Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

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

[tap @ Capones 6/14/08]
Tap version MUCH better than the bottle I had a few weeks ago (and forgot to rate). Pours an oily black with tan head. Aroma has hints of licorice, dark dried fruits and roasted malt. Body is medium to light for an imperial stout, and definitely flavors the roasted malt flavors as opposed to hoppy imps (like Storm King). Mouthfeel was a little thin and soft. Would score higher if it was listed as a stout and not an imperial stout.

Dark brown with a fleeting tan head. Roasted and smoked nutty aroma with some cocoa. Smooth medium body. Mild flavors of roasted malts with some cocoa... i can’t believe this is a IRS, tastes more like a mild porter to me.

Mahogany with quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, molasses, and sweet malts and some chocolate. Taste of caramel, molasses, brown sugar, chocolate and roasted malts. Thick body that hides the alcohol well but in it’s a bit too sweet and finishes with a lactic sourness.

Bottle thanks bmartin08: Very dark pour with a modest tan head. Aroma is booze, chocolate malts, some buttery caramel. Flavor is deeply roasted malts and coffee, and more booze. It was almost as if it had a light, airy body but then finished thick. Tasty but not one of the better examples of a RIS.

Bomber poured a clear dark brown nearly black with a lasting brown head. Aromas of cocoa, light earthiness and a hint of vanilla. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of cocoa, roastiness, light vanilla and a hint of licorice with a smooth malty finish.
Not bad but one of the more boring Impy Stouts I’ve tasted.

Red-brown, almost black, with a huge fluffy off-white head. I want to give this a better rating, because it’s not bad, and I do love imperial stout. Trouble is, this one has very little smell or flavor. The smell is more earthy than other imperial stouts. I guess I could call it a dark earthy baking chocolate. Flavor is about the same, but with some sour espresso notes. Medium bodied. Kind of a let-down. Oh, well.

*did not mind would not buy* aroma: smells of dragons breath incense and hair salon stink. very ren fest type smell. drak spice earth smell. App: brown. black. not opaque. Flavor: thin mild soy earth. very drinkable. got some coffee hints, some sour bad bottle but not to much. nice. palate: fine. OA: good not great easy goin though.

Bomber. Poured medium-deeper ruddy brown with a cap of deep tan head. The aroma picked up deeply-roasted yet sweeter coffee (perhaps some lactose sweetness in there).. toffee and caramel roll in behind, picking up some baker’s chocolate at the back.. sweeter overall with moderate roast and nice balance. The flavor was more about the roasted coffee with a sweeter chocolate and caramel appeal on the edges.. the back-end found a milky, almost oaty sweetness.. warm coffee and chocolate on the finish. Heavier-bodied and grainy on the palate with the alcohol well-masked.. higher carbonation.. just an OK feel and flow. This was a decent impy stout that I’d gladly drink again.