Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

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

Badgerben’s Cellar Reduction night courtesy of Skyview. Brown color with faint head. Malty body with oatmeal malt and a little molasses. The usual impy coffee and chocolate make a brief appearance as well.

Bomber dragged back from Asheville. Heavy, sweet roast aroma - thick, sticky syrup and espresso beanage with lots of malt and a large dose of vodka-ish alcohol. Chocolate with dried fruits, plum, and light bourbon. Touch of vanilla. Opaque pitch pour with a super-thick, creamy and lacing dark brown rocky head. Intensely (!) bitter taste, heavy roast with espresso overtones. Sticky, extremely obese body, playful mouthfeel leading into a heavily roasted, extremely dry and bitter aftertaste. Loads and loads and loads of thick malt, with, again, heavy notes of chocolate and fruit. Alcohol is a bit too high in the mix, to the point of being off-putting. Salty with a touch of licorice. I have to disagree with a lot of the criticism here; this impy is slightly simplistic, but an extremely robust and muscular rendition, a real powerhouse!

Bomber from Liquid Solutions. The aroma is a medium intensity combo of chocolate/coffee with some fudge brownie and vanilla accents and the faintest hint of dark fruit. The body is mauve (just seeing if anyone was reading, it’s really black) with a thumb thick tan head that looks like an under-burnt creme brulee. It’s quite lasting. Fore is all rich chocolate and esspresso with the chocolate side being more intense and having more range....dipping into that fudge side of things again. Hints of sweet cream, vanilla and cocoa play through the middle ranges. Again some minor dark fruit notes that lean toward cherry and blueberry. The alcohol is only noticed in the finish as a warming flush. The bitterness is also relegated to the finish and is equal parts burnt/hop based. This is a very malty, chocolatey Imperial that may be more approachable than most, but is still damn tasty and enjoyable to drink for die-hard Impy fans.

(bottle - 22 oz) Clear black pour with a thick tan head. Aroma is a lot of chocolate and roasted malts. Some coffee and chocolate milk come through at the end. Flavor begins with a strong hint of black licorice mixing with some roasted malts. The middle is a good amount of espresso and chocolate malts with a lightly bitter and burnt malt finish. A little thin-bodied for an imperial stout.

Bottle. Pours black with almost no head. Roasted and malty with notes of coffee, chocolate, hops and dark fruits. Soft mouthfeel with a somewhat dry finish.

black, opaque, no bubbles, small dark brown head. really sweet aroma of chocolate and molasses, tar, maybe a hint of cinnamon. flavors of chocolate, espresso. really dark and good. creamy palate with a medium body. long lingering bitter espresso finish. really impressed with this one.

Bomber. Pours blackish brown that admits some light, thin brown head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, citrus and yeast. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Taste starts sweetly, with chocolate, roasty maly and coffee. A touch of sharpness in an otherwise nice espresso pine finish.

Bottle shared by OhioDad at C-Bus 6: Pours a nice black with a tan head. Aroma, roasty malts, chocolate, and some coffee. Flavor, matched the aroma pretty well, some slight bitterness on the end. Nice solid brew.