Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

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

Bomber from La Mesa Market. Very dark on the pour. Some ruby outlines. Roasted malty aromas. A little coffee and hoppiness. Flavor is fairly roasty with coffee and chocolate. A little bit of hoppiness in the finish. Alcohol is very well hidden. Pretty tasty.

Dark brown with a moderate tight bubbled light tan head that settles to a thin lid rather quickly. Dark fruits dominate the aromas. Some dark chocolate and roasted malts infused with a touch of alcohol are also present. Somewhat simple, but yet quite calming, a thing many stout and especially imperial stout seem to lack. Full lightly oily feel. Cocoa and roasted malt dominate the flavors. Long singed earth and licorice linger. Traces of alcohol in the flavor and the fact that my stomach now has a mild burn. A nice, not overbearing imperial stout. Thanks Andre.

Bottle... Pours murky and pitch black with a small, creamy, light brown head. Good retention. The aroma is all about sweet chocolate, espresso and caramel with a mellow smoke phenol. Full-bodied and downright velvety-smooth with tingly carbonation. The flavor is sweet and of chocolate, espresso, caramel, ethanol and ethanal (acetaldehyde). Burnt, bitter notes enhance the malty sweetness instead of overpowering it. Chocolaty, pleasantly sweet finish. Cheers to CaptainCougar for floating this bomber in my direction!

Decent sized head of light brown bubbles. Dense and creamy. Minimal carbonation. Rich roasty aroma with lots of dark chocolate, mild coffee and some roasted malts. Perhapse a bit of lactose. Color is essenially black. Silky smooth and creamy in the mouth. I wonder if this is nitrogen infused in the bottle. It would seem so. Lots of coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Rich and roasty. Finishes silky smooth and creamy with a lingering coffee flavor. A decent impy but leans a little heavy on the coffee which is not to my taste. Still a solid and silky smooth brew.

Bottle: Black, tan head and nice lacing. Nose of nag champa, bright roast and alcohol, some coffee. Nice mellow caramel and light cocoa character. Clean and balanced. Good!

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

(Bottle) Pours a dark brown body with an average tan head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, oatmeal, and roastiness. Flavor of hops, roasted malt, cocoa, and coffee.

Courtesy of tytoanderso via trade

Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, caramel, and moderate fruity notes. It pours a dark brown with some red highlights and a small beige head. The flavor starts with chocolate and caramel up front. There is some moderate fruitiness in the middle. The finish has some light roasted malt and minimal coffee. Medium-full bodied with a soft mouthfeel.