Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout Microbrew Review

Well, I think I've just about gotten to the bottom of my winter microbrew stash...finally! Not that it's been highly anticipated as I really enjoy the winter warming style micros. But hey, summer's here and it's time to kiss winter (and spring) goodbye with this final winter brew review. Here we go with Thirsty Dog Brewing Company Siberian Night Imperial Stout.

First off, I love the label. This bottle's got a hauntingly shadowed image of a nice rendition of a wolf with glowing yellow eyes. It almost challenges you to drink this imperial stout while threatening you to stay away at the same time.

Secondly, just a little bit of history I've learned about the Thirsty Dog Brewing Company brand. These folks started out very small (just four people total) opening a dog-themed microbrew brewpub in 1996 based in Canton, Ohio. Their beers (including their flagship Old Leghumper) grew in fame and popularity and started to rack up multiple medals in microbrew competitions. Back in 2003 however, some new investors stepped in and purchased the rights to bottling and distributing the Thirsty Dog brews. Same beer, but you might notice the "brewed and bottled for Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. by Frederick Brewing Co. Frederick, Maryland" on the side of the bottle. Don't be scared away. Everything's still alright on the inside.

Popping the cap off the twelve ounce brown bottle, I poured this rich, thick and syrupy black beauty into a 16 ounce unchilled tankard. As imperial stouts go, this one followed suit with an intimidating, pitch black void. No light getting through here. Head was minimal and colored tan, mocha. Not thick and rich, and not real patient in sticking around long.

Aroma is burnt chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate scents and just a nint of caramel and molasses. This imperial stout is good enough just to sit and smell without drinking it. But I'll go the extra mile and drink it anyway. What the heck?

First sip is thick, syrupy and sweet and chocolately as well. While not one of the most "chewy" imperial stouts I've sampled, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night is one of the sweetest, but within good taste. It's not overbearingly sweet or annoying. One of the things that did surprise me about this microbrew was that, although listed at 9% alcohol content by volume, the alcoholic burn is hidden very well. Almost too well. I've tried several Imperial Stouts that I just couldn't enjoy the flavor for all the alcohol burning my throat. This is not one of those.

While I enjoyed just about everything about Thirsty Dog Brewing Company's Siberian Night Imperial Stout, one thing I feel it fell a little short on was that it just didn't seem all that complex to me. Even as the beer warmed in my glass, all the flavors stayed the same. I guess in some ways that's a good thing. But I try to set the bar high and a stellar microbrew holds my interest all the way through the entire twelve ounces. I like a beer that tastes great for it's style, and throws in a few twists and turns to make it really stand out.

In summary, I'd rate Thirsty Dog Brewing Company's Siberian Night Imperial Stout right up there with some of the better ones I've tried to date. It's definitely in my Top 10 Imperial Stouts (in my somewhat limited experience). If I had to give Siberian Night a score, I'd probably say it's about a 9.00 out of 10.00 on my scale. If you enjoy stouts, and the imperial stouts in particular, you'll definitely want to try Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout. It's a definite "can't go wrong" microbrew without a doubt. Enjoy responsibly!

You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!

Stoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout - Can It Run With the Big Dogs?

Dateline: Western Pennsylvania, April 3, 2007 (9:22pm EDT).

As I sit here writing this, it's 72 degrees outside at 9:22pm on April 3rd. Seventy-two degrees!?!? Yes, hard to believe. It went all the way to 82 today and tomorrow, the bottom falls out. Snow, yes snow should be falling about this time tomorrow evening and snow will fall supposedly throughout Easter weekend. Wow! For the craft beer drinker here in Western PA it's a typical spring swing, a roller coaster of temps, weather and extremes. Nothing all that new. But it does pose a slight problem when it comes to embibing in a suitable malted beverage. What to do, what to do?

Should I go with a Maibock or Doppelbock? Something lighter, maybe even a fruit beer? Heck no. We've got snow on the way, and April or not, when it's snowing outside, nothing goes better inside than a winter-style beer. Digging deep in the back of the fridge, I've found my poison of choice for this evening. An oatmeal imperial stout it is. Stoudts Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout to be precise.

Brewed all the way over in the eastern side of Pennsylvania in Adamstown, Stoudt's craft brews have long held a respectable slot in my microbrew and craft beer rankings. Their Fat Dog Imperial Stout does not disappoint either.

Pouring my chilled 12 ounce bottle into a 16 ounce Stoudt's American Pale Ale pint glass (yes, acquired direct at the brewery on a visit a few years back), this ale spills a licorice black, but not quite as thick as I've typically experienced or might have expected in an imperial stout.

A light caramel, filmy head shortly leads to a quick meltdown to nothing more than a toffy corona of meek foam clinging only to the glass wall. I've seen Cokes with more creamy patches floating about than this brew.

Taking a deep whiff of aroma off the top, there is really a very true and rich chocolate scent. Along with the chocolate, there's only a twinge of roasted coffee that I could pick up. That's a little different right off the bat from many imperials that I've tried. Twinges of alcohol pinch at the nostrils just a bit as well. To be expected I guess from a 9+% ABV adult beverage.

Taste features a suitable chocolately flavor, but yet, yes there are the roasted coffee tones as well. In fact far more than I perceived from the smell only. But still, dark and creamy chocolate rules the day here. Even some punches of molasses can be found in the overall ambience of flavor.

Mouthful is not quite as thick as I would have expected either. A little more thin than I would like in an Imperial Stout, but hey that's just me talking. Lacing on my glass is also quite non-existent. In fact, the glass is almost as clean, as I finish the beer, as it was when I started. It almost has that scrubbing bubbles type of effect. I could stick this glass right back in the cupboard and my wife would never know!

In the whole sense of things, if you were asking me, I would highly recommend Stoudt's Fat Dog Oatmeal Imperial Stout. I personally would certainly rank it in my Top 10 of Imperial Stouts (of those that I've tried, limited as that may be). It definitely fits well within the guidelines of what one would expect to find in a quality, craft brewed imperial stout. It is enjoyable, with enough flavor to satisfy some of the more discriminating stout afficianado tastes. While not perfect in my book, it does present iteself well, is chocolately, warming and memorable. A great microbrew to partake of on a warm and balmy, early April night, on the eve of an impending cold front and blowing snow and squalls. Grab yourself a Stoudts Fat Dog Oatmeal Imperial Stout before things really heat up in May. This is not a beer for a mid-summer night's dream.

You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!

Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout - Is Victory Storm King the King of All Imperial Stouts?

Every microbrew or craft beer enthusiast is always and forever on the hunt for that elusive "holy grail" of all libations. I've been seeking the be-all, end-all in russian imperial stouts in particular for quite some time now (years in fact). I think now that maybe, just maybe I've finally found it, and right in my own backyard to boot!. The microbrew of mention goes by the name of Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout and "imperial" it certainly is, fit for microbrew kings (and queens).

This is a super thick, rich and frothy brew that even your grandfather would love (or maybe even tried brewing himself in his basement back in the days of Prohibition). Produced by Victory Brewing Company, which is a microbrewery founded in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, I sampled this wondrously crafted creation from a 12 ounce bottle ("enjoy by" date of 1/12/2012) directly into my trusty Stoudt's Brewery 16 ounce pint glass, completely clean and completely unchilled.

Right off the bat the appearance is thick, really darn thick and deep and black as the darkest of dark nights! There is no transparency to speak of even held up to a 100 watt bulb. This is a foamy syrupy concoction I'm dealing with here. A very nice two-finger mocha/tan head aggressively clawed its way up the side of my slippery glass, reaching all the way to the brim in an only slighty failed jailbreak from this capably containing 16 ounce vessel before finally succumbing to it's lone limitation and settling down into a manageable fog of froth glazing the surface.

High tones of roasty, toasty malts eminate from the glass as I draw it only inches from my nose. This baby looks gorgeous and almost too good to drink. Almost. But I'm a warrior, and eye candy like this is not going to deter me, no way. The first sip shouts out that familiar thick toasted malts effect. Roasted coffee, a little back hint of licorice and surprisingly not quite as chocolatey as I would have guessed in my uneducated microbrew disposition I suppose. How gullible and jaded am I? Low and behold, right at the end, just right before the first swallow though, I sense it. Yes...hops, in a Russian imperial stout nonetheless. What the heck is this? An RIS or an IPA?

This beauty does itself, and the microbrew community, proud with the absolute perfect balance of roasted malts and hops. I didn't think it could be done, in fact I never even fathomed it. I've always loved Russian Imperial Stouts, but I've always viewed them in general terms of being thick, rich, chocolately and very sweet. Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout is a whole 'nother dog in this kennel though. This is nothing like I've ever seen or tasted before.

The hoppy bitterness of the whole flower American hops kicking forcefully back at the malty sweetness almost puts me in the frame of mind that I wouldn't mind cracking a few of these imperial refreshments after a long day of mowing the lawn and mulching the wife's flowerbeds this summer. Yes it's an imperial stout, it is thick, it is rich but...it's even refreshing. Almost a meal and a beverage altogether in itself!

I will caution you (and also take heed myself) that the only drawback I can find in this lovely liquid nirvana, is that it's posted on the bottle label at 9.1% abv which is just a little more than you want to go up against in a microbrew this darn good. It certainly should, conceivably limit anyone's responsible intake to one or two at a single sitting. I refuse to be held responsible if anyone should fail to yield to Victory Storm King's power. This is a microbrew king that deserves to be respected and bowed down to.

In summary:
Yes, you read it here. Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout IS the king of all russian imperial stouts. This is simply the best I've tried to date (and will be trying again repeatedly for dates and dates to come!) If you have tried and enjoyed stouts and if you appreciate the Russian Imperial Stouts in particular, Victory Storm King Imperial Stout is a microbrew you should climb mountains for to get it into your fridge for your next sit down with your beer afficianado friends (or just by yourself in the den with a good cigar). Victory Storm King is a category 5 microbrew in my book as of right now. Go out there...and get it, while you can! It's a 10.00 out of 10.00 on my microbrew rating scale.

You can check out more reviews of new microbrews and fun microbrew and craft beer related info at Microbrew Review or My Squidoo Lens. Check out Summer Microbrew too!