Dark Apparition Russian Imperial Stout

Review Date 6/3/2015  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial Stout   Brewery: Jackie O's   Country: USA   State: Ohio   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 10.5%

Folks, the Jackie O’s brewery of Athens, Ohio has impressed me continuously since the first time I tried one otheir beers. You can imagine, then, my excitement when a beer trade with my good beer buddy Scott White yielded a bottle of Jackie O’s Dark Apparition Russian Imperial Stout.

This is actually the second imperial stout I’ve tasted from Jackie O’s after their Wood Burner Imperial Smoked Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels. The base beer for the latter does not seem to be quite the same as Dark Apparition; at least, their stats are not quite the same. In any case, it’s interesting to taste a straight-up imperial stout from his brewer.

Taken from the label:

The hauntingly good brew in your hand is rife with dark complexities. Seven malts were used to create deep flavors of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and molasses. A hint of bitterness and herbal character from carefully selected European and American hops help support the monolithic maltiness. A truly decadent brew that is intended to be poured into your favorite snifter and given time to warm up from its dark and cool resting place.

For this beer, my favorite snifter was a glass of same design with the logo from the Duck Rabbit brewery, which features the Duck Rabbit with a little Russian hat on his head. On their website, Jackie O’s cites an alcohol content of 10% by volume for this beer; my 375 ML bottle has it at 10.5%. This is the 2014 edition I’m drinking.

Jackie O’s Dark Apparition Russian Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a thick frothy tan head and a titillating nose of dark bitter chocolate wrapped around a bit of licorice. Taking a sip the beer has a very full and thick mouthfeel packed with bittersweet dark chocolate notes, light licorice, coffee, a hint of caramel, raisins and in the finish a sharp roastiness balanced off by a surprising brown sugar and molasses flavor and sweetness. Did I mention the big warming alcohol? That’s here too.

Dark Apparition is a tasty and complex example of a Russian Imperial Stout. It’s full of dark roasty goodness, and definitely a sipping beer. This is one I would certainly keep in the beer fridge if it were sold here in Georgia folks. Buy it, if you can find it.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??