Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout
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Tasting Notes
The aroma leads with dark roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, dried fruit, and a faint whiff of molasses. On the palate, flavors of espresso, dark cocoa, and stone fruit — plum and raisin especially — layer over a full, chewy body. Bitterness is assertive but not harsh, working in tandem with the malt weight rather than against it. The finish lingers with roast and a dry, slightly tannic quality. Worth noting: at 7% this sits on the lower end of the Russian Imperial Stout range, giving it somewhat less alcoholic warmth than many examples of the style.
About the Brewery
Samuel Smith's is based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England, and operates out of the Old Brewery, which dates to 1758, making it Yorkshire's oldest brewery. The brewery is known for its traditionally produced ales fermented in stone Yorkshire squares, a method few breweries still use. Their lineup spans a wide range of styles, and their import presence in the United States has made them one of the more recognizable British brewery names on the American craft beer shelf.
Food Pairings
Oysters on the half shell work surprisingly well here, as the roast bitterness cuts through the brine in the same way a dry stout would. A plate of aged cheddar or a firm blue cheese like Stilton mirrors the beer's dark fruit and earthy complexity without being overwhelmed by it. Braised short ribs or a beef and mushroom stew share the beer's savory depth and stand up to its body. For dessert, a dark chocolate brownie or a flourless chocolate torte echoes the cocoa character directly, letting both the food and the beer hit the same note together.
Style Guide
Russian Imperial Stout began as a high-strength export stout brewed in England for the court of Czarist Russia, where it needed to survive long sea voyages and cold winters. The style is defined by heavy roasted malt character, flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit, a thick full body, and ABVs that typically run from roughly 8% to 12% or higher — making this particular example unusually restrained for the category. It differs from a standard export stout or foreign extra stout mainly in its intensity and alcoholic strength. American craft brewers embraced and amplified the style starting in the 1990s, often pushing ABVs even higher and adding adjuncts like vanilla, coffee, or barrel aging.