Kremlin Russian Imperial Stout

Walkerville Brewery’s limited edition Kremlin Russian Imperial Stout is a 10%, 60 IBU brute sold in a seriously impressive matte black 750mL bottle with a representation of the Moscow Kremlin on the label.

This beer from Windsor, Ontario is black and pours with a tan head. It has sticky molasses and roasted malts on the nose and a flavour packed with coffee, plum, leather, and vanilla notes. Kremlin has a sweet to bitter progression, with a back end that touches on high cacao chocolate and yesterday’s espresso.

As with many Russian Imperial Stouts, I feared this one would be either too sweet or too bitter; however, it really split the uprights, offering a beer that is big and balanced, with only a slight lean toward too sweet. It’s also highly boozy and assertive. Walkerville’s take on the RIS is laudable. It might not be the very best I’ve ever had, but it’s worth mentioning in the conversation. As I often whine, Ontario’s breweries don’t always stout like I’d like them to, but this one is aces.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone Imperial Russian Stout is a bruiser of an ale from Escondido, California, Stone Brewing Co. At 10.8%, a one pint six ounce bottle of this stuff can make your head spin. The beer is an opaque black liquid. It pours with a thin cover of off-white head.

It has a punchy aroma that blends smokiness and big malt body, with some licorice elements and a mellow mocha tail. The flavour is heavy--lots of sweetness and booze--as well as java, roasted malt, and molasses notes. Over all of that, there is a faint plume of woodsmoke. The finish remains sweet and malty, but adds a touch of leather to the equation. The mouthfeel is calamitously thick and syrupy.

Stone's take on the Imperial Russian Stout is a fine interpretation of the hearty and potent style. It's a very filling and complicated ale that I'd gladly revisit. It was a touch too sweet for me, but it was rich and raucous.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

"Never Say Die" reads the tag line on 651mL bottles of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, the extra strong beer from Ft. Bragg, California's North Coast Brewing Co. And at a solid 9% alcohol, I'd say the "extra" in "extra strong" is probably well earned. The black as tar ale poured with a thick and loose tan head that was built to last.

To my nose, the scent of Ol' Raspy was dominated by bitterness, set off slightly by molasses sweetness. Rich and malty were the initial flavour notes, before swerving into the bitter lane toward the finish. The mouthfeel was creamy and lush, but not such as would disguise the big booze count.

Drinking a bottle of Ol' Raspy was a substantial Sunday afternoon undertaking. It was hearty, with the hoppy grit that I love in a strong dark ale. Plus the glowering image of the man himself on the label gave the beer a spectral or haunted vibe. My only note of critique on this very good beer is that it could use a better developed front end.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout

Wake Up Dead Nitro Russian Imperial Stout is a meaty number from Longmont, Colorado. It's brewed by the Left Hand Brewing Company, comes in 12oz bottles, and contains a mighty 10.2% alcohol.

According to the label, it's got a "super smooth trifecta of cocoa, dried fruit and licorice notes." To my nose, roasted oats, jumbo malts, copper, and plums were the dominant aromas. I found the flavour to be really complicated, with a real network of tastes. There was fruit, woody rum, coffee, and chocolate all rolled up into one tasty glass of beer. At the back end there was even a heap of bitterness.

This big stout offered lots and asked only for the last vestiges of my sobriety. It was bold and big, yet smooth and complex.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus

Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus comes from those clever brewers at the Sawdust City Brewing Co., from Gravenhurst, Ontario. These suds pack a wallop, punching at 10.2% alcohol and 60 IBUs. According to the 473mL can, this stuff is a "Uranal Imperial Stout", though it has the hallmarks of a Russian one. Perhaps Uranus was in the atmosphere above Russia when this beer was conceived?

Lovely to look at, LDVTU is a black hole of an ale topped with a thick foam of brown head. It's nose is pushy and bitter, with tobacco and cocoa at the fore. The mouthfeel is pretty velvety for a strong beer, though it does have a bit of a crunch toward the end of each sip. It's taste isn't exactly overwhelming, and features a blanket of warm booze on top of tobacco, molasses, and chocotastic notes. It's bitter, too, but not overly so. It doesn't taste abrasively strong, but it is, so tread lightly. 10.2% isn't to be sneered at.

Conclusions after my Long, Dark Journey to Uranus? The flavour isn't as assertive as I was expecting (hoping for), but it is clearly well crafted ale made by expert beer-smiths. It's smooth and inviting, warm and chocolatey, strong and tasty. Plus, it isn't too sweet, which, when downing strong stouts, is a real risk. Buy it? Most definitely!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Bottle Imp

Bottle Imp is a proud member of Beau's All Natural Brewing Company's Pro-Am Series. It comes in really unique 600mL bottles and is brewed in collaboration with David Thompson, who won 2012's Toronto Beer Week Homebrew Contest. It's a beautiful Russian Imperial Stout--midnight black and topped with a healthy tan head. At 9% alcohol and a hefty 81 IBUs, this coffee-infused ale isn't fucking around.

Bottle Imp has a seriously intense java aroma--black coffee with vigour. The flavour kicks off with robust maltiness, cozied up to some scintillating espresso notes. There is some sincerely boozy heft along side the big, stout pop. The finish has some sassy bitterness in a black coffee manner, as well as some undeniably awesome forceful hops.

This is a seriously bitter stout. The coffee infusion isn't as subtle as I'd have liked, but the stalwart hoppy chops are a real treat. A fine and dandy strong ale from one of Ontario's premier breweries.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Bolshevik Bastard

Bolshevik Bastard is a Russian Imperial Stout that clocks in at 9% alcohol. It's brewed by Burlington, Ontario's Nickel Brook Brewing Co. I ordered and enjoyed a 355mL bottle at a Kensington Market beer bar. The label says that this stuff is "Brewed by Comrades" and declares that this stuff is a "Miracle of Science". Okay. Bring it on.

Its nose is grainy, malty, and heavy on the thick molasses.  It's also pretty boozy. While thick for a strong stout, the mouthfeel is pretty velvety. It's not anemic by any sense, but the flavour isn't as bold as I expected. It's sweet and malty with jumbo molasses up front, with an understated but building bitterness riding in the backseat. The finish has a whisper of cranberry tartness. Aesthetically, it comes in a handsome bottle. The hammer and sickle look cool and its not overblown. The beer itself is deep and dark. It pours beneath an unexpectedly thin tan head.

I'd have liked a bit more hoppiness.  Overall, though, this is a fine entry, but not terribly memorable.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Wellington Imperial Russian Stout

Wellington County Brewery's Imperial Russian Stout is a tar black ale topped with a healthy tan head. It hails from Guelph, Ontario and is sold in 473mL cans which declare the brew to be "Rich, dark and complex" and "... one of the boldest beers brewed in Ontario".  It contains a potent 8% alcohol.

The Imperial Russian Stout has a roasted dark cacao aroma with a whiff of leather. The flavour is a punchy blend of very dark chocolate, forceful bitterness, and unconstrained booziness. A formidable but nuanced flavour and a considerably hoppy finish make this stuff tick.


This is an excellent Ontarian take on the Imperial stout. If you like your stouts to be fierce and uncompromising, you'll dig this one.


Rating: 9.0 out of 10.

Propeller Revolution

Propeller Revolution comes from Canada's East Coast, produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia by the John Allen Brewing Company. The Russian imperial stout is sold in cool looking 500mL bottles featuring a red star, and clocks in at a healthy 8% alcohol.


Revolution has a smooth chocolatey aroma. It is way sweeter than I expected--when I drink an imperial stout, I typically expect jumbo hops and formidable bitterness. This stuff is much milkier and sweeter than its contemporaries. The alcohol content is brilliantly hidden. Considerable mocha notes and a malty body dominate a slightly bitter aftertaste. It's a black brew topped with a creamy layer of tan head.


Revolution is very smooth and drinkable for a strong beer, but without the aggressive crunch I was pulling for. It's a fine strong stout, but one that would definitely benefit from extra hopping. It's also a bit too sweet for this dude.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.

St.-Ambroise Special Reserve

St.-Ambroise's 2011 Special Reserve Russian Imperial Stout is a big, bold beer. It's brewed by the excellent McAuslan Brewery out of Montreal. The handsome 341mL bottle comes in a flashy tube. The beer lurking within contains a potent 9.2% alcohol.

Special Reserve pours a totally opaque onyx colour.  It is topped with a thick reddish brown head. A rich aroma contains notes of chocolate and a dark roast coffee. The flavour has the molasses sweetness typical of a stout, but it's balanced against a substantial wall of hops. Notes of chocolate and a bit of tobacco are present, as is an undeniably formidable blast of boozy warmth.

This is definitely not an everyday beer. It's more of a special occasion sipper. If you plan on drinking more than one in a single go, you'd best clear your schedule. It's not what I would call an accessible beer--non-stout drinkers aren't apt to love this one.  Still, with its great blend of sweet and bitter, this is a glorious pint.

I thought about letting this beer age in an effort to heighten its flavour, but after a couple of months, I got impatient.  Lets face it--aging beer isn't really in my wheelhouse.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10.