Russian Imperial Stout

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

Archetypal stouts originated in Dublin, Ireland, more than 250 years ago. Initially, the Irish brewers aimed for pale ales and “bitters” rivaling those of England, but the region’s highly alkaline waters rendered many beers horribly astringent. Soon, they discovered that brewing with dark roasted grains naturally balanced the alkali, delivering extremely smooth and delicious stouts. In the mid 18th century, beers from the Emerald Isle and England became very prized in Tsarist Russia—and the bolder the beer, the better. Stout was invariably popular with Catherine the Great, and her desire for the richest and boldest stouts England could offer led to the birth of “Russian” imperial stout.

After nearly fading into extinction in the late 20th century, Mark Ruedrich, founder of North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg, decided to resurrect the style. He crafted the first American-brewed, commercially-available Russian imperial stout, Old Rasputin. Since then, the style has gained immense popularity—America now produces more Russian imperial stouts than any other country. Bodacious, bold and complex, Russian imperial stouts are usually high in alcohol—ranging from nine to 13% by volume or even higher—and feature flavors of dark roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, dark dried fruits and rich toffee. They are often assertively hopped with English imported hops to offset the bold flavors and rich maltiness with earthy and herbal bitterness.

Recently, I had the honor of brewing my own imperial stout at the multi-award-winning Pizza Port brewpub in Solana Beach. Tovarish, Russian for “comrade,” boasts a huge maltiness, intense roast and chocolate flavors, and is infused with blackstrap molasses and fresh-brewed Peet’s espresso for added depth and complexity. It won’t be on tap for very much longer, but if you have the opportunity to trek to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this fall, it will be poured there as well. Additionally, some benchmark imperial stouts are brewed locally: Imperial Russian Stout and Speedway Stout, from Stone Brewing and AleSmith, respectively, are available at your local BevMo! and Whole Foods. Cheers!

AVAILABLE AT BEVMO! 6521 E PACIFIC COAST HWY | LONG BEACH 90803 | 562.598.1850 | AND WHOLE FOODS 6550 E PACIFIC COAST HWY | LONG BEACH 90803 | 562.598.8687

Tags: beer, Drink of the Week, russian imperial stout