Leinenkugels Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout

Formerly brewed at Leinenkugel Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: Imperial Stout
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin USA

Black as night with a crema-like head, this Imperial Stout is unlike any other! The aroma is dark and toasty, with a flavor to match - mellow, sweet, nutmeg, and fine crema. Undoubtedly, this beer is best suited for a dessert.

12oz bottle. Pours a thick, dark black with a firm mocha-colored head. Aroma is surprisingly dominated by dark fruit, complemented nicely by hints of molasses, chocolate, and vanilla. Taste is full and sweet, with initial flavors of roasted malt, dark fruit, spices, and chocolate giving way to a long, bitter finish of wood, smoke, and molasses that’s somewhere between a whisky and a rum. I really wish more of the dark fruit had come through on the finish, the bite was a little too boozy for me. Even still, if you’ve ever doubted Leinenkugel was capable of making a proper brew, this should change your mind.

A viscous pour produces a medium sized choco brown head, good retention and a seriously coating lace. Black, opaque body, no light gettin through this one baby. Nose is roast, berries, chocolate, dust and a hint of licorice and grainy notes as well. Body is almost full, lightly oily and slick on the palate with a pleasent little chalkiness. Plenty of chocolate, dark and bittersweet, roast flavors with a light smokiness, light caramel and dark fruits. Finish is lightly sweet, roasty with some woody notes sneakin around in there. Wow, best Leiny product i,ve ever had! Well done! Props to eaglefan(who for some reason did,nt seem to enjoy this one??) and mj for both hookin a brutha up with this tastey little critter. Thanks fellas!

Blackness, with a big, thick roasted tan head, sits long in the glass...nice, and lovely... Aroma gives us everything we expect from a RIS, rich cocoa, loads of bittersweet espresso/coffee flavors, some anise, some black pepper, a cadre of dark fruit flying in...with the rich, decadent chocolate taking command...that’s this. Many things going on, here, many flavors, many wonders...good, good stuff... Taste: more dark fruits spark up to greet the chocolate, blackberries, and suchwise...full in the mouth,full in the finish...thick and rich and utterly...decadent and, well, full! The folks who make their daily bread with HoneyWeiss and Berry Weiss, well, yeah, it seems, they CAN brew a RIS. And here’s the proof, right here in my mouth. Big Eddy’s has to sit in with every top notch RIS, it has few flaws, it’s only drawback is that it fills the bill, but has nothing to really bring it forward. A good example of an RIS, maybe even very good, but not quite great...although, ...almost....

Bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a very dark brown, pretty much black, with an average size diminishing creamy light-brown head. Aroma: Oh baby! Roasted malt, molasses, dark fruit, chocolate, burnt caramel and a good amount of hops -- this smells great! Flavour’s roasty and burnt along with molasses, hops, alcohol and more. Medium to full bodied, oily mouthfeel. Fantastic -- thanks for sharing Harry!

Bottle from CaptainCougar, black chocolate colored pour, head of brownish/chocolate color, substantial in size, not overly done, but solid retention, steady throughout. The aroma was ashy, smoke, vinous sweet, somewhat cloying. Flavor followed the aroma in a somewhat disappointing fashion, some choco, vinous astringency, where did the sweetness go, though, after a while? Mouthfeel was standard for the style, the flavor just didn’t meld together. A poor man’s DFH WWS. Thanks, Tom, a fun experience, very nice of you to hook me up with a want, cheers! (Re-rate within the same week at SL, pretty similar opinion, unimpressed.)

12oz Bottle Recieved this in a trade with Badbeer, thanks Mike. Big Eddy gurgles from the bottle midnight black with zero transparency. The mocha head grew to a quality two fingers on the pour and as it fell to a crown left sheet lacing it’s whole way down. A really good looking stout. This stout has a huge amount of dark berry nose to it. Blackberry mostly and unripe blueberry. There’s some darkly roasted malts making up the foundation then comes that berriness. There’s a touch of dark chocolate wafting up through it all but it’s ghostly. This is one of those beers that tastes nothing like what it smells like. The dark roasted maltiness is in the aroma but comes out full force in the mouth. Huge dark cocoa washes over my tongue mid-palate before segueing into dark chocolate on the finish. The a hint of blackberry and a hint of dark roasted coffee complimenting things nicely. An excellent rich stout. The mouthfeel is spot on. Viscous with and incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Let’s see, I believe it weighs in at a respectable 10W-30. For a stout so big (weighing in at 9.5abv) this one goes down incredibly easy. Supremely easy to sip. I was glad to hear of Leinenkugels entering the extreme beer marketplace (with the Big Eddy series) as they’ve always been a favorite regional brewer of mine. I’m even more glad to see that they did such a great job with such a big beer. I’ll raise my glass to Leinenkugels and as that they keep the surprises coming. 12/05/08

Nice pour...opaque black with a tan head that actually changes from light tan on top to dark tan on the bottom...pretty sweet. Aroma is somewhat light for a IS; sweet malts, alcohol and a moderate amount of dark fruit. Flavor is interesting...chocolate, coffee, some bitter hops and dark fruit. Fruit flavors really emerge as the beer warms, and the quality improves greatly! Can’t help but taste some metallic/tinny flavors as well...somewhat frustrating, but not enough to detract greatly from this otherwise very good drink. Alcohol is pretty evident for those that like their alcohol hidden. Bitterness lasts long after the sip is over. Excellent mouthfeel; carbonation is just about right and the palate is well above average and very creamy...not has heavy as other Impy Stouts. Nice effort from the folks at Leinie’s...their best (that I have consumed) yet!