Cisco Brewers Island Reserve - Russian Imperial Stout

Me and my minion are in the midst of doing a full on network over haul for the company I work for. We're upgrading all of our network gear to Cisco.

There is no relation to Cisco Brewers other than after a day of configuring settings, policies, and other technical mumbo-jumbo I sure as sh!t need a beer.

That is where Cisco Brewers come in.

Russian Imperial Stout (13.50% ABV) from their Island Reserve series fits the bill quite nicely when I need to redirect and disconnect from the insanity of the day.

It pours a deep dark sable brown. It has a thick, voluminous mocha colored head that clings and hangs on for dear life.

The aroma is dark malts, roasty coffee, dark chocolate, and dried fruit.

The taste is very malty with all the flavors I expect from a RIS - coffee, chocolate, burnt sugar, dark fruity flavors. There is some bitterness attributive to the dark roasted malts. There is a bit of earthy hops that tease the back of the palate that adds interesting character to the brew. The alcohol is well concealed - it be felt more than tasted. Finish is bittersweet.

The mouth feel is full and fuzzy with some warmth and tingle from the alcohol.

This is a pretty hearty Russian imperial stout. A good example of the style. Tasty and bold.

Overall: good.