Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

2/09/2008: Eel River Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout is very dark brown in color (reminds me somewhat of the color of black walnut wood actually) with a thin brown veil. The aroma is rich and shows some depth. In includes roasted and caramelized malts with hints of char and vanilla. The flavor is dominated by roasted malt, char, and expresso along with some dark chocolate in the finish. Overall the flavor is slightly sweeter than expected, but very good overall. This beer has a well-balanced flavor, a medium to medium-full body, and is fairly smooth. This is a tasty Imperial Stout that isn’t overly sweet, overly dry, overly roasty or overly bitter...

1 pint, 6 fl. oz. bottle (9.5% alcohol by volume) via trade with 5000. Thanks again Andre! Rating #123 for this beer...

Bottle in trade. this was very goog. Loads of espresso, molasses and chocolate. Thick and chewy,really a great feel on the tongue. This was a brew to sip slowly and enjoy the comlexity and changes as it warmed.

22oz bottle from NYbeer. Lightly roasted malt, toasted vanilla, milk chocolate, lightly charred oak, and a touch of alcohol on the nose. Pours nearly pitch black with a decent khaki head. Flavor is a little more rough around the edges than the pleasant nose. Bitter malt, some herbal hops, dark chocolate, vanilla and alcohol. The nose isn’t nearly as astringent as the flavor. Medium to full bodied. A lasting bitter wood and chocolate finish.

scotch, heavy roast malt, and slight alcohol on the nose. maintains a nice head all the way through. hop is balanced nicely so that you barely notice it is hiding the large roasty malt character and high alcohol content. nice for a winter night

bottle....poured dark brown close to black with lasting light brown head...nose primarily consisted of chocolate, cocoa, and sweet dark fruity malt....flavors added a roasted coffee dimension that enhanced the beer overall. mouthfeel was somewhat on the lighter side but nice nonetheless....not a bad imperial stout.

Deep dark brown, almost black, body with an ample frothy brown head. Roasted malts, dark roasted coffee, hints of grapefruit hops, prunes, and alcohol all mix in the aroma and in the flavor. The alcohol is evident but not overpowering the flavor components. Well crafted.

Found this little gem at Ledger’s in Berkely. New Years Eve was as good a time as any to pop it open so I shared it with a few of the guys. The beer pours out a deep black hue, with a nice one-finger thick khaki head. Perhaps a more agressive pour would have resulted in a thicker head, but I was happy with what I got. First aromas I got were dark roasted malts, an impressive display of hops, a good dose of coffee and molasses. Mouthfeel was nice, but with the alcohol burn I’d prefer it to be better masked. Still, it’s nitpicky. Flavors were chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, molasses and just a touch ashy. If it were any more ashy I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much. Finishes a bit hot.

22 oz bottle. Dark brown with tan foam around the edges. Nose of coffee, chocolate and molasses. Medium body with light carb tingle. Taste is espresso and licorice. Mild bitterness and dark fruits; hints of orange peel and mint.