The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 12: Great Lakes 30th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout

Beer # 471 Great Lake 30th Anniversary Beer 

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewery


Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  1987 

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout with Coffee, Vanilla and Cocoa

ABV: 11.9%      IBU: 70

Format: Brown Glass Bottle with Gold Leaf Label  Size: 650 ml

Cost: $15.50 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 greatlakesbeer

    @greatlakesbeer

Another bottle I have had lurking in the back of the #FridgeofFame for about a year, I was confident that this one would be fine, and I was quite excited to try it, especially after the Boulevard Stout I just tried was in great shape. The bottle is quite nice. The label is real gold leaf giving the bottle a nice rich feeling. Very suitable for a thirtieth anniversary.

Onto our beer...

Pours a very dark brown with a deep tan head made of small bubbles. Nose is chocolate and marshmallows, with hints of campfire coffee. Some notes of biscuit and malt in the very back. First sip is whisky and vanilla with backgrounds of chocolate. Super warming, the whisky warmth flows through the entire body. The taste finishes up with long notes of biscuit and burnt sugar. Aeration amps the vanilla and whisky almost heading over into rum territory.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Christmas Cheer 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL


Final Thoughts:

A very good beer, even after a year in the #FridgeofFame. The beer even tastes like it could survive a few more years of ageing. Very festive, and worthy of a nice place by the fire to while away the winter months.

Cheers

CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas 2018 Edition Day 8:Imperial Stout By Fuller's

Beer # 467 Imperial Stout

Brewery: Fuller, Smith, & Turner


Type: National Brewery    Est.:  1845

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.7%      IBU: 60

Format: Brown Glass Bottle Size: 500 ml

Cost: $7.85 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 fullers

    @Fullers

Fuller's is a pretty common British export in the LCBO, however, this is the first year I think I have seen this one (not sure).   I've had a few beers by them and they make a decent product for a National/Macro Brewery. Nothing too exciting. But since this is the #2-4beersofChristmas I thought I would give this 10.7 % big boy a try, and quite frankly I enjoyed it.

Onto our beer.


Pours a very dark chocolate brown with a short but tight tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is chocolate and molasses with hints of liquorice and turbinado sugar. Faint wood, wisps of smoke and a brush of whiskey. First sip is blackstrap molasses, rich and warming with vanilla biscuit and liquorice. Faint sweet hum of horehound candy. A hint of dark green hops running through the middle aeration gives us some old leather smoke and ashes.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Russian Imperial stouts have had a bit of a renaissance lately They are butch, flavourful, and malty beers that you can sit and contemplate for a while. They go very well with food, and the alcohol content is high enough to merit sharing this with someone so you don't get too giggly with the Christmas spirit. This is a very workable Russian stout full of flavours and definitely has a good hit of alcohol. Give this one a shot if you can find it, it is quite enjoyable.


CJT

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Double Russian Imperial Stouts By Innocente Brewing

A couple of Imperial stouts I picked up when I was in Waterloo and I felt it would be great for a side by side tasting.  Both of these stouts were aged in Tennessee Whiskey Barrels,  the first for 2 years and the second for 3. Let's get stuck in... 


Beer # 456 Until Proven Guilty  2015 Russian Imperial Stout

Brewery: Innocente Brewing Company



Type: Independent Microbrewery    Est.:  2014

Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Beer Style: Imperial Stout Aged in Tennessee Whiskey Barrels

ABV: 11.9%      IBU: ?

Format: Bottle  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $11.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

Pours a super dark chestnut, almost black with a very dark tan head made up of small bubbles. Nose is creamy with hints of aged cheese. Large spike of alcohol smell with a warm note of whiskey wood and old leather. First sip is very dry wood with lots of smoky leather. It is a deep contemplative sipper, complex, warming, dusty and earthy. Takes a long time to open up. Hints of meatiness, smoky sausage, umami. Aeration brings out more woodiness, soy sauce and Worcestershire.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS

Experience: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL











Beer # 457 Until Proven Guilty  2014 Russian Imperial Stout

Beer Style: Imperial Stout Aged in Tennessee Whiskey Barrels

ABV: 11.9%      IBU: ?

Format: Bottle  Size: 500 ml

Cost: $12.95 CAD     Purchased At: The Brewery

What a difference a year makes. 

The colour is the same, but the head is thinner. The nose is rich chocolate brandy and whiskey. Overwhelming, barrel influence, some corn, malt, molasses, and an almost medicinal nose. First sip is dry earthy and whiskey with hints of wood, fig and prune Taste is more closed than it's younger brother while the nose is wildly exciting. Some cooked and off notes with hints of oxidation. Aeration is hard, alcohol is very high but brings out a winey, grapey flavour with hints of caramel and tawny port.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts

Both are Excellent beers. The 2015 just edges out the 2014 in my opinion. I'm not sure if the extra year in wood oxidised the beer or what but there was just a certain something off about it. The aroma is fantastic but the body of the beer is just off somehow. Both are worth trying if there is any of the dwindling supply left.


Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 198 The Bottle Imp Russian Imperial Stout

The Bottle Imp Russian Imperial Stout
Pro-am Series # 9

Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Flavoured Russian Imperial Stout 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 600 ml
$7.85 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: @Beausallnatural @bridgehead

Tonight we are travelling back up to Van Kleek Hill, near our nation's capital, to Beau's All Natural Brewing Company once again. Beau's really is one of the hardest working breweries in Ontario. Their list of beers, past and present is virtually unrivalled. Their list of collaborations is stunning. Their contributions to brewing in Ontario and Canada are unprecedented. The beer we are featuring tonight on this Robbie Burns Day 2015, is a Russian imperial stout flavoured with organic fair trade coffee sourced from Mexico and Ethiopia. "Wait..." you may ask... "What has a Russian imperial stout flavoured with organic fair trade coffee sourced from Mexico and Ethiopia got to do with a dead Scottish poet?"  It's all in the name...

In 1891 Scottish storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson (see what I did there?) wrote a short story entitled"The Bottle Imp." It was a cautionary tale about a cursed bottle that granted the holder all that he desired but came with a few restrictions. Once you had bought the bottle you could not sell it for more than you paid for it. You could not throw it away or give it away. If you died holding the bottle your soul would be dragged to hell for eternity. From there it turn into a tragic love story and tales of self sacrifice in the pursuit of true love. No spoilers... if you would like to read the story you can find it here at Project Gutenberg in Robert Louis Stevenson's collection of short stories "Island Night's Entertainment."

Back to the beer. This particular Bottle Imp... is actually an IMP... or IMPerial stout so it is 9.0% ABV. Best to share this with a friend or have some snacks while you are tasting it. The Imp is part of the Pro-Am series which is a collection of beers designed by homebrewers that are produced commercially by Beau's. The particular recipe was created by David Thompson, the winner of the 2012 Toronto Beer Week Homebrew Contest. Lastly the beer is infused with some delicious roasted fair trade organic shade grown coffee from Chiapas Mexico, and Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. I love me some Ethiopian Coffee... it's my favourite coffee growing region. The coffee was provided by Bridgehead Coffee in Ottawa

Och... get on wit it... (My apologies to anyone Scottish). Onto our beer.

Pours a very dark brown with a fluffy tan head made up of small bubbles. The aroma is coffee with some dark malt sugars and caramels in the background. Some light floral notes with some nuttiness and fruit are also present. First sip is rich chocolate and espresso light fruity tones with some coffee ground bitterness underneath. As the beer warms figs and dried fruit come out on the palette as does some black licorice. Mouthfeel is very creamy, soft and supple. Alcohol is noticeable but not overwhelming. Aeration brings out a deeper creaminess, and the darker aspects of the coffee and malt. Finish is slightly astringent like black coffee and dark chocolate.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Very, very good Russian imperial stout. Roasty, toasty, smooth, I could imagine myself whiling away the hours in the Russian Imperial court drinking this beer. The coffee is a lovely, and well balanced addition. The floral, fruity, chocolate notes really ground the beer, and balance out the higher alcohol. A great beer inspired by a great Scotsman's story, wrapping up a good Robbie Burns Day. What more could a simple farm boy ask for?
well... maybe another... and a bottle with that wishing imp in it...

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 67 St. Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout

St Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged


La Brasserie McAuslan Inc.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
(Partnered with Les Brasseurs RJ, Partly Owned by Moosehead Breweries Limited)
Russian Imperial Stout 9.2% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 341 ml.
$6.00 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Twitter @bierstambroise


In operation since 1989 McAuslan brews some of Quebec's top rated beers. The awards and distinctions are literally too numerous to mention, for a comprehensive list check their website. The name St. Ambroise comes from the name of the street the brewery was on when it first opened: Rue St. Ambroise in the St. Henri district of Montreal. The first beer they brewed in 1989, St. Ambroise Pale Ale, is still the top rated beer in Quebec today.  They have grown steadily over the years increasing in barrel capacity and staff (from 5 in 1989, to 40 today) and their beer is found in a number of different provinces and is becoming more available in the States.

Onto the tasting:


it pours oily black with a milk chocolate coloured head made up of fine bubbles. No cascade, and head lasts a short time. Deep dark rich licorice and molasses on the nose. First sip is an explosion of flavours. Heavy chocolate malt starts off the cascade which gives into a heady bourbon oak, a smack of vanilla and then a nice lingering wood smoke. The 9.2% alcohol is not lost, warming the cheeks and belly right away. Very heavy but still satisfying. Spent grain lingers on the tongue as does charred hardwood, and smoke (feels like exhaling a cigar)




Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
                                                                                                              


Cost:  4/6  PASS
Colour:  5/6  PASS        
Beer Style:  5/6 PASS 
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS   
Experience:   5/6  PASS


Final Thoughts:                         


A pricey little brew, but rather rare and worth it. quite a nice complex character, certainly could only drink one of these a night, but would definitely go back for seconds another day.


Cheers


CJT