A: Clear and deep mahagony brown, solid medium tan foam of average retenion with minimal lacing.
S:Initialy pick up sherry and roasty malt and followed by alcohol fire.
T: Whoa, totally unexpected, it's not Imperial Stout and man is there carbonation. Did I miss read the label? Flavors are a pleasant blend roasty malt, dark chocolate, and maybe a touch of coffee. Sweeetness at a perfect level. On the low medium side for mouthfeel. At the end I'm kind of left with a slight bitter taste.
O: This is a very drinkable stout, but could only be considered Imperial because of the abv. I am totally thrown off by the high scores on reviews. Yes, there's a very good blend or rich dark flavors. But I can't say this beer in the upper echelon of brews in this country. Not just because it's way off the style, but it's just not perfect. I think there's a touch of favoritism on the part of the locals, when it came time to rate this one. Don't get me wrong, I'd drink this again if offered, but I just see it as a top tier brew.
Semi Deep Brown with Ruby edges. Clean even head with clinging head. Looks good.
Aroma: Some roasted notes. Not a lot of aroma.
Taste: Not to style. Stout yes. Russian Imperial? No. Over carbonated. While all the elements of a stout are there, I don't think it's big enough to be a Russian Imperial.
All the dark notes, come chocolate, some roast, a slight coffee. It actually tastes pretty good. I just don't think it's to style.
Pours opaque with a quality, inch, tan foam. Retention is well above average while the lacing is sheeting and sticky.
Aroma is light but mostly roasted malt, even a sense of oats.
Taste is subdued also. Very light for a RIS. Roasted malts come in late and leave chocolate bitterness. Maybe a touch of coffee.
Medium body at best with medium or better carbonation.
Not what I expect from RIS in terms of the "size" of the beer. it is really light body with way too much carbonation for a stout in general let alone a RIS. If this was just a stout, then it is good but not as a RIS. Enjoy!