Portsmouth Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Portsmouth Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

22 oz. bomber bottle, no bottling/freshness date, but I know is the 2006 release, sampled in a snifter. A thick, syrupy pour, the darkest blackish brown with a frothy tan head that slowly settled into a thin creamy lacing, fair amount of sticky lace. Delicious smelling nose, roasted espresso beans, dark chocolate, burnt molasses, caramel and subtly tart and sweet fruity esters, plums and dark cherries. The body has an airy creaminess that slightly disguises the thick, full bodied feel of this RIS, making this a pleasantly amiable sipper. Burnt malts flavors of chocolate and molasses, followed by roasted dark coffee and caramel. In the middle some vanilla flavored cream poured over blackberries and plums fruitiness emerges, melding with the alcohol for a low grade warmth in the palate. The hops are quite subtle, hints of citrus and adding a soft spicy bitterness to the roasted grainy finish. An excellent RIS, I wish I had more bottles of this for the coming winter months.

8 oz pour courtesy of the assistant brewer at the brewpub. Opaque black with a brown head. Aroma is huge chocolate, caramel, dark fruits, and roast. Taste is both sweet and dry chocolate, sweet caramel as well as some vinous fruit. Very full bodied, but it has a velvety texture. Roast is in the forefront throughout the taste and becomes moderately bitter in the finish. Alcohol slightly apparent but still very well hidden considering the high abv. Excellent.

Bottle courtesy of porterhouse sampled on 9/15/07: Pours an opaque black with a light brown wispy-lacing head. Aroma of rich dark caramel and chocolate and dark fruity complexity. Body starts very full, malty and sweet with good dark caramel and chocolate complexity toward a bitter roasty lingering finish. A very nice, true to style and viscous imperial stout.

GABF ’07. Pours black with an average, rocky, light brown head, lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (molasses, caramel, chocolate, roasted), light hops (herbs), average yeast (leather) with notes of tar. Full bodied, creamy texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness and acidity, light bitterness.

Poured an opaque black color with a persistent tan head. The aroma was full and thick with strong notes of milk chocolate. Light notes of alcohol but not bad. The flavor had more of the milk chocolate with some roasty malt and mild alcohol. Medium to full bodied and very warming.

You’re kidding, CaptainCougar brought this one, too? - damn, bro! - this one was really nice - as eugene notes, it’s goodness cut right through the palate fatigue - heavy cocoa aroma, with some red wine tannin qualities - nicely balanced cocoa, dried fruit, blueberries, some vinous notes - sweet, roasty and really balanced - a delight to drink.

Thanks to CaptainCougar for bringing this gem. At this point of the night, things are getting a little fuzzy for me, but here goes. Dark black with a dark rich head. Lots of milk chocolate/cocoa sweetness over rich sweet malts. Light plumminess behind the heavy rich chocolate. Dark caramel and a lingering heavy roast. Lovely beer.

CaptainCougar brought this to his gathering at JoeMcphee’s place. Now what makes this beer really good is that it was opened at the end of the night and it was still good. Usually one’s palate is so warped that no Imperial anything can taste good but not with this beer. Black body with strong brown head. Aroma is very roasty, espresso and charcoal. Taste is sweet chocolate biscuit. Some molasses flavors. A very nice sweet beer but not over the top. Hot cocoa like aftertaste. A medium body that is extremely quaffable. It’s like popping bon-bons, I could just keep on drinking this.