A few weeks ago, Sam showed up on the porch with an unexpected surprise. A homemade brew from one of our co-workers, we’ll call him “Awsome Andy”. Awsome, because he gave us free beer and Andy, because that’s his name. Three bottles of his Russian Stout.
It poured a black, almost cola color. The head was like something I’ve not seen before. At first, it was about an inch or more thick but had very big bubbles and dissappated fairly quickly. The darkness of the beer and the walnut color of the head made for an extremely attractive beer. The sweet caramel aroma had my taste buds watering and I couldn’t wait to taste it. I know this is going to sound a little nerdy, but, it was such a good looking beer I spent about five minutes just admiring how good it looked and smelled. Finally, Sam told me to “taste it already”, so when the head died down I took my first sip. Having never tried a Russian Stout before, I didn’t know what to expect. But if it tasted half as good as it looked I knew I was in for a treat.
It was a little sweeter than I expected. The malts over powered the hops by far and almost tasted like a sweet Merlot. (not often do you find a beer that is compared to wine. Wake up wine drinkers, and welcome to the wonderful world of beer!) It felt pretty thick and creamy on the palate and left a smooth lingering finish. This one would be a good beer to break out when you reconnect with buddy you haven’t seen for a long time, the fatted calf if you will. I don’t know what the ABV was but Sam and I shared three bottles and we were both feeling the effects of it not long after drinking it.
Too bad this is a home brewed recipe, I think Awesome Andy could market it and do quite well. It would be a good compliment to a nice grilled steak or some hearty appetizers like chicken strips or tater skins. Well done Andy, and thanks again for the contribution. Can’t wait to try your Pale Ale. (hint, hint.)
P-O-R-C-H Rating: C
Posted by Mr. Porch in Beer Reviews, Home Brews, Russian Imperial Stout
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