New Brew Thursday - Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout

The other day we thoroughly enjoyed Rogue's 2011 XS Russian Imperial Stout.  My hubby picked this one out of our horde . . . er . . . stash of craft beers.  And it was a great choice!

First of all, I'd like to comment on the bottle.  It is quite impressive and a fitting vessel for this outstanding brew.   The bottle is a  ceramic bottle painted charcoal black with a swing top stopper.  There is no way light is penetrating this bottle to skunk this brew!  Awesome!

To add a touch my own personal style, I served this beer in a mason jar . . . I'm nothing if not classy. :/

This extra special stout pours dark as pitch with a creamy mocha head.  The aroma is an abundance of coffee and a hint of booziness; at 11% ABV this isn't unexpected.    

Not for the faint of heart nor for the meek beer drinker. This is a BIG . . . nay . . . ginormous beer.  

The first taste . . . I wasn't sure if I was drinking a beer or a coffee.  The big coffee taste is complemented by dark chocolate notes.  It has a clean finish complemented by a bitter hoppiness.  It had a bubbly mouthfeel  and not as creamy as I expect in an imperial stout.  That's not a bad thing, just different from what I anticipated.  

The flavors intensify as it warms . . . as does the burn that accompanies such a high alcohol beer.  It's all good and just gets better.

I am truly impressed.  Gotta love Rogue!

This beer is perfect for anyone who is a fan of coffee and/or stouts.    Outstanding in it's awesomeness.  I give it two thumbs up plus any extras I can find laying around!

Cheers!!

Visit Rogue's website or check them out on Facebook. 

New Brew Thursday - Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer

Clown Shoes Beer has only recently been allowed entry into Connecticut.  My first taste of beer from this brewery was when hubby and I were out to dinner and found Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA on tap . . . it was a truly amazing beer.


So, when I spotted  Vampire Slayer  on sale at my local beer store I immediately grabbed a bottle. Vampire Slayer is an imperial American stout brewed for their second anniversary.


The label sports a boy in the process of impaling a vampire in the heart with a stake  . . . the young man is wearing clown shoes, of course.  Heh!  


Rumor has it that this beer is supposedly brewed with holy water and malts smoked with ‘vampire killing stakes.’  I'm dubious but I'll go along with it just for fun. 


The beer pours a rich dark amber with a thick tan head.  Strong coffee and chocolate prevail in the aroma so I was looking forward to my first sip.  All I can say is "wow!" . . . I literally said that when I tasted it.  It is so smooth and creamy it's like drinking velvet.  Yummy coffee chocolate velvet.  


There are other flavors that come through as well; such as caramel and a bit of smoke.  And there is a slight but definite booziness to this stout.  Not surprising considering it is a hefty 11% ABV.  


Stouts and porters are not my favorite style of beer but I think that this is a seriously awesome beer! Give it a go . . . mmm, mmm, good!


Visit Clown Shoes' website or check them out on Facebook.

New Brew Thursday - Imperial Stout Trooper

I admit it . . . I am a fan of the Star Wars movies.  So, too, must be the maker of Imperial Stout Trooper.


I've been drinking New England Brewing Company's owner/brewmaster Rob Leonards's beer for many years . . . way before he acquired NEB in 2001;  I first sampled his brews in the 1990's when he was making beer for John Harvards Brew House in Westport, Connecticut and the Brewhouse Restaurant in Norwalk, Connecticut.

I love and support local breweries and this one is no exception.   The New England Brewing Company  is located Woodbridge Connecticut . . . just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.  

When Imperial Stout Trooper was first released in limited quantities in 2010 I quickly snatched up a few bottles . . . they were hard to come by and I paid a hefty $14.99 per bottle.   The label portrayed an image very similar to a Star Wars Imperial Storm Trooper.  George Lucas was none too flattered . . . he issued a cease and desist order to get his Star Wars imagery removed from the the Stout Trooper label.

Those first year bottles have become something of a collectors item.  My husband saw a bottle listed on Ebay that was going for over $100.


The following year Imperial Stout Trooper was once again issued in limited edition . . . this time with an amusing new label . . . Groucho Marx glasses and 'stache to disguise the trooper beneath.  


A few weeks ago I picked up a few bottles of the 2012 edition.  So limited is the distribution of this beer, my local booze store would only let me buy two.  Of course, I went back and got more . . . two is certainly not enough.

This a truly amazing hand crafted brew.  It pours dark as  night with a light tannish head that quickly dissipates but clings to the sides of the glass.  It has a caramelly, smoky, coffee aroma and the flavors to back up the nose tease.  

The taste is everything I've come to expect from an imperial stout . . . a complex combination of very slightly sweet dark chocolate, caramel and molasses perfectly balanced with coffee, smoke, licorice and malt.
  
Stout Trooper is not a heavy beer nor as heavy as is to be expected from a Russian imperial stout BUT very enjoyable.  It is medium bodied and medium carbonated which equates to a pleasant mouth feel. 

As good as this beer tastes, you kind of have to put the brakes on due to its high 8.5% ABV.   Share a bottle or two with friends . . . sip, relax, enjoy. And then wait another year to grab a couple bottles of this limited edition brew.

Drink it, it's good . . . indeed.

For more information check out NEB's website or visit them on Facebook.

New Brew Thursday - Double Tap . . . BBC Russian Imperial Stout and Browar Amber Grand Imperial Stout

It’s clear that I’m a beer lover, but I have to say stouts and porters are not my favorite style of beer . . . but I can surely appreciate them for their richness and complexities and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed one or the other on occasion.

The big question is what's the difference between a stout and a porter?  This can be debated until the sun goes down and the keg is drained of its heavenly, intoxicating nectar. 

There are many styles of beers but there are no hard-and-fast rules for what passes for particular variety.  The truth is that there really is no meaningful difference between a stout and a porter . . . although, arguably, a stout was at one time considered a strong . . . stouter . . .  version of porter.  Today?  Different brewers have different interpretations.  And, if you ask me, it’s those interpretations that make beer so friggin’ awesome!

And now . . . onto the beer.  St. Patrick's Day was approaching as I was making my selections and what's St. Patty's Day without a good hardy beer?  

In the cooler I spied Berkshire Brewing Company Russian Imperial Stout.  Stamped on the label?  Local!  That sealed the deal.  I'm a huge fan of local beers and micro-breweries.  

Berkshire Brewing Company is a young-ish company, formed in 1992 by two friends with a love for beer who wanted to produce a finely crafted ale.  The brewery is located in an old cigar factory in Deerfield, Massachusetts.  20 years later their nine year-round flavors and seven seasonal ales and lagers are distributed in five states and they continue to grow.

BBC Russian Imperial Stout pours a velvety black and forms a creamy head that dissolves into a lovely lingering lace on the glass.  It smells of chocolate and coffee with the flavors of each to back up the aroma.  This imperial stout is full flavored and complex.  The high alcohol content . . . 8.5% alcohol by volume . . . warms you like a fine brandy.  This is an excellent sipping beer, to be savored and enjoyed after a good meal.  Dessert in a glass!  Cheers!

Check out Berkshire Brewing Company's website and visit them on Facebook

~~~~

The porter I selected was not so local.  It haled all the way from Poland.  I chose Browar Amber's Grand Imperial Porter based on the label alone . . . classy, elegant.  And the name . . . it was so high falutin' . . . GRAND Imperial . . . it demanded to be consumed.  So, consume it I did!

The Browar Amber is a small brewery that was established in 1994.  It primarily distributes its beer regionally and has only recently started exporting to the United States and Canada. 

The Grand Imperial Porter is a good beer but not quite what I expected.  To the best of my knowledge, I've never had a Polish beer and certainly never a Polish dark beer. It is a Baltic style of porter which is black like an English stout but lighter in flavor; more like a strong, dark lager. 

I would classify the Grand Imperial Porter as a dessert beer.    It is strong and sweet . . . very much a sipping beer.  It pours dark as night.  A huge head is formed when it it is poured that dissolves into a light froth that clings to the side of the glass. It has a clearly defined dark chocolate flavor with only a hint of coffee.   I liked this porter but it was definitely not grand.  8.0% alcohol by volume.

Check out  Browar Amber's website and visit them on Facebook