“Popinkski is our rich and flavorful Russian Imperial Stout. This beer packs quite the punch. Please drink fresh and with a comrade.”
Glassware: Snifter.
Appearance: Solid black with a wispy brown overlay. It quickly retreats to the rim with thin rings posted down the glass.
Aroma: Super rich and menacing AF! Oozing with complex dark malts, espresso, molasses, dark chocolate, licorice, charred wood, muscovado sugar, toffee fudge, cherry ripe and very subtle vanilla/toasted coconut. It really sweetens up a lot as it settles – kinda resembles a boozy black coffee with a few too many spoonful’s of sugar. Phenomenal aroma.
Flavour: Oh wow it comes on with severe aggression. Unsweetened espresso, molasses, charred wood, raw cacao/dark chocolate, burnt toast, leather, chocolate bullets and an almost red pepper-like warmth (could also have something to do with the 10% ABV). Gorgeous finish…raw espresso bitterness but countered by a rich velvety sweetness which goes for days.
Mouthfeel: So dense you could chew on it…one of the most viscous beers we’ve had. Extremely low Co2 with the 10% ABV discernible for the most part.
Overall: What a way to kick off proceedings for this brewery. We’d heard plenty about them so we were naturally very keen to get our hands on anything from them. This is just the epitome of a RIS – big and unrelenting with huge body and depth. Top notch stuff.