Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2012 Coming TODAY

2012 Stone Imperial Russian Stout released 4/16

(Escondido, CA) — It’s mid-April. The last thing you probably want to hear about is anything IRS-related, unless of course it’s the 2012 vintage of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, which is rolling out to shelves and tap lists starting on Monday, April 16.

The über-dark, wonderfully rich Stone Imperial Russian Stout—now in its twelfth release—is one of the world’s highest rated beers, garnering a perfect score of 100 on RateBeer.com and an extraordinary 97 on BeerAdvocate.com.

"This year’s version is full-bodied… very rich and smooth," says Brewmaster Mitch Steele. "The taste is all about malt, with coffee and dark roasted malt flavors in the forefront, a subtle yeastiness mid-palate, and hops present on the back end."

"It’s absolutely ready to drink now," Steele continues, "but like all of our Stone Imperial Russian Stout releases, it will continue to age and mature for many years."

Stats: 10.5% abv, 65 IBUs
Availability: Limited 22oz bottles & draft, beginning April 16th
Malt bill: Pale Malt, Roasted Barley, Amber Malt, and Black Malt
Hops bill: Warrior
Distribution: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA

Appearance: This beer pours black with a deep tan head of foam.

Aroma: Cocoa and coffee flavors dominate, along with some fruity fermentation esters and some yeasty breadiness.

Taste: Stone Imperial Russian Stout is mostly about roasted malts. Bittersweet cocoa and coffee flavors are the major players, along with fruitiness, hints of anise, and yeastiness, followed by a smooth, balanced, and not at all sweet finish.

Overall: We don’t change this recipe much from the original version that our President & Senior Brewmaster Steve Wagner designed back in 2000. It’s a fantastic recipe, and we love brewing it every year!