon, and coffee.