Five Crown Imperial Stout
Boston Beer Co./Sam Adams
Boston, MA  USA

When I heard that one of the Longshot homebrew contest winners this year was a Russian Imperial Stout, I was intrigued.  And as with most years, there was one beer that I was interested in, and two others that sounded sort of bland and not very interesting to me.  I have heard some good things about this RIS though, so I sought out a 6 pack to give it a try.

Coming in at 8.9% ABV, this is at the lower end for the style, but high for a beer from Sam Adams, and high for something your everyday beer drinker would consume.  Pours black and thick, with almost no head.  Just what you want to see from a Russian Imperial Stout.  Nose is sweet and malty, with only a hint of alcohol. 

First sip brings a big malt taste!  Sweet chocolate is also very prevalent along with a bit of caramel and coffee.  There is the slightest of hop flavors on the back end to balance the sweet.  Mouthfeel is definitely towards the thicker side, a bit on the chewy side. 

This is a fine RIS, if Sam Adams produced something like this all year round, I would definitely pick it up every now and then.  I am glad this is in the Longshot 6 pack and hope it can lead others to seek out other similar beers that may lead them down the road to more craft beer.  I would say that the 6 pack was worth picking up only for the two bottles of Imperial Stout, and I haven't even tried the other two.