Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Fortuna, California USA

Remarks Thin espresso head.Medium thick pour.No sediment.Clear dark bronze red black color.Roasted mild chocolate espresso rich hop front.Smooth! mellow creamy dry sweet mild chocolate toffee licorice toasted body.Balanced hop spice black cherry hint no EtOH end.

Bomber. Don’t recall who sent me this, but thanks! Black with a brown head. Bitter chocolate and coffee nose, some herbal hop. Creamy, smooth mouthfeel, nice lace. Strong bitter chocolate flavor, coffee and licorice. An almost peaty smokiness creeps in after warming. Solid.

Taste 11/08 Bottle. Looks: Opaque black with a thick tan foam. Aroma: Roasted and toasted malts with chocolate, a little wood and alcohol. Taste: Thick bodied version of the aroma. Chocolate, roast/toast malt. Sweet and bitter. Good quality ingredients. Decent recipe/blend.

Bottle shared by EDA. Pretty nice aroma, sweet with molasses, tar, beets. Flavor is molassesy, very dry actually, a fair bit of roast. Easily drinkable and calm. Pretty solid, one of the more relaxed and downplayed IS’s. A nice change from the super-sweet Dark Lord style stouts.

My Bottom Line:
Roasted and caramel malts hang on till the very end in this lean and clean Imperial Stout.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the brown-tinged blackness.
-Carbonation is comfortable and increases drinkability.
-Alcohol is well concealed in the flavor profile.
-A shady soy spiciness roams within.
-I love Imperial Stouts just like any other style when it is well made, but this one fell short in its simplicity and lack of wealth.
-This is apparently nitroed when served on tap...this might account for the slender (less than voluptuous) mouthfeel when bottled?

Bottle.

22 oz bomber purchased from Canal’s Hainesport. Pours a deep dark brownish/black with a large foamy super light beige head. Aroma of sweet chocolate, slight hint of alcohol, dark fruits dipped in rum. Medium to fuller bodied with just a touch of alcohol and a good dose of carbonation. Flavor of chocolate, dark fruit, molasses, a good amount of roastiness yet smooth. Solid Impy stout but I have had better.

Bomber via bullzeye- pours a dark black with frothy chunky beige head and sticky lacing. Nose- not alot there, faint roast and chocolate. Taste- dark chocolate, anise, hint of hotness, but overall very silky smooth. Finishes moderately dry. Body is tad thin, but drinkable

Bottle from Total Wine in Roseville. This brew aged nicely, considering the organic nature of the beer. Nice, full-bodied Imperial with coffee, malt, and chocolate flavors.