I've always seen this on the shelves, but never grabbed on before. Price discrepancy aside (see below), the are a pretty darn good deal for a single bottle of such a high ABV beer, so I decided to give it a try.
Siberian Night, as the name implies, pours a deep, deep color. It's an almost black body, but not quite, with a finger of tannish-mocha head. The smell is of heavily roasted, almost to the point of charred grains, with a backing of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits. The magnitude of the roastiness is a bit odd and almost threatens to overwhelm all of the other scents.
The first thing I notice in the flavor is the earthy, roasted malts. It tastes like I would expect charred wood to. Not particularly pleasant, as it imparts a bitter flavor to the beer. In addition to the roast, there is also some coffee, a little chocolate, and the tiniest bit of hops. All of the bitterness I get in this beer is from the roasted malts, not the hops.
The carbonation is medium-low; pretty much spot on for an imperial stout. It has a medium body and a smooth feel. There is a little burn from the booziness, but not much from almost 10%.
There's not much that really separates itself from the pack other than its earthy, charred taste/smell (bad) and its smooth mouthfeel (good). It is a good value, especially in the imperial stout style, but I wouldn't put it higher than other reasonable priced beers of the same style like Old Rasputin. If you're a fan of big, not particularly sweet stouts, this might be up your alley, but it didn't really do it for me. I give Siberian Night by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company a B-.
Style: Russian Imperial stout
ABV: 9.7%
IBU: 58
Beer Advocate: A-/B
Ratebee: 100/98
Purchased at Party Source for $2.05 a single. Four packs are also available, strangely enough, for $11.49. Somehow it is significantly cheaper to buy singles than a four pack? That doesn't make much sense. This beer is available in both Ohio and Kentucky.
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