Otter Creek Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Otter Creek Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Middlebury, Vermont USA

blackest beer i’ve ever seen: like a liquified spelunking expedition when the batteries go out. smells great. all kinds of raisins, anise, figs and molasses. flavor is overtly alcohol-y. too much burn in the throat and on the palate, which cancels out any probable sweetness and, even, pleasure. i do not like sipping this beer. perhaps this is a great cellar-stout. given 3-4 years to incubate in dank and discipline, this stout might possibly chill out enough to be quite lovely. until then, i’ll spend my money elsewhere.

Bottle. Beautifull pours a pitch black beer with a two fingers thick creamy chocolate head. Aroma is chocolate, roated malts, capuccino, hops and alcohol. Flavor is very sweet with chocolate at first and the coffee and roasted malts ake the floor with a bitter finish due to roasted malt and hops. .

Thanks to josarah for this beer. Very dark black with rich tan head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malts, smoked wood and espresso. Flavor is much the same, with some fruits and ash coming through as well. Full bodied, but not boozy at all. Very nice.

Wow, beautiful pour. Viscous black liquid with the creamiest, most luxurious tan head. After a couple of minutes the head dies down, leaving no lacing. Smells nice with lots of espresso, chocolate and roast character. Can’t wait to dive in. The first sip hits me with a lot of astringency and dryness. Acrid bitterness. Some burnt notes. After a few more sips, my palate gets a bit more used to it. At this point, some of the dark chocolate and hints of dark berries come out. The body was a letdown after the beautiful pour. I was hoping for something rich. This a bit too dry and a bit too light - there’s just something in there that is reminiscent soaking some instant espresso in water and dumping a bit of that mixture into the beer. Maybe a bit harsh, but the taste and body just were off for me and were not enjoyable. Given the generally solid reviews this gets, I’ll try to give this a try again in the future; maybe it will excel next time.

Bottle: Opaque black pour with a thick khaki head. Tarry aroma- charred, some smoke notes, licorice and dark chocolate- nice. Fluffy body- densely malty yet soft and remains fairly dry. Deep roast, some light smoky notes, charred barley, licorice, tarry character. All of this is followed by a peppery noble hop bitterness in the finish. Rich yet dry and very well balanced. Well hidden alcohol as well. Nice.

22oz bottle-pours a rich retaining light brown head with thick bubbles on top and black color. Aroma is dark malt-chocolate/ashy, alcohol. Taste is dark malt-chocolate/ashy/roasty, alcohol, secondary astringent hops. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for sharing.

Nice progression of flavor, nutty aroma exploding upon opening. Roasted malts apparent, pleasant. Full bodied, warming, excellent brew

They nailed the appearance on this one - coal black, with a thick, frothy tan head - aroma of dark roast coffee, sweet cream, cocoa, light anise, some cherry and berries - low carbonation, creamy mouthfeel - a lot of intense espresso bitterness and dry cocoa in the flavor - some vinous character through the middle, followed by a tiny bit of astringency and floral hops - finishes with a cream sweetness, with lingering coffee bitterness and tobacco underneath - a little flawed, but this is one of Otter Creeks most impressive offerings.