Valentine’s Day inevitably leads to the anguish of proper wining and dining. And when it comes to that other arrow in Cupid’s quiver — chocolate — I’m rather amused by all the hand wringing that goes on in finding a suitable beverage to couple with that most amorous edible. The answer? Why it’s beer, of course! More inside…
Stout is the leading choice for chocolate, although by no means the only suitable beer style. Fruit beers can also find harmony in togetherness. (I’ve used both when serving a Russian Imperial Stout cheesecake.) In this case, however, we have a type of strong stout once favoured by the Russian imperial court. In order to survive the journey from England to the Baltic Sea, it was brewed to achieve a higher alcohol content and with more hops, much like India Pale Ale. This can result in a beer as strong as a Russian bear — rich, roasty, full-flavoured, and hefty. Some might even call it a black barley wine.
Phillips The Hammer is not quite as muscular an example of Russian Imperial Stout. It’s a good entry point for those comfortable with porters and lighter stouts, but haven’t made the jump to barley wine. The Hammer is moderately full-bodied, yet pours opaque as a Siberian winter with a two-finger mocha head. Alcohol-wise, it comes in on the lower end of the scale, so there isn’t a pronounced alcohol flavour. Roasted malt dominates, starting sweet, then progressing to bittersweet chocolate mid-taste, and finishing dry but without a distinct hop bitterness. While it may not be as rich as imperial stouts at the higher end of the range, because of the larger bottle, you’ll want to share this.
Brewer: Phillips Brewing
ABV: 8.3%
Category: Russian Imperial Stout
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 3.5
Flavour: 4
Mouthfeel: 3.5
Overall: 4
Score: 19/25
Availability: limited seasonal release in 650ml bottles sold in better private liquor stores.
~RG
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
you could also call it:
Nammeyoya… since they appropriated some Russian charachters.
Confused imagery. The name is Imperial Stout (long live the Tsar!) but the label shows a stakhanovite swinging the hammer part of the Communist Party symbol.