Tasting Notes - 1980 Courage Imperial Russian Stout

Back on December 12th, I had the honor of tasting a 1980 vintage Courage Brewing Imperial Russian Stout beer. This is now the oldest beer I have tasted, coming in at 28 years old, knocking the 1985 Thomas Hardy's Ale I tasted early last year to #2!* Anyway, back to the beer at hand (ooo... I wish there was more "at hand"). It didn't have the usual "IRS" flavor profile I was expecting and was instead slightly sour with a tinge of soy sauce flavor. The grain roastiness was still there, as was the chocolately flavor. The mouth-feel was somewhat like a thin syrup, but that was most likely due to the nearly absent carbonation. If you're wondering what it tasted like, I'd say the closest beers would be Harvey's Imperial Extra Double Stout or Jolly Pumpkin's Madrugada Obscura. It was quite good considering its age. Too bad I probably won't get any more of this ever again. Check it out at RateBeer.com and Beer Advocate.

Anyway, my late lunch break is over. Back to work...

* I'll cover the oldest beers I've ever had in another post.