Mornington Russian Imperial Stout

Need something to wash the mouth out after that last crime against humanity - lucky we have the ever reliable Mornington to help out.

Nice pour, couple cm of solid fluffy head atop a pitch black body. Coffee notes extrude first up but once you get closer there's a fair bit of fruitiness there too.

It comes across very fresh first up on the palate, perhaps this is still a bit young. Alcohol and yeast are certainly apparent as the wave subsides there too, along with coffee and some relatively harsh hops. All in all could use at least a few months more to think about things, mesh and meld a little better to attain its full character.

It's sedate and the mouthfeel is good so I'm confident this will grow into a nice beer. I can only rate what's in front of me though and at this stage - just needs a bit more time. 5.5

Wigram Russian Imperial Stout

Nice packaging! And the bottle itself is a bomber of sorts after all.

Presentation top notch out of the bottle too - looks great, lovely lasting creamy iced coffee coloured head, perfect RIS performance. The nose has a slight bitter edge with a little less fruit sweetness than you might expect from this style - although it could well be in keeping with the relatively restrained 8.5%.

On swigging you can expect a pleasant flat mouthfeel, creamy notes, and coffee the main characteristic here from start to finish and indeed beyond. Slight soy notes mingle with the roasty toasty bitterness. It's got good presence for the abv and while not the most complex in this class, delivers a very smooth and easy drinking experience.

The only hard work in this beer is not drinking it too fast as it telepathically calls you back for another sip seemingly as soon as you've put it down. You're only drinking 20ml at a time of course, but when you pick up the glass 35 times a minute...

Great stuff, would drink again. 8.5