Try?
As I type, it’s approaching 9PM on St. Patrick’s Day, 2011. The corned beef and cabbage is long polished off, and the Guinness Stout that accompanied it was fine indeed. I’m still in a stout mood, but now I want a bigger, bolder stout. That has all the markings of an Imperial Stout in my book, and being St. Paddy’s day, I have just the one in mind: Moylan’s Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout.
But wait Bruguru, you say. Imperial Stout is usually known as Russian Imperial Stout, and it’s a style made by popular by the Czars of Imperial Russia in the 19th century. St. Patrick’s Day, by contrast, is an Irish holiday, or at least an Irish American one. Surely you have your ethnicities confused here?
I’ll leave the Novato, California brewery to defend that one:
“Named in honor of our St. Patrick’s Day Piper, Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout brings chocolate truffles, espresso coffee, burnt currants and the sweetness of sherry to mind.”
See? I told you so. And if that weren’t enough reason to drink this beauty, the numerous awards it has won should silence all doubt. Among them:
California State Fair: Gold, 2000, 2001, 2005. Silver, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007. Bronze, 2002.
Great American Beer Festival: Bronze, 1997, 1998.
Best of the West: Gold, 1997. Silver, 1998. Bronze, 2000.
I could go on, but I’m running out of review here.
Still not convinced?
Look at the ingredients. With a grain bill made up of Munich, Roasted, Special
B, Crystal, American 2-Row, brown, chocolate, and acidulated malts you know this
has to be good. Yakima Chinook and Yakima Glacier hops balance all those malts
off nicely.
Moylan’s Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout pouts to a jet black color with a light creamy tan head formation and an amazingly robust nose of licorice and chocolate. In consistency, Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout is thick and viscous and strongly reminiscent of dirty motor oil. After taking a sip, I swirl it around in my mouth a bit and allow the rich, luxuriant texture to wash over my tongue. As it does, it bathes same with simply incredible dark notes of real dark licorice, powdery cocoa, espresso, and a hint of dark fruits, perhaps raisin and prune.
The beer finishes with a hint of herbal, grassy hop aroma and big roasty and hoppy bitterness, as well as substantial alcohol warmth. At 10% by volume, it well should. That said, this titan of a beer is a bargain at about $6 for a 22-ounce bomber bottle. Especially in light of the fact this is one of the finest Imperial Stouts this guru of brew has ever tasted. I literally shook the bottle to get the last drops out.
Guinness may still be the first beer I drink on St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s a classic that can’t be surpassed. But I think from this day forward, Moylan’s Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout will be the last.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
