>Black Sheep Imperial Russian Stout

May 13

Posted by

>
I finally managed to get in gear and taste Black Sheep’s Imperial Russian Stout, which has been (and probably still is – just) on at Veritason Great George Street. At 8.5% abv, it’s not quite on the massive ‘Imperial’ side of things, nor is it your average bar-top stout, but I must say I enjoyed it.

On the nose there’s hints of cherry and smoke, along with a decent ‘oakiness’. That smoke dies somewhat on the taste, but the oak and fruit remains, with with fruit coming more to fore; raisin, almond, and digestive biscuits all battling it out before that drying coffee and black chocolate note comes in at the end to wrap things up.
The alcohol is up front – it does taste 8.5% – but that’s only a minor detraction for me. I enjoyed the beer; and as with their Porter , I’m really pleased to see Black Sheep branching out. I hope we see more of this sort of thing from them. Oh, and by the way – the pump clip rocks. Nice artwork, Black Sheep, thumbs up from me!
I wasn’t the only one to enjoy the beer – here’s Ghostie’s take on proceedings. Oh, and by the way – if you choose to eat at Veritas, I can recommend the Duck Liver Pate. It’s Awesome.

About leighgoodstuff

Blog: https://goodfoodgoodbeer.wordpress.com/ I'm Leigh Linley; born and bred in Leeds, and writing about it since 2005. TGS exists solely to highlight the great beers that are out there; brewed with passion by Craft Brewers around the World. I also edit the 'Tavern Tales' section of Culture Vulture, which looks at Pubs and Pub Life rather than the beer in the glass.

Posted on 13/05/2011, in beer in leeds, Beer Review, Black Sheep Imperial Russian Stout, Veritas Ale and Wine Bar. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.

  1. Dave Lozman | 13/05/2011 at 22:46

    >This is one beer I'm hoping I get to try!

  2. Rob of Ilkley | 14/05/2011 at 10:04

    >Lovely food at Veritas. Stella (ex-BarTat in Ilkley)knows how to round a great pub.

  3. Ghost Drinker | 14/05/2011 at 11:28

    >Cheers for the nod Leigh. I really loved the beer, I'm just really hoping they'll turn it into a seasonal special. A beer too good to only have a pint and a half and never again!

  4. Leigh | 15/05/2011 at 16:51

    >Ghostie – no probs. I agree – i need to get my hands on a bottle of this and curl up with a good book or film or something with it….

  5. Rob of Ilkley | 20/05/2011 at 18:03

    >I finally got my hands on a pint last night at the Narrow Boat in Skipton. Very up front with the alcohol – definitely not one for a session. Lots of burnt caramel.Great to see Black Sheep trying something new.