Southampton Imperial Russian Stout

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Imperial Stout
Southampton, New York USA

Bottle 245. Looks great with a neat brown head staying on top of this black, oily looking thing forever. After a swirl in the snifter it leaves some great lazing making it look even more inviting. Aroma is complex and extremely well balanced of cookie dough, fruit, roasted espresso like malt, caramell and fudge mixed perfectly with some refreshing hops. Flavours is just as good if not better with a overall really well balanced flavour with all that mentioned above. The finish is hoppy with warming alcohol and a nice dark chocolate character staying around long enough. The body is fabolous, I’m a fan of the more medium bodied imperial stouts and this one really hits the spot, creamy and smooth, lightly oily but never sleazy or too much. Very sophisticated and clean, smart and freakin dangerous! Thanks to fredandboboflo for this awsome beer!

Source: 750 mL bottle picked up in a trade.
Appearance: Poured a deep brown/black color with a two finger brown head that lingered forever.
Aroma: Roasted malt dominates, with chocolate and earthy hops.
Flavor: Roasted malt dominates the mouth as well, with chocolate and dark fruit. Bitter/burned finish.
Palate: Full body with soft carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. Lingering ash flavor is a bit too much.
Overall: This is good, but not as good as it seems some people think. Without the ashy finish, this would be a top 50 in my book for sure. Since its there, only a mid level Imperial Stout.

Got to sample this courtesy of "hannont". Colour... Jet black! Quite the tendril effect after swirling! Nose... Some roasted malt but not much, otherwise. Palate... Hops up front then sweet roasty malt, figgy pudding, zante currants and vanilla. Not particularly thick as far as mouthfeel but offers a long sappy finish.

Bottle shared by Jonathanl7890. Thanks man! Pours black with a tan head that sticks around for a while. Smell is roasty chcolate with some light hops too. Taste is dry, roasty and chocolate like. A touch of sweetness from the malt, but it finishes dry. Medium to full body with a bit of slightly fizzy carbonation. Very enjoyable, but didn’t strike me as one of the absolute best Imperial Stouts I’ve had though.

2008 Vintage from a trade last year (need to look up who I got this one from!). Rich dark brown/black with a creamy tan head that sticks around for a bit. Roast, chocolate, wood and dark fruits in the nose. Taste is definitely quite roasty - not as roasty and ashy as Abyss, but definitely roasty with touches of ash. Dry, dark chocolate, tobacco, blackberries, bitter hops all come together in this brew. Finishes a bit too ashy dry for my taste. But, I am being picky, as the ashy character of some imperial stouts is starting to become a pet peeve of mine. This is actually quite good - just, personally, I could use a bit less ash. World class, regardless. Rich, decadent mouthfeel with a dry finish. Despite my nitpickings, this is a very nice imperial stout and worth seeking out. If you don’t mind the ashy characteristics of Abyss and enjoy imperial stouts, I do believe you will love this one. Recommended.

2008 bottle shared by boltz7555...

viscous black body with crimson at the edges. it has a tan ring for a head and leaves light spotty lacing when swirled. the aroma is very roast heavy... dark chocolate, figs, molasses, coffee and a hint of smokiness. the wood and molasses give it a bourbon-like quality in the flavor...along with lots of chocolate, roasty grain sharpness and sourness, zinfandel/dark juicy red wine spiciness and a dry charcoal-like ashy finish. full bodied and really creamy but bitterness keeps it somehow... sessionable and thins it out. nice... 8/4/8/4/17/4.1

Bottle that Unclejedi brought to the BA Nashville Tasting. Pours black and viscous with a tan head. Aroma is excellent- dark fruit, roast, chocolate, vineous. Full bodied with a slick texture. Flavor of dark roast, a hint of char, molasses, and smoke. I think the bitterness and attenuation is just right on this. Alcohol well hidden. Great beer

Bottle from the Otown throwdown. Damn another huge beer. Need to thank whoever brought this! Black pour wtih a brown head. Nose is enormous and really damn good. Chocolate, molasses, figs, dates, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla and just pure pleasure. Flavor is rich and full of chocolate, molasses, vanilla, coffee, and some sweet caramel notes. Damn this is a beauty. YESS!!