Try?
Here we go again with the retro beers. Bringing back brews from beyond the grave seems to be the in thing these days. Like a herd of shuffling zombies from The Walking Dead, they march forth in steady procession: first, the regionals like Narragansett, Rheingold, and National Bohemian; then the upstart original microbrew, New Albion Ale; and now perhaps the oldest of them all, Courage Imperial Russian Stout.
Courage
Imperial Russian Stout was last brewed in 1982, just as the American craft
beer revolution was kicking off. The beer retained a following that only
grew over the years, and as this is a beer meant for laying down for a
decade or more, often commanded high prices amongst collectors on Ebay. It
will be available year-round and is brewed in England by Wells and Young’s.
Interestingly, Courage Imperial Russian Stout has been revisited by Jim Robertson, the same brewer that bid it adieu 31 years ago. The bottle label says the beer is “As originally brewed in 1795 for Catherine the Great of Russia.” Now that’s retro beer. The label also says the beer is brewed by once a year and should mature well for up to 13 years. Why 13 years I could not tell you, but there it is.
My 275 ML bottle is numbered 44,307 of 210,000. It is stamped with a best by date of August 16, 2025. Alcohol content is 10% by volume. The biggest downside of the beer is the price; $5.95 for such a small bottle is high. Still, I wanted to try the beer for historical perspective.
Courage Imperial Russian Stout pours to a jet black color with a light and wispy tan head formation and a heady powdered cocoa and espresso nose. Taking a sip, the beer is exceedingly complex, with a big rich and luxurious texture up front followed by notes of roasty espresso, chicory, dark chocolate, a hint of licorice, and dark fruits. I don’t get the pear the bottle says that I should, but I do get a hint of smoke in the very roasty finish that completes with substantial alcohol warmth.
Overall, an impressive beer, though interestingly enough it seems to have been surpassed by upstart American imperials the likes of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout and Old Rasputin. Indeed, I think I even find the English-brewed A. Le Coq Imperial Russian Extra Double Stout (isn’t that a mouthful) to be still more complex.
That said, Courage Imperial Russian Stout is still interesting as an original example of the style, and I will buy it again, though not as often as I might were the price more reasonable. I do intent to pick up a few more bottles to age at the very least.
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
