80/100) Cold Stouts

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Baltika Brew Collection, Ga-Run, 2 Tun

This week's tasting feels a bit like a cop-out because I couldn't track down a set of three beers from any of these three breweries. However, I suppose that is a testament to how scarce or unusual they are. What they do have in common is that they are darker, stronger, maltier beers, and appropriately, these cold stouts pair best with winter as their high ABV and rich flavors are sure to warm your soul.

Baltika Brew Collection) This Russian imperial stout is straight out of St. Petersburg. Although it had a bit more of the smokiness I'd associate with a imperial or double porter, that was not a disappointment. Lots of depth to this one. Rich and chocolate malts with just a touch of acridness towards the finish. ☆☆☆☆

Ga Run) This Icelandic Stout appeared a little lackluster at first with a distinct lack of amber swirls usually brought on by the effervescence. However, despite fearing it to be flat, the stout came forth with a very pleasant thick mouth feel. The middle characterized itself with a lot of anise and chocolate while the linger remained softly on my palate. I plan on grabbing another of this and hoping that it has more bubbly. I enjoyable it. ☆☆☆☆

Hermitage Ale of the 2 Tun) Do you know what a tun is? No, it's not a misspelling of "ton." Instead, a tun is a large cask or container for beer or wine. It can also be used as a verb to express "putting wine or beer into a tun." In other words, you can "tun beer into a tun."  And while I mulled that over in my mind, I tried this beer. The robust nature of the smoked espresso aroma caused me to over anticipate and expect an equally robust taste and mouth feel.  It didn't deliver. My overall impression instead was of its thin mouth feel even despite the flavors being a nice chocolate ☆☆☆