Fairgate Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout

When the text went out that we were thinking about brewing a Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout a few things came to mind:

I’m about 25% Russian

Sasha the Swissy‘s father *Yuri* was born in Russia

My cousin David’s wife, Irina is Russian

Two of the Farigate wives are Russian!

Little did we all know that Russian Imperial Ale, is not Russian!  This dark and delicious style of beer was originally produced in London, England as a Porter. My abbreviated version of the beer’s 225 year history goes something like this:

Catherine The Great

In 1698, Peter The Great, the emperor of Russia, traveled to London and developed an affinity for a new style of beer called a Porter. About 75 years later, The Anchor Brewery in London brewed a strong Baltic Porter meant to be shipped long distances @ ~ 10%-12% ABV. This brew was exclusively made for the Russian royal family at the time, ruled by none other than Catherine The Great, Empress from 1762-1796. Word around Moscow was that Catherine liked to party and would often fill her Royal Kegerator with large quantities of these English Porters for her and her crew’s endless consumption. This beer from Anchor was originally called ‘Thrale’s Entire’, after the founder of the brewery, Arthur Thrale. When Arthur sold his brewery to Barclay & Perkins in 1791, they renamed the beer to ‘Barclay Perkins Imperial Brown Stout’.

Long after Catherine in the 1950’s when Barclay’s merged with Courage Brewery, the beer was then named, ‘Courage Imperial Russian Stout‘  and just like that – the Russian Imperial Stout emerged.

Rumor has it that Catherine also liked to get down with horses which ultimately led to her demise! What do horses have to do with Russian Imperial Stouts? Nothing!

But now you know!

Onto the beer…

Between The Seats

This beer is a Russian Imperial “Oatmeal” Stout mainly because we added oats to the mash.

Funny side story:  A guy goes to Southern Brewery to pick up the ingredients for a Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout.  He then unloads those ingredients into his neighbor’s garage aka the current location of Fairgate Brewing.  One key ingredient was not included, the Oatmeal flakes!  Come brew day, this guy had to run errands and wasn’t able to brew but the Fairgate Brewers who were brewing realized one very important ingredient was missing. Of course it was the Oatmeal flakes!  The Brewers had to track this guy down.  This guy then started frantically searching his Acura MDX for said flakes. Where did it turn up?  Between the seats!  That’s right, like a nickel, a dime, a piece of gum, a wrapper, a lost potato chip, a big bag of Oatmeal flakes. It was between the seats!

Luckily, we got the Oatmeal flakes back just in time for the mash so it’s all good.

Onto the beer…

The Actual Review

Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite tasting beers.

Appearance:  Tall, lovely, inviting glass of dark brown/blackish beer with a creamy looking tan head. The beer is surprisingly clear and the head and retention are pluses. 

Fragrance:  Toasty malt, coffee and sweetness, it’s all there. Would you think it was weird if you saw me nose deep into a stout with my eyes closed and a big smile on my face?

Taste: When I think of an oatmeal stout, I think of an easy going, sweet tasting, creamy stout. When I think of a Russian Imperial, I think of a rich, dark, complex, alcohol tasting stout. This one lands right in the middle, it is the best of both worlds. Whoever’s idea that was to mix oatmeal with a Russian Imperial had the right idea, kudos to you!

Drinkability: I like drinking this beer very much! There is a bit of fullness from the oatmeal with a slight dry after-taste that may keep you in check but beware of pounding the 8% stout folks, BEWARE!

Strength:  8% ABV may seem high for a regular beer but compared to other Russian Imperials, the strength of the beer isn’t crazy over the top. It’s simple, strong, and smooth – kinda like me 🙂

Overall:  Great BEER! Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout. I’d say we hit it. There was a thing about compacted hops but maybe that was meant to be. The bitterness is there so it worked out well – I’m giving it two thumbs up! Check out the pic!

Finally, I know that we vote on names and stuff but this is what sticks with me:

“Between The Seats – Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout”

Cheers!  Na Zdorovie!