My lovely bride hooked me up with a few tasty beers for my birthday last week and this monster from Straight to Ale Brewing of Huntsville, Alabama was easily my fave. First of all, who knew they were brewing such delicious beers in Alabama? I thought Alabama was country music, coon huntin’ and Natty Light. Might have to rethink things if a beer this strong & sophisticated comes from our neighbors to the north.
This Russian Imperial stout pours jet black with some very pretty lacing around the edges and held up to the light you can see the deep red around the edges. The smell of the Cab comes on pretty heavy on the first whiff and then you get the typical stout smells like chocolate, coffee, & roasted malts. The wine smell does come out much heavier after it has warmed up a bit.
The taste on this one was big, bold and oh so hearty. The combo of the wine and the flavors of a great stout is an awesome combination. Lots of sweet roasted malts and chocolate mixed in there with the wine and there’s a great little bitterness on the end. I also like the way the alcohol comes through after the swallow. With an ABV of 11.7 this fine beer is a straight up ass kicker.