Grand River Russian Gun Imperial Stout

Brewed by Grand River Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Cambridge, Canada

Bottle: Poured a light black color stout with a large brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light roasted malt notes with hints of dry raisins. Taste is a balanced mix between some roasted malt with vinous notes and a dry raisin finish. Body is too thin for style with good carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Not bad and interesting side of vinous/dry raisin notes but body is too thin for style.

Bottle thanks to Glouglouburp!
Sepia colored with a moderate cream head. Some light date, roasted malt, plum, and chocolate. Very sugary, chocolate flavor, light alcohol and green nut, lightly earthy. Chalky palate and way too thin.

Courtesy of kiefdog. Pours deep amber brown with tan head. The aroma has maple syrup soaked prunes and caramel as well as dates and cherries all mixing together with a thick layer of earthiness. The taste begins with chocolate, malts, roasty malts, a bit of burnt malts and then bleeding into some dark fruitiness like dark grapes and ripe plums. As the flavor progresses a reassuring and pleasing thicket of earthiness surfaces and gracefully takes the experience into the finish.

on tap at C’est what. dark brown some beige head. nose is weak licorice some bitter espresso and an off note.... flavor is sweet with odd licorice and bland coffee flavor. not a fav

courtesy of kiefdog. pours dark brown, beige head. Aroma was herbal and grassy, with hints of malts and roast. Flavor, roasted malts with light hint sof coffee with some residual dark fruits and caramel, finish is grainy and cereal.

Thanks kiefdog for the share. Pours dark cola brown with a white head. Nose is smoke, band-aid, campfire, roast, and some dark chocolate and light sweetness. Flavor is very similar with lots of smoke, a medium body and roastiness.

Bottle courtesy of ughsmash. Pours a dark cola brown to black with thinnish tan head. Aroma is sweet and smoky with notes of vanilla, oak, light bourbon, wood, smoke, chocolate, light roast, caramel. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of chocolate, roast, caramel, ripe dark fruit. Medium to full body with a malty finish.

In short: A well rounded imperial stout with a bit of everything
How: Bottle 500ml. Consumed relatively fresh, 3 months after bottling date. Sent to me by Matt7215. Thanks a lot Matt.
The look: Black body topped by a medium tan head
In long: Nose is roasted and peppery with smoky burnt wood notes. Body is not as thick as most so-called RIS but it has a nice creamy feel. Taste is roasted malts (roastiness level is average for the style), a cup of black coffee, a scoop of chocolate ice-cream, tobacco/cigar leaves, smoked wood, leather, tropical fruits, dark fruits. Hops really shop up in the finish with a strong resinous bitterness. That beer had a bit of everything and when I give a description like that to a beer I usually give it a big score. Something felt “off”, the resinous bitterness should have been a grassy dry bitterness, a bit dirty. A lot of things going on but somehow this beer didn’t work that well and I felt like the whole was less than the sum of its parts. Like after putting up an Ikea furniture wondering what to do with the dozen unused pieces lying on the floor.