I’m not too sure that there’s a difference between an Imperial Stout and a Russian Imperial Stout but I suspect it may be along similar lines of the ‘freedom fries’ from a few years back. The first one I had was Narwhal 2013 from Sierra Nevada. It’s jet black with an tan coloured head. It has everything an Imperial Stout should have, it’s malty, choclatey and rich and you know it’s 10.2% from the warmth as you drink it. Kept a little head right to the last drop. Very good beer.
Next I had Wells and Young’s Courage Russian Imperial Stout. This also has coffee and chocolate and some fruitiness. It looked like flat coke after a while though, lacking the lacing of the Narwhal. It’s not as full or rich either. It’s not bad but I’d have to recommend the Narwhal out of the pair. The other thing that bothered me a bit was that it claimed to be a limited edition.
The 165,723rd bottle of a small run of 210,000. I feel privileged to have been able to obtain a bottle of this rare nectar indeed.