Beer For An Empress

Stout ale, the darkest of the family, has made an amazing recovery in the last decade. It was not long ago when the only stout to be had in the USA was Guinness. You could do worse for a beer option, but even doing worse was not possible if you wanted a worse stout.
You might have been lucky to find Beamish or a Murphy’s, but that was really about it. Stout just wasn’t to be had. Yet, today, numerous examples of stouts are widely available. Even more prevalent in our craft beer world are the big, bold Imperial stouts, nearly every decent craft brewery has one on offer. And for that, we must thank a Russian lady.
The longest ruling female leader of Russia, Catherine the Great oversaw the golden age of Russia and brought the country into a time of stability, growth and power among the nations of Europe. In 1766, while brokering a treaty with Britain, our Catherine fell under the influence of that dark elixir London stout.
As you can imagine, the strong beers sent across the Baltic Sea were not the standard stout drank in London. No, these beers were brewed strong and dark, viscous and heavily hopped for the long, cold journey.
Interestingly enough, where stronger porter became stout, the stronger versions of both of these dark ales were a hit in eastern Europe. As British interest in these styles declined, the ‘Baltic‘ and ‘Imperial’ dark ales took hold in Baltic states and Russia. Even stranger, while macro-America was fully committed to the lite beer wars of the early 80’s, it was Seattle’s Merchant du Vin importer that encouraged Sam Smith’s Old Brewery to create a slight version of the Imperial Stout for the market in the United States.
America now brews more of the Empress’ favorite tipple than any other country. And the style, be it classic Russian Imperial Stout or the flavored or aged American Double Stout, is one of the most popular with craft beer fans.
Russian Imperial stouts are typically jet black, with dark tan heads. The higher the alcohol level, the less head will be present. Heavy on malt, roasted and rich, these can offer extreme levels of dark chocolate and coffee. Dark fruits can be present and a burnt quality is sometimes noticeable. Dryness and sweetness is possible; full-bodied, smooth and intense.
True English-made Russian Imperial stouts are extremely rare. The bulk of available Imperial or Double stouts are American-made renditions. This is a good thing, as many of them are delectable and populate my list of the best beers ever tasted.
One brewery that offers a wide range in the Imperial Stout style is Great Divide, from Denver. The standard is Yeti Imperial Stout, a very good beer in the Russian Imperial Stout realm. Yeti is an abominable beast of a malty beer on the front, with a hop wallop finish. This monster is great from the first sip to the last.
But, the things that Great Divide has done to the poor Yeti, are, well…quite delicious! As if the 9.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) stout weren’t enough, the brewery also offers Oak Aged Yeti, the “sophisticated sibling.” They may be from the same clan, but they have entirely different personalities. Oak aging gives a subtle vanilla character, rounding out Yeti’s intense roastiness and huge hoppy nature.” Great Divide even has a chocolate and an espresso oak aged version of this beer.
And, if you’re lucky enough to find the 12.2 percent ABV Barrel Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, the whiskey drenched, body-warming older brother, well then, you better settle in for a perfect long winter’s night. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.