Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout – Big Sky Brewing Co., Missoula, MO
Before opening:
Alc by vol. 12.4%
Style: Barreled Aged and Bottled Conditioned
Ivan was aged for a minimum of 3 months in American Oak Bourbon Barrels.
Additional notes: Big Sky Brewin’s Ivan the Terrible Imperial Stout is brewed according to the traditional style using English Hops and the finest American malt.
Beer Experience:
Poured from a bottle into a whiskey style glass (My new favorite glass from Living Waters Brewery @ Nashville, TN)
Appearance: Pours fluffly (that’s not a word but it is now) and hazy. Nice head retention.
Aroma: Malty notes and oddly some dark fruit.
Taste: Dark and malty, Not much oak. Not sure what the bottle conditioned did to the beer, but it was just lack luster overall on taste from what I expected. Was a darker imperial, but lighter than thought.
Finish: Finishes oily and dark. Tbe imperial nature is present in percent but in taste overall, it wasn’t as delicious as I expected.
Summary: This bottled talked more than it represented. The beer could have had more oak and character, but I ended up with a more “typical” imperial stout. This beer company apparently has a lot of hit or miss (according to a source in Montana) but this one had such a great name, we went with it and tried it out!
