Eel River Ravens Eye Imperial Stout

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

Bottle acquired via dchmela...THANKS DAVE!!! Quite surprised by just how good this beer was. Dark smoky bitter chocolate and coffee in the nose. Dark mahogany pour with ruby red edges and a solid khaki head that never fully leaves. Full flavored molasses, roasted malt, and espresso. Wish I could get more of this!!!

Bottle thanks to TURDFERGUSON. Pours jet black with a creamy light tan head. Smells nicely of milk chocolate and maybe a splash of coffee. Interesting flavors of molasses, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and damn little coffee....maybe some dirt. Very smooth palate edging on creamy. A bit syrupy, but not much alcohol noticed here. Pretty decent,better than I anticipated.

Bomber. Huge chocolate aroma backed by coffee. Opaque black/brown color with a firm tan head. A bit thin. Start with chocolate and deep toasted malt. Moves on to, ok, make it espresso. It’s not standard coffee. The finish is decently bitter. It’s well balanced. The alcohol doesn’t get in the way of the flavors. A really good imperial stout, with hints of Guinness toastiness.

Bottle. Black beer with a small brown head. Rich, malty, caramel, slight coffee roast aroma. Full bodied. Rich malt, chocolate, caramel flavor with just enough hops to back it up. LIngering chocolate and slight bitterness. Alcohol noticeable. Well put together. Nice.

Poured a clear very dark brown, almost opaque with a small brown head. Good roasted aroma with notes of light coffee and some alcohol. Roasted malt flavor. Moderate sweetness mild alcohol. Medium-full bodied. Mild bitterness on the finish.

This looked nice and syrupy coming out of the bottle. Very dark, brown highlights. Thin head. Nice, typical IS aroma of dark chocolate, dark roasted malt and light coffee. Palate is dark fruit, is oily, then I get the more typical coffee and then heavy chocolate malt. Alcohol is totally masked. Body is a bit on the light side, but overall this is a very nice beer.

Nice light coffee-chocolate aroma. Head goes away too quickly. Coffee in the flavor but tastes thinned out.Doesn’t seem strong. Decent.

Bottle: Black in color, large foamy brown head, lattice like lacing.   Rich malt nose, not strong on the roasted aspect, but with a touch of soy.   Slight alcohol as well.   Very right malty start, biscuity chocolate goodness.   Not big, in fact it does seem a bit week, especially on the hop side.   Fairly nice body, average mouthfeel.   Fairly strong chocolate finish.   Not so much an Imperial Stout as a really big standard stout.   Still quite enjoyable, and better than expected based on its average.