Beer Advocate says that Imperial Stouts came about by brewers trying to impress the Czar of Russia while Wikipedia attributes the original brew to a specific brewery in London, England. Wherever it came from, if I were the Czar of Russia, this would’ve impressed me.
It wasn’t my favorite Imperial Stout, and I don’t think it was very traditional. It’s ok though, it was still good. It was really heavy on the dark fruit notes, just a hint of hops, and in my opinion, not enough smokiness. I would actually consider this more of a barleywine than a Imperial Stout.
Some other beers that were suggested to be similar were Naughty Aud from 101 North Brewing Company, Russian Imperial Stout from Southampton Publik House, and Resolutions from Goose Island Beer Co.
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