Otter Creek Russian Imperial Stout

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

Location: 22 oz bottle from State Line, 12/11/09

Aroma: Aroma is quite malty, with roasted coffee, chocolate, burnt malts, and toasted caramel
Appearance: Pours an opaque black color with a lasting fizzy brown head that leaves lots of lace
Flavor: Taste is heavy on the malts as well, full, rich dark malt flavor, bittersweet chocolate
Palate: This one has a full body, a rich, thick texture, with soft carbonation, and no ABV burn
Overall Impression: When you boil it down it is a pretty standard, but still well-made Impy Stout. All the classic components are there. It has some very nice flavors, its well constructed, and works pretty well. It drinks quite smoothly, always a good sign when a beer has an ABV over 10%. It also has just enough hops to provide the needed balance. Really, it just works. It’s not the most original beer ever created, but me thinks it is pretty well crafted.

22oz bottle courtesy of VanillaMike poured into a tulip. Pours pitch black with no light coming through at all underneath a big mocha head that shows excellent retention and leaves some delicate lacing on the way down. The aroma just massively roasted black malts, closer to burnt actually, with burnt espresso beans and a little dark chocolate mixed in. There is a faint molasses sweetness that starts to come out as it warms a bit. The taste brings the sweetness out a little more with a thick molasses sweetness balancing the heavily roasted dark malts. The finish is dry with some cocoa and espresso flavors. The taste isn’t as overtly burnt as the aroma and is more balanced. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very, very smooth with a modest, soft carbonation that still provides plenty of tiny bubbles on the palate. The alcohol is subtle to start but becomes more and more evident along the way. This is an impressive RIS extremely enjoyable despite the seriously burnt character of the aroma and parts of the taste. Even with that, there is a lot of complexity and balance in the taste. Very good.

Blown away by this one. Pours an opaque black with a burnt brown head. Aroma of cherries, smoke, whisky, and coffee and malts and the tastes are much the same. Smooooooth beer here. Goes down like a thick smooth roasty treat.

A nice looking impy stout with a big thick almost black pour and a nice frothy tan head that has good retention. Aroma is whiskey, raisin and coffee. Flavors are similar. Roasted malt is dominant, though, and it is very smooth. No real alcohol flavor. Figs, milk, and a surprising amount of hops. A bit smoky and ashy. Flavors are not big and are even somewhat understated. Very smooth and thick feel.

I had the pleasure of having this one on draft. The beer pours like motor oil, very dark. There is a nice small bubbled white head that lasts for a while. The malt flavors are roasted and chocolate. The hops were strong, lacked for the imperial stout style. Nice alcohol balance.

$7 / 22oz bottle----Nice, full, chocolately aromas on pour. Of course super dark beer--if not completely black--is topped with off white head with decent lacing. Little disappointed with taste. I would have liked a little more sweetness to balance out the considerable hops and bitterness. The blend hides a powerful ABV.

22 oz bottle. Pours dark brown with burgundy edges. Topped with a 1/2" creamy brown cap and rings of brown lace. Aroma is bitter bakers chocolate and coffee. Palate is heavy with a low level of carbonation. Starts out bitter and ashy, but mellows out as it warms. Flavor is sweet chocolate, espresso coffee with some vanilla notes. Very good.

22. pours black with a loose and short lived burnt tan head. huge salty soy and teriyaki nose. creamy, somewhat sticky medium body. roasty, salty, soy like mid palate. too sticky, too sweet, too salty. long sticky finish.