Beer: Russian Gun Imperial Stout
Brewery: Grand River Brewing (Cambridge, Ontario)
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol: 8% ABV
In the past, I’ve made no secret that I love my beers big and that Russian imperial stout is one of my favourite styles. Often heavy in malt, bitterness and alcohol, the Russian imperial stout style can be hard to come by in the Great White North, but there are a few breweries that dive into the territory once a year.
Cambridge, Ontario-based Grand River Brewing has been unleashing its seasonal Russian Gun Imperial Stout on the beer-loving public for the past few years, and it’s become generally available in the LCBO during the winter. Here are my thoughts on this beer.
Appearance
From a 500mL bottle, Russian Gun pours a dark brown (almost black, really) colour with a thick and foamy tan head.
Aroma
The rich aroma is all dark malt, with plenty of dark chocolate and coffee providing a great nose.
Taste
As with the nose, the taste of the beer is very malty. Dark malts are front and centre, providing hints of both coffee, dark chocolate and anise. It’s definitely a malt-forward Russian imperial stout, but there is some hop bitterness complementing the strong malt flavours.
Overall
Russian Gun Imperial Stout offers a rich blend of dark malt flavours accompanied by a brilliant nose. The Russian imperial stout style cover a wide variety of malt-to-bitterness ratios, and although I generally prefer a bit more hops to the style, Grand River has crafted a delicious beer that is perfect for those cold winter months.
Rating: