This Russian Imperial Stout is smooth but with a lot of back-end bitterness.  So, it's nice that it is a smooth ride to that bitter end, but that end is a lot more bitter than I'd like, especially considering this is a Russian Imperial Stout as opposed to say an Irish Dry Stout.  There is some nice deep roasted malt upfront, but it's over powered by the burnt bitterness in the back end.   Although the roasted malt seems rich, overall it doesn't seem as complex as other Russian Imperial Stouts; for instance, I didn't really pick up any dark fruit here, if there was any, it was quickly drowned out by the burnt bitterness.  It sounds a bit as if I didn't like this brew, however I did, I guess it is just a case of it being a bit disappointing and I found the unrelenting bitterness a bit tedious.  I definitely prefer some balance to my beers.

Bottle Cap

Brewery Website

BeerTripper Rating

http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/

Alcohol Concentration

9.00

Russian Imperial Stout

Ale