Russian Stout Review

I brewed a RIS quite some time ago and though it initially seemed OK once bottled it developed overcarbonation. Fortunately only one bottle exploded, but I cautiously (and repeatedly) released some CO2 from each bottle in hopes that it was merely under-attenuated at bottling and not infected with brett or bacteria.

I would hate for this beer to be ruined since it was an expensive and time-consuming brew. We'll see.

Appearance: As dark as my soul. Zero transparency. Black or very dark brown. Thick brown head that persists for a long time. The bottle did not gush at all, but I did get a bit of excessive foaming at the pour, but fortunately not extreme - letting out some of the pressure seems to have worked.

Aroma: Lots going on. Burnt coffee or chocolate notes, alcohol sweetness, surprisingly not much dark fruit, but some malty-sweetness.  Not sure I get any wood or whiskey.

Taste: A bit acrid, but sweet and quite bitter. Very intense flavor that is hard to characterize. Again I don't get much in the way of dark fruits but maybe a hint of plums and raisins. Also the very intense taste may be masking the whiskey or wood quality, but perhaps there are hints of it in the background.

Mouthfeel: A bit on the light side for this style but I don't think it's extremely far out of bounds. Despite the slight overcarbonation the beer still feels a bit heavy in the mouth.


Other: Better than I was expecting under the circumstances. Not sour, not bretty-funky. This bottle was good but somewhat overcharged. I suspect that the bottles will not be consistent in quality.

For next time:
1) Improved sanitation procedures.
2) Do not ferment too cool, so as to avoid under-attenuation, once the active fermentation is winding down, move the fermenter to a warmer area.
3) More oak, more whiskey, more time aging on oak.