Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Been sitting on this one for 15 months. Near black pour, almost heavy, very tight tan head, lots of lacing. Anise and licorice aroma, deeply toasted malts, coffee and nearly burnt toasted bread, dark molasses, earthy hopped aroma. Flavors of toasted malts and anise and black licorice, nearly burnt molasses, black coffee. Bold flavor, bold idea. But I like it.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Had on draft at The San Antonio Flying Saucer .. . deep black .. sticky lacing .. lots of roast, tar, light yeast, light booze, and bold bitterness .. . super smooth, great solid mouthfeel .. . enjoyed it but didn't really get the anise and barely got the yeast .. . . The only thing I asked you to do for this party was put on clothes, and you didn't do it!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Anise... and then amazing. And then more anise... I was quite surprised that the blurb on the menu failed to mention anise at all. So I was a little taken aback, but then I came around. it's a really lovely, very fine IRS. I'm sure I'd perfer the original, and I sure don't notice the belgian yeast, but I'm in no way complaining. I liked this more than I thought I would.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Wanted more out of this after sampling the regualr Russian Imperial which is one of my top rated beers here. This lost some points cause of flavor and mouthfeel. The anise wasn't working for me...like a good-and-plenty stout. Not overwhelming which made it drinkable, but prefer the straight coffee, toffee, etc. additives. Interesting to try, just not an IPS that I would prefer in the future.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Smuggled this from my San Diego trip; the Stone Bistro is really cool, by the way. Sort of mediciny aroma from the anise, with roasted coffee, and bits of cocoa and caramel. It looks really good: very opaque black with a thick, sticky brown head, and medium daubs of lace. It tastes precisely as described on the bottle, buttloads of anise! I'm not really a fan of anise, but I don't hate either. I definitely appreciate the clarity of tastes in this beer. It's everything present in Stone's Imperial Russian Stout with the added intensity of anise. There is a rich creaminess to the taste, cocoa and mocha.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Woah! Aroma of chocolate and anise, mouthfeel has a zingy spice that I can't place, flavor is roasted chocolate, licorice. Quite nice, really digging it.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

AniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseaniseAniseaniseaniseaniseanise....that's all folks!! Pours that thick pitch with dark brown head that I have come to love and expect from Stone's RIS. Ever-so-faint whisps of chocolate and an even fainter whisp of spice. This was a hard one to get down because....did I mention it tastes like anise? It's like absinthe with a bit of chocolate mixed in. I don't know what flavor the Belgian yeast added because I couldn't detect it at all. SSSOOOOOO glad I had a friend visiting from out of town to split this with. Also pretty glad that the gas station I bought this from doesn't realize how much they could be charging for this.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Pours a luscious and very tempting opaque sable with a thick, frothy tan head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Strong, smoky aroma has tones of unsweet chocolate, fine coffee, licorice and fresh-cut wood, with a firm overtone of anise. Flavor has chocolate, roast coffee, licorice and nutty tones, but anise dominates everything a little too much. It's almost like drinking absinthe. This would be a near-perfect - or possibly perfect - if the anise aroma and flavor were a mite or three less fierce. Full-bodied texture is fairly fizzy and sharp - you can sure feel it going down the pipes. Recommended to those who are adventurous when it comes to beer!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

I normally am a big fan of Stone beers however, I despise anise, and black currant and they ruined a perfectly fine beer in my opinion. None of the original flavors or aromas came out as they were overwhelmed by the anise, including the belgo yeasts. I had a feeling i wouldnt like this as much as the original, but this was far below expectations. Its cool to recreate the original beer recipie, but you know sometimes things change for a good reason, and in this case the past should be left alone.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

An ebony colored beer. A small foamy texture, tan head rises above. Not much hang time, on this one. A medium foamy ringlet and a long lying film are what is left behind. The licorce of the anise is pronounced in the aroma. It is pronounced in a bitter-roasty malt base. I could use a little less anise. But the medium bodied beer is interesting in it's bold flavoring.