Stone Russian Imperial Stout with Coffee & Cinnamon
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Tasting Notes
The aroma opens with roasted coffee and dark chocolate layered beneath a warm cinnamon spice that stays present without turning harsh. On the palate, flavors of espresso, bittersweet cocoa, and toasted malt dominate, with the cinnamon weaving through the back half in a way that reads more as warmth than spice heat. The body is full and chewy — characteristic of the style — with a low but noticeable carbonation. The finish is long, dry-ish, and slightly astringent in the way good dark-roast coffee tends to be.
About the Brewery
Stone Brewing is based in Escondido, California and was founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner. They were among the defining breweries of the West Coast craft movement, built a reputation on aggressively hopped IPAs and bold, high-ABV ales, and have long used their Russian Imperial Stout as a canvas for adjunct-driven variants. Their operation has grown to include multiple taprooms and a substantial national distribution footprint.
Food Pairings
A dessert pairing with dark chocolate or a flourless chocolate torte works well because the coffee and cocoa notes reinforce each other rather than compete. Aged cheddar or a firm manchego offers enough salt and fat to cut through the beer's weight while the cinnamon brings out the cheese's nutty edge. Braised short ribs or oxtail benefit from the beer's roast character, which echoes the fond of a long braise. Finally, a cinnamon-spiced bread pudding mirrors the adjuncts directly and lets the beer's sweetness come forward in a way the dry finish normally holds back.
Style Guide
Russian Imperial Stout was originally brewed in England in the 18th century at high strength to survive export to the Russian Imperial Court, and the style was later revived and pushed further by American craft brewers starting in the 1990s. It is defined by intense roasted malt character, flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit, a full to viscous body, and an ABV that typically runs from 9% to 13% or higher. What separates it from a standard stout or even an oatmeal stout is sheer intensity — the grain bill is large, the bitterness is assertive, and the alcohol is genuinely prominent. Adjunct versions like this one add a secondary flavor layer without departing from the base style's fundamental density and roast.