Jack Russell Raspberry Imperial Stout

Interesting beer here to say the least. Full of raspberry jammy goodness, lots of tartness in front of a mediocre imperial stout. The beer pours out an inky black hue, medium viscosity with a smaller brown head. The head didn’t stick around very long after the pour, but it did coat my glass pretty well. Aroma is raspberry jam, light coffee, wet cardboard and a touch of toffee. Flavor is suprisingly tart/sour for an impy stout. Lots of rasberry seed tannins, and roasted grain notes. The raspberry angle is both subtle and not so subtle at times, depending on time after pour. I liked it at times, other times not quite as much. I have another bottle so we’ll see.

12 fl. oz. bottle shared by Lubiere (merci!), served cold in a goblet. JA11/09.

App.: Black with a tiny mocha head. Aroma: Burnt sugar, bitter chocolate and dark coffee, a little fresh raspberry and raspberry bush (greens), ashen and stark. Palate: Medium-ish body and very soft carbonation. Flav.: Coffee, chocolate (a little), lots of raspberries, tangy, raspberry jam, a bit ashen; quite tangy and fairly bitter with ashen malts and some leftover raspberries.

Decent but too tart for my tastes and expectations (it is a stout, after all).

This 12 oz bottle cost 1.49 and came from Corti Bros in Sacramento. Poured black with tan head and average lacing. Nose of raspberry, roasted malts, and a relatively light mouthfeel. Flavor is burnt coffee, and the finish has a sour aftertaste.

Bottle from Corti Bros. The aromas are raspberries (not overpowering) and toasted malt. The color is opaque brown and the dark tan head was respectable, til it ringed. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Thins a bit as the carbonation goes. The flavor starts raspberry, and then raspberry seed, and then some burnt malt with a bit of coffee. Didn’t get any chocolate. Interesting stout. The finish is very slightly sweet (berry), but toasted bitter. Quite nice.

Dark black, opaque, with a nice moka head. Sweet coffee and fresh berries in aroma. Tart burned coffeee in mouth with raspberry notes, and good hops. Medium bodied IS. On tap at brewery, August 2005.

.From bottle bought from brewery Very dark with a medium brown head. The mouthfeel here is thinner than I’d expect for an imperial. Aromas of roasted and burned grains with a hint of raspberry. Unfortunately, the raspberry ruins this for me. It’s not syrupy like some fruity beers, but presents an odd, sour aftertaste which dominates the flavor and overpowers the grain. Not this brewery’s best beer.

Draft. Dark beer with a beige head. The aroma has a nice roastiness to go with a bit of chocolate and coffee. The flavor is a bit over-raosted with an almost burnt malt quality. The raspberries give a nice fruitiness to mellow things out and is there in the background, but it’s still a little too harsh. If you like charred/burnt malts, you may love this.

Dark walnut bordered with ruby highlights. Creamy, scattered, tan head. Bright aroma of java and chalky black malts underlain with slick raspberry accents. Subdued charred malts, phenols and earthy hops. Soft, medium-bodied. Mellow carbonation. Sizeable hops stand right up to the raspberries and are immediately matched with earthy malts and light acidity from the rich black malts. Rich, charred coffee beans capped with fresh raspberries at the center. Light caramel rises to the occasion, only to be silenced by the intense raw malts. Finishes with full-blown charred, bitter black malts and a dab of hop leaf and elegant raspberry flavoring. Lingering blend of dark chocolate-coated raspberry truffles, vanilla bean, chalky, burnt malts and coarse, earthy hops. A gorgeous little British-style Imperial. Thanks, Mitch!