Portsmouth Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout

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

Bottle that I picked up in New York from Miketd November 08 but that was actually part of an organised swap that Craig did with Mike (confusing eh?). Tasted at Fin and Craigs pre Cropredy Festival mini tasting at Merton, Oxon 12-08-09 Pours pretty much shark eye black with a beige head. Hugely flavoursome, hoppy, sweet, bitter and strong tasting. There is cream, vanilla and actually a big latte thing going on in my mouth at the moment. Warmth from the alcohol shows but its a comforting presence, thats enough rating lets drink. Good stuff, thanks to Mike, erm Craig and er myself for getting it back here safely :-) A7 A4 F9 P4 Ov16 4.0

Bottle thanks to BanditBrewingCO (BA)
Near-black, tan beige head. Nose has strong roasted malt but is balanced by chocolate and raisin, even slightly sweet. Flavor is even sweeter, lots of chocolate malt and dark/dried fruits coupling with the weaker roast components. Nicely carbonated, enough to keep it smooth without becoming oppressively sticky by comparison to other Impys. Pretty good stuff, but the hype around this is not warranted given the lack of complexity.

Big thanks goes out to MrChopin for this special brew! Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 7/9/2009 Pittsburgh RB tasting extravaganza (PGHRBEXT) at the Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever I see a spread of bottles like I did there. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we served! For example, how about this beer; Kate the Great! Boozy choco aroma. Big black glass staining pour. Very strong dark alky flavors but I do detect some sour or tart flavors lurking in there. No carbonation to speak of. Not as oily or mouth coating as many dreadful imp stouts, a little better on the taste buds. Except for the tartness, this is on style. I was not qualified to rate this stuff MrChopin! You are way too nice. IMHO better than most rude imps stouts.

22oz bottle thanks to Growler. Pours a deep black with roasted chocolate malt one the nose. A bit of coffee and chocolate on the nose with a whiff of smoke and molasses. Super smooth imperial stout. Amazingly so with a silky somewhat oily mouthfeel that goes down like butter. ABV is non existant. Intense but yet smooth flavors of chocolate, anise, roasty bitterness and a bit of dark fruit (raisin perhaps?). Complex and really drinkable for the style. An amazing imperial stout. Better than my rating indicates because one of its charms is how subtle it is.

Finally got to try this courtesy of MrChopin, thanks man! This one poured a very dark brown with a lighter tan-beige head. Aroma was typical impy, a little more on the sweet chocolate side with some roasted notes as well. Flavor was very smooth mix of chocolate rasoteed malts and some dark fruits. Nothing stands out, but this is so damn smooth for an impy.

Deep dark amost blace pour with a light tan head and lace. Full chocolaty and roasted malt aroma. Flavor is chocolate, roasted malt and a nice malt bitter. Medium carbonation with nice medium full bodied. Not as good as the hype but pretty damn good.

Bottle. Black, with a good brown head. Very inviting aroma of chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, caramel, sugar, vanilla and some earthy notes. The same notes return in the flavour, with some spicy notes. It’s quite sweet, but balanced perfectly with earthy hops, and a slight sourness as if it was barrel aged for a while. Probably the most balanced RIS I’ve had. Thick and chewy, very much a sipper, but goddamn if I didn’t want to keep drinking this all night. Very good.

2009 bottle. Pours darn brown with a rich light brown head. Smells of layered roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, spice. Tastes of burnt licorice, coffee, some bitter hints, velvety mouthfeel.