Barleys Alexanders Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Barleys Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Columbus, Ohio USA

Sampled from tap on 11/08/2006 at Barleys Smokehouse (Ale House #2)... Very dark brown color (almost black) with a tan-colored head. Aroma reminded me of roasted apples. The flavor was roasty and nutty, with a slightly bitter finish. Mouthfeel was a bit thin. Good, but not great.

On tap @ the smokehouse: Dark brown to black pour with a tan head. Aroma, coffee and a roasty bitterness, some chocolate. Flavor, light coffee notes with some bittersweet chocolate on the finish. Pretty good, could have been a bit thicker.

sample at brewpub. perfect appearance. pitch black with a pretty, small-bubbled, thickish head. aroma was largely smoke and slightly lesser extent chocolate. not much coffee, but some nuts curiously. plenty of imperial stout flavor with no single taste making a particularly strong impression. zero alcohol. only downside is a quite limited viscosity; letdown in chewiness.

On tap @ the brewery 5/9/06: Dark brown w/ some lighter brown highlights and a very thin, short lived light beige head. Very chocolatey, mocha aroma w/ hints of roasty & burnt aromas. Low dark fruit aroma, but mostly chocolate in the nose. Well balanced flavor, very chocolatey w/ some alcohol estery flavors. Some hints of burnt roastiness, but again, same as the aroma, mostly chocolate. Mild medium frutiness from fermentation and also nutty and toasty malts very light. Medium sweet finish & chocolatey aftertaste w/ a bit of herbal hop. Alcohol is a bit noticeable in this one! Thin body for a R.I.S. as well as a higher medium carbonation. A bit too much alcohol is noticeable for a good Imp. stout for my palate. Thin body, light flavors all around, but still drinkable!

This is a nice Imperial with a strong aroma of nuts, coffee, and some hints of grass. It pours dark tan, fairly light overall. It has a nice mouthfeel, with just a slightly bitter aftertaste. A good imperial from one of my favorite places to stop in Columbus for a good beer."

Handbottled Bomber provided by SecretSanta. <!-- P --> Aroma is a bit like a concentrated brown ale...nutty and with ample roasted malt, but there are also some chocolate notes though I detect no coffee. Body is flat black to almost brown and the head is just a wispy mocha affair. Big chocolate fore with some faint prune and raisin notes with a hint of coffee around the middle ranges. Nice hoppy and acidic bitterness in the finish. Quite tasty and thick though it isn’t the stoutiest looking stout you’ll ever see.

hand-bottled bomber courtesy of OhioDad, thanks Scott. pours a dark brown with just a hint of a ruby edge. aroma is of mild milk chocolate and coffee. flavors are of more chocolate, coffee, prunes and maybe some nuggat. has a nice buttery feel to it. a good tasting stout.

Growler from Trep. Poured a very drak brown/black color with a ruby tint. Big roasted malt aroma that is dominated by coffee. Decent flavor of roasted sweet malt. Not as much coffee as the aroma had. Sweet finsih.