Another style of beer that I am fond of is Imperial Stout. The backstory of the Imperial Stout is that they were brewed to be exported to the Russian Tsar’s. This required extra hops as a preservative for the journey from England to Russia in the days of sail.
This is a STRONG beer. (I also love using the strong tags too). When I mean strong, I really do mean strong. It is 11% compared to the usual 4-6% of most American craft beers. I tried this beer at the Rogue Brewing taproom in Newport, Oregon. There are two parts to the beer menu at the taproom: Rogue Beers and Rogue XS Beers. I am convinced that the “XS” stands for “Extra Strong”. When the waiter brought the class of the Imperial Stout, I was surprised that it was in a 10 oz. schooner class and not a pint glass, until I saw how strong it was. It is an opaque black color with a espresso colored head on it. The quote from a friend was “You could ski on the head”.
When you first drink it, you will notice it is much more hoppy in aroma, but malty in taste than most stouts with a hint of chocolate and fruits to it. It also makes for a much dryer and less pronounced finish when you drink the beer. It is best with meats or with desert. It worked well with my Kobe Beef burger with blue cheese. This beer is available at the Rogue Breweries. It is only available in a 750 ml bottle. Be warned that will be a case of sticker shock when you buy a bottle, but it is worth the price. This is an ideal cold weather beer.
For the beer stat junkies, here are the specs for it:
26º PLATO
88 IBU
73 AA
256º Lovibond
Filed under: Beer Review Tagged: | Newport, Newport OR, Oregon, Oregon Breweries, Rogue Brewing
[...] in the craft beer revolution in America, but never got his due. He was the first brewer to brew an Imperial Stout in the United States, as far as I know and he made extensive use of locally grown ingredients in [...]