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Friday, May 13, 2011

Black Sheep Imperial Russian Stout


I finally managed to get in gear and taste Black Sheep's Imperial Russian Stout, which has been (and probably still is - just) on at Veritas on Great George Street. At 8.5% abv, it's not quite on the massive 'Imperial' side of things, nor is it your average bar-top stout, but I must say I enjoyed it.
On the nose there's hints of cherry and smoke, along with a decent 'oakiness'. That smoke dies somewhat on the taste, but the oak and fruit remains, with with fruit coming more to fore; raisin, almond, and digestive biscuits all battling it out before that drying coffee and black chocolate note comes in at the end to wrap things up.

The alcohol is up front - it does taste 8.5% - but that's only a minor detraction for me. I enjoyed the beer; and as with their Porter , I'm really pleased to see Black Sheep branching out. I hope we see more of this sort of thing from them. Oh, and by the way - the pump clip rocks. Nice artwork, Black Sheep, thumbs up from me!

I wasn't the only one to enjoy the beer - here's Ghostie's take on proceedings. Oh, and by the way - if you choose to eat at Veritas, I can recommend the Duck Liver Pate. It's Awesome.

5 comments:

Dave Lozman said...

This is one beer I'm hoping I get to try!

Rob of Ilkley said...

Lovely food at Veritas.

Stella (ex-BarTat in Ilkley)knows how to round a great pub.

Ghost Drinker said...

Cheers for the nod Leigh. I really loved the beer, I'm just really hoping they'll turn it into a seasonal special. A beer too good to only have a pint and a half and never again!

Leigh said...

Ghostie - no probs. I agree - i need to get my hands on a bottle of this and curl up with a good book or film or something with it....

Rob of Ilkley said...

I finally got my hands on a pint last night at the Narrow Boat in Skipton. Very up front with the alcohol - definitely not one for a session. Lots of burnt caramel.

Great to see Black Sheep trying something new.