HopTown Old Yeltsin Imperial Stout

Formerly brewed at HopTown Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Pleasanton, California USA

On first cracking the crown of this 22oz SuperSize helping of Imperial Stout, I know that the goods are being delivered. All the right notes are wafting out, before I have a chance to get a close look, even. Appearance: black as pitch, with a good, toasted tan head. I stir it up a bit, swirl the snifter some, and the familiar burnt flavors of any IS worth it’s roasted barley malt creep evermore into my senses. But let’s get more intimate... Aroma: deep, bitter espresso, molasses, dark rum, thick, rich, sinfully indulgent, wickedly stong, just drinking in this smell may inebriate me! But it’s a dark and twisted treat, and everything an IS should be! Hops are here, when we taste, but it’s that thick, dark, roasted malt that makes the biggest impression on the palate, and the booze, glorious booze. You don’t get a sip out of this beer, without getting a full helping of the stong stuff.. More flavorful connotations arise in the taste profile occur, a bit hit of anise, some chocolate, a little raisin... This is most impressive, and I feel that the fine folks in Pleaston, CA seem to have nailed the style, and then some. Big alcohol, but big flavor, too. I wonder what Boris would think of his namesake brew? Oh, he’d love it, of course, much tastier than vodka, with plenty of kick!

tap@hopyard: Pitch black with itsy head. slight brown tint. Aroma of sweet chocolate. flavor grabs your tongue with cocoa and bitter touches. extremely thick and chewy brew.

#250, a semi-milestone. Very creamy aroma, milk, chocolate. Typical imperial color, but the head is lacking. Alcohol is more noticable, and more warming then any other I.S. I have had, bittersweet chocolate, hershey’s power chocolate, pretty sweet from the coffee tastes. Uncomplex, one dimensional Imperial Stout.

(20oz bottle) Enjoyed with Lubiere (Sept 04). Pours a brown, quick-dissipating head with an opaque body. Milk chocolate nose. Bitter, gritty cocoa powder flavour. Very good!

This was a really strong Imperial. The alcohol flavor and aroma was a little overpowering and masked the other flavors. I wouldn’t mind trying another bottle though.

Another bombshell from Flipbrewer! Thanks bro! Pours midnight black with a ruby tinged head. It seems more ruby than brown, at any rate. Nose is rich roasted malts and coffee, with a nice bittersweet chocolate kick. Perhaps an underlying scent of anise? Taste is more coffee and roasted malts. Some bitter tones creep through as does a light bit of alcohol. The palate is mildly carbonated with a bitter and oily feeling on the tongue and mouth, respectively. Finish is almost pure bitterness, like REALLY strong, bitter coffee, but it seems to work. Pretty good stuff.

22 oz bottle. Smallish very dark head tops a thick, tarry opaque body. Robust, roasty aroma full of bittersweet chocolate, rather simple but certainly on the mark. On the tongue, quite sweet but with acerbic roastiness throughout, somewhat acidic, cherry notes abundant, medium to thick smooth body. Alcohol quite obviously present...somewhat harsh finish. Decent, drinkable, but far from a great Imperial I think.

22oz bottle: Pours completely opaque black with smallish light brown head. Aroma has cherries, vanilla, cola syrup, faint metallic hint, and an almost imperceptible hint of roasted malt. Flavor is roasty, chewy, bit of figs and ash, with a faintly sweet finish.