Portsmouth Brewing Company's Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout is consistently rated as one of the best beers in the world, according to Beer Advocate & Ratebeer's user ratings. Brewed once a year and released only at the brewery in Portsmouth, NH. The beer usually sells out the day it's released. There is a 2 bottle limit per customer, so needless to say , it's pretty hard for a guy in California to get. Single bottles have sold on Ebay for hundreds of dollars. That's just craziness.
I was lucky enough to secure a bottle in a trade and have been waiting for a good day to try it. Why not a random sunny Sunday afternoon in March? My thoughts exactly.
This is the 2008 vintage, kept in cellar for a year.
Appearance - Pours out a pitch opaque black that shows no light with a tan espresso colored head.
Aroma - Big bittersweet chocolate, roasted/toasted malts, roasted coffee beans, some cherry, and burnt caramel. Awesome.
Taste - Taste follows suit with the smell, big & rich, chocolate, sweet & charred malts, roasted coffee, some dark fruitniess, plum, cherry, earthy hops, licorice, faint vanilla, bittersweet finish. Winner right here.
Feel- Full bodied, perfect carbonation, smooth, creamy, 9.5% alcohol is well hidden.
This lives up to the hype for me and is an A+ beer. This is extremely drinkable for a big ass rich almost 10% imperial stout. Extremely grateful I had the opportunity to try this one. I'll be seeking this out again.
Portsmouth Brewing is the sister brewery to Smuttynose, who also makes some awesome beers. Check em out here: http://www.portsmouthbrewery.com/
