Sacramento Russian Imperial Stout

22oz bomber courtesy of jh1982. Pours dark, dark brown with some light shining through the edges. An aggressive pours yields only a few big bubbles around the sides which dissipate immediately. The aroma is sweet with some chocolate and vanilla. It’s got a bit of roasted character and a slight tart sourness in the nose. Maybe getting a little oxidized. The taste is more of the same with some bakers chocolate and dark roasted malts. It’s pretty light on flavor overall though and finish is slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is where this one falls short for me as it has no carbonation at all and is extremly slick and oily. The body is very thin overall and need a bit more body. This is a pretty disappointing RIS as it needs a good bit more carbonation and more flavor and complexity to be considered solid. As it is, pretty underwhelming.

22oz bottle more than 18 months old. poured into my chalice black with a big foamy tan head, which dispated down to about a figers worth and then stuck around. nice arom with hints of choclate and coffe. sadly the flavor was wquite there. there was sweet roasted amlt with no hint of the complexity seen in the nose. its was overly sticky with a slightly tart finish. I had low expectations for this beer, and they wer barely met. I am pround of my sactown upbringing. perhaps someday sacto will have better beer.

22, capped and foiled. Thanks, SuzyGreenberg! Pours black with a scant but lacy tan head. Chocolate and coffee aroma. Some chocolate in the taste Medium-light body and light carbonation. Espresso and smoke finish.

Several years ago I was at Sac Brew with friend and he recommended the Stout. I have always considered their beers to be marginal, but tried it. I remember saying to him at the time that this isn’t just the best of the Sac Brew beers, it is a really good beer. Jet black brew with a chocolate milkshake head. Coffee and dark chocolate aroma. Taste is roasty and chocolatey. Good mouthfeel.

Nose of chocolate, light roast, and some sweeter dark malts. Pours black with no head. Flavor is lightly roasty with some chocolate and caramel malts too. A touch of dryness in the finish. Seemingly a little thin in the body department, but it drinks very nicely.

Black with a thin off white head. Aroma is lightly roasty, caramel- bland. Taste is a light roastiness, sourness, light chocolate.

Bomber from my buddy Derek. Nose of chocolate, a milky note, coffee, and a bit of hoppiness. Black with a big cinnamon tan head that laces nicely. Flavor is light bitterness, coffee, and some almond nuttiness. Finish is light bitterness.

Great label. Not as great a stout. Vanilla in the aroma, but overall I found that it lacked body and intensity. Does not match up well with other IMPs.