Big Sky Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Missoula, Montana USA

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 26/09/2009 Big bourbon aroma. Small beige head. Black smooth on the palate and very strong in alcohol with a little dryness and bitterness in a chocolate and vanilla flavoured finish.

as soon as i pop the bottle i smell bourbon! pours a very thick black with a nice 3 finger brown head that leaves moderate lacing. aroma is big on sweet, syrupy bourbon and malt notes. i’m picking up lots of heat on the nose. the taste is great! balanced and mellow, with the flavors of vanilla, bourbon, oak, chocolate, roast, smoke and even some hops in the finish to cover the heat. nice creamy, creamy mouthfeel, and very smooth in the back. great offering from the north border!

Sample at GABF 2009. Pours a menacing black color with tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, wood, hints of smoke, cherries, and toffee. Flavor is about the same. Full body with a bourbon, chocolate, malt finish. Very nice.

750mL bottle, #263 of 1152, poured into a tulip. Pours an opaque black with an enormous creamy tan head, at least 3 inches tall, that goes nowhere and leaves massive lacing. The aroma is dominated by dark roasted malts and cocoa with the bourbon coming in very faintly. The oak and vanilla are present as well. The taste has a bit more bourbon character and there is a sweet bourbon kick up front before the dark chocolate malts take over in the middle. There is actually a hint of citrus hops in the finish along with a powdered cocoa finish which comes off a little dry. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a ton of carbonation, maybe a little too much, but it’s still a solid feel overall. This is a very good impy stout and extremely drinkable. It’s definitely on the sweeter side of things with the chocolate playing a major role and the bourbon staying largely out of te way. Very drinkable for the style and recommended overall.

Pours thick dark chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate aroma mostly. Above average mouthfeel of course and its chocolate and coffee. On the sweet side, drinkable to a point. Good though not th best RIS I have had.

This beer broke my cherry on imperial stouts and now I’m a big stout hound-dog. Served at Seattle International Beer Festival in 2008.

sample from the pitcher at GABF on 9/26/09... this was one of my favorites at GABF this year... really nice BA Imperial Stout from a solid brewery. pitch black pour with a tan head... really nice bourbon nose... extremely smooth medium to thick body... bourbon throughout with a long presence on the finish. I need some bottles of this now!

Sampled at GABF 2009. Pours black with a tan head. Raisin, prune, and chocolate aromas. Dark fruit, coffee, and baker’s chocolate flavors. Good but not great.