From what I’ve heard only one or two casks of O’Fallon Brewery’s Russian Imperial Stout were made and your only chance to get one right now is at Iron Barley.
I’ve heard they’re selling this beer in 12oz chalices for $4. In my opinion, that’s a great price for a beer that is seeing a very limited release.
Get there while the getting’s good, the casks at Iron Barley don’t last very long.
With a new upgraded license, O’Fallon Brewery has begun the process of brewing some “bigger” beers. The first beer from this license upgrade is a Russian Imperial Stout.
According to O’Fallon Head Brewer, Brian Owens, this beer is 10% ABV with 68 IBUs. Apparently it was dry hopped with a pounds of Cascade hops per barrel and finished with a bit of blackstrap molasses.
Well, this beer is now in kegs and it’s being distributed to local restaurants and bars. Which have bought it? Here’s the list from Derek Bean:
Now, just because they’ve bought it doesn’t mean it’s currently on tap. Call and check before heading out to try this new beer.
The Boulevard Smokestack family just got a little bigger in St. Louis. First we were treated to four beers ranging from Belgians to an American IPA. Then the brewers at Boulevard decided to get a bit funky and busted out some Brett and Barrel-Aged beers.
But now they’ve gone dark on us, really dark. Boulevard’s newest addition to the Smokestack series is the Imperial Stout. This beer is a whopping 11% monster featuring a huge grain bill that includes malted barley, wheat, oat, rye and spelt.
This beer is now available at several retailers around the area including Whole Foods Galleria and The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton and Rock Hill.
As I was scoping out some of the different beer blogs that are all over the ‘net I noticed a post on B.C. Beer Blog about a cheesecake made with Russian Imperial Stout. “I like Russian Imperial Stouts and I like cheesecake,” I said to myself. I often talk to myself. So I started perusing the recipe (adapted here for a US audience):
Russian Imperial Stout Cheesecake
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter32oz (4 8oz pkgs Philadelphia) cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 lb dark chocolate melted in a double boiler
12oz Russian Imperial Stout (room temperature, degassed)
4 large eggs at room temperaturePreheat oven to 325°F (or 300°F if using a dark pan). Grease the sides of 9? spring form pan and cover bottom with wax paper. Mix crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and melted butter in a bowl until evenly blended; press firmly onto the bottom of the pan with a fork.
Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, then add remaining ingredients (except eggs) at medium speed until well blended. On low speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing each until just blended. Pour batter over crust.
Bake 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from side of pan by running a paring knife around the inside edge. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature before removing side of pan. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Adapted from Michel Brown’s Russian Imperial Stout Cheesecake by Fred Eckhardt in Northwest Brewing News, Feb/Mar 2008, Volume 7 Number 1, pg. 29.
The author of BC beer blog mentions a method of degassing the beer, personally I think it’s just easier pouring the beer into a bowl and whisking it until it seems degassed. Also, the author makes no mention of the cheesecake being cooked in a water bath, but seeing how that’s the only way I’ve ever cooked cheesecake, I went about using one. Using a water bath added about an extra half hour to the cooking time, but your mileage may very.
I ended up using Founders Breakfast Stout as my RIS of choice as I thought the chocolate and coffee notes in the beer would really enhance the cake. Did they? I don’t know, I’d almost have to make a separate cake using a different beer to see the difference. I think almost any RIS would work well in the beer, so use the one you like best.
I ended up using a very bitter chocolate which made the cake very bitter as well. This wasn’t a bad thing for me as I love a bitter chocolate dessert, but if bitter chocolate isn’t your thing you may want to try a very high end milk chocolate and see how it turns out. If you do end up trying this out, let me know your results.
One of the most sought after beers in the world has made it’s way to St. Louis. With only about 50 cases brewed at a time and the fact it’s only brewed three or four times a year, you can quickly see just how rare Péché Mortel is. Here is the description from the Shelton Brother‘s website about Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel‘s mortal sin:
If you love really good coffee and really good beer equally, you will be thrilled with Péché Mortel. If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, and caffeine makes you bounce off the ceiling, then just put the bottle down and find something else to drink. This beer is all about coffee. Indeed, you may have seen ‘coffee stouts’ before, but no brewer has ever married coffee and beer so naturally and seamlessly.
And this isn’t just any stout, but an imperial stout, which means that it is modeled on the strong, rich, and very complex stouts that were made in England in the 19th and early 20th centuries exclusively for shipment to Russia, where they were a special favorite at the court of the Czars.
Just two cases made it into St. Louis and only two places have it for your enjoyment: 33 Wine Shop and the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton. Fair warning, I’ve heard this is rather expensive, but it may be worth a little extra cost to try this very special beer.
I made a decision before attending Monday night’s beer tasting at Growler’s, this was probably going to be my last tasting. Growler’s recent beer menus have left a bit to be desired. It seems like the same beers over and over again mixed with a few light lagers to really spice things up. But if the this most recent tasting is a sign of things to come, I may have to change my mind. Just a few beers I remember from the tasting:
Imperial IPAs? Imperial Stouts? Wild Ales? Was this the same Growler’s I’ve been going to for the past 5 years? And sure, that Wild Ale isn’t the more funky wild beer you’ll ever find, but it’s a step in the right direction! Let’s just hope some of these beers make it onto the final beer list. We’ll have to wait until September to find out for sure.
OK, back to brewing this weekend after a 3 week break. I almost did an extract batch this weekend just to save a little time, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend the extra $20-25.This weekend will be another Two Hearted IPA clone. I’m extremely happy with how this last one turned out, even if it is a bit cloudy. It smells and tastes fantastic. I’m probably going to end up making it my go to brewing beer from here on ou, hoping to perfect it along the way.
Pictured in the photo to the right is my Mango Blonde, my Raspberry Wheat and my Imperial IPA. After working on the Mango for 4 years, I think this is my last attempt. I just don’t get any mango taste or aroma that comes through so it seems like a waste of time and energy. It was a worthy effort but it’s time to hang it up.
You may remember my brewing schedule that I set up back in January, here’s the list as it stands right now:
May
Russian Imperial Stout
Weissbier
Two Hearted Clone
June
Belgian Dark Strong
Oktoberfest
July
Pumpkin Beer
Chocolate Cherry Stout
August
Schwarzbier
Robust Porter
September
Dopplebock
Christmas Ale
Imperial IPA
October
80 Schilling
Southern English Brown
November
Belgian Dubbel
Oatmeal Stout
Two Hearted Clone
December
English Barleywine
Brown Porter
I originally was going to brew a Belgian Dark Strong this month, but the Belgian beers just aren’t doing it for me as much anymore. I find them a bit too sweet and I can’t drink more than one without wishing I had something a bit hoppier. So I’ve decided to move the Weiss beer up to May and I’m thinking about taking the BDS out all together and moving the English Barleywine up to June and finding something else to brew in December.
Also, if anyone is interesting in homebrewing and has never done it or if you just want to help, you’re always welcome to come over to the house and help out.
