Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout
12 May
Name – Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout
Country – United States
Type – Russian Imperial Stout
Appearance – Pours a cola like brown with some red hues along the edges of the glass. Nice tan head but it is gone very quickly with no real lacing.
Smell – Faint smell of chocolate and roasted malts.
Taste – Roasted malts with a hint of dark fruit. Chocolate and a tad of coffee are there and a slight bit of a hop character as well. Creamy in consistency and easy to drink.
I’ve had a few people tell me that Eel River’s imperial stout is very good but the distribution for them here never brought any of the bomber bottles, until now. I made it a priority to pick this one up once I saw it at my local store. I really enjoyed it. It is not as big and bold and in your face like other RIS beers out there but this is straight forward and to the point. I will definitely be having more of this and probably grab a bottle or two to lay down.
Overall Grade – A-
I haven’t had this, but what’s interesting is that it is organic…you don’t see a whole lot of that. I have a bottle of their triple exultation that I have had for a few months but never gotten around to trying. I might have to break it out now.
I haven’t had a bad beer from Eel River yet. Their IPA was respectable and their porter was really good. It is definitely great to see an organic brewer can make good beers.