Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

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

Bottle. Pitch black pour with a light tan head. Chocolate malt aroma with some cherry and coffee notes. More coffee and chocolate in the flavor. The mouth feel seems somewhat thin but it seems to work well with the fruitiness of the flavor and the dry, somewhat bitter finish.

Infinitely dissatisfied with this one. Poured clear black with red edges. I say clear because you could see through it to some degree. Minimal lacing, short, bubbly tan head. Flat, musty caramel and malt aroma, some coffee, and thin cocoa powder. Taste was watery and weak. Some coffee and chocolate materialized as the beer got very warm, but before that, this was a grainy, soupy, earthy malt beverage. A bit astringent at the end. Imperial Stout? I think not.

Pours dark brown/black, coffee, dark chocolate, nutty, roasted malts, little alcohol.

Black with small head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, dirt and malt. The aroma was the best thing about this beer. Thin and watery with nasty chalkyness. Bitter chalky finish with some sour notes. I was literally going to pour the rest out. Instead I gave it to my dog.

Bottle: Jet black with a brown head. Deep choco aromas with a strong coffee flavor. It has a thin feel almost like a porter with a sweet chocolaty aftertaste. Thanks Jake65!

Bottle. Muted malt profile w/ nice hop presence. Very drinkable. No noticable alcohol. Good, but not great.

650 ml bottle from Bev4less. Pours an opaque black color with a fair tan head that has mediocre retention and left no lacing. The aroma is big and bold with ripe sweet dark fruits. The flavor is chocolaty with layered chocolates, mochas, a bit of biter walnuts and just a hint of raisins. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. The finish is long and biter-sweet. Overall A very good Impy stout and my favorite organic beer to date.

I have tried quite a few organic beers before this one, and had yet to be impressed. This was the first organic I’d seen that was "big," and had high hopes for it. And while it was good compared to the other organic beers I have tried, it didn’t compare favorably with other non-organic imperial stouts I’ve had. Nonetheless, it is not an unlikeable beer, and there is something redeeming in the bottle. Color is dark, and head is minimal. Aroma is a bit subtle for an imperial stout, but offers some roastiness. Flavor really emerged when the beer warmed up a bit, and was a good amount sweeter at higher temperature. Flavor was very mild for the style and predominantly a nice roastiness. Mouthfeel was a bit watery/thin. A pretty good brew, at a pretty good price, but by no means best in what is a very competitive style. I bought this bottle at 3 Cellars in Franklin, WI.