Fulton Beer - Worthy Adversary Russian Imperial Stout (2015)


Another old one from the hoard! I purchased this beer in Minot, ND back in summer 2015 while I was in town for the State Fair. Fulton Beer has become one of my favourite American breweries after sampling some of their beers at JL Beers and The Pour House.

Every time I tried one of their beers, I was shocked by how much taste buds loved each and every beer I tried, so of course I had to take some home! While at the Pour House, one of the customers was telling me "If you are a big fan of hops and IPAs, you absolutely NEED to try their IPA, you will not be disappointed!" Sure enough, I wish I could've gotten a growler full of it, but I thought I could pick up a six-pack of this beer at one of the liquor stores the next day... but unfortunately Fulton's bottle selection was pretty limited in Minot at the time so I ended up with Worthy Adversary Russian Imperial Stout. I'm glad I picked it up, it was another home run from the folks over at Minnesota's Fulton Beer Co!

Appearance: Worthy Adversary pours a thick black stout, darker than Manitoba winter nights.. so it's not a surprised that they compared it to having the consistency of 5W-30 motor oil on their website. The head starts off with a burnt caramel head that you see often in RIS and oatmeal stouts, it quickly changes to more of a bright yellow head.

Aroma: Right from the start, it smells hefty and boozey but surprisingly not in a barrel aged fashion, just in a "this is 9.5% ABV" fashion. There's notes of caramel, a bit of an earthy hop, rich dark chocolate, and even a bit of a lactose aroma popping up here and there.

Taste: The stout has notes of milk and dark chocolate in the initial tastings, but eventually the alcohol steals my tastebuds, giving it a hefty warm presence with a bit of caramel and dark fruit sweetness.. and a bit of peat for earthiness. This stout is somewhat creamy and leaves behind a bit of a bitter earthy hop aftertaste at the end.

Overall Thoughts: I've been meaning to review this beer since Summer 2015, I somehow managed to save two bottles of this because I really loved how great this Russian Imperial Stout tastes.. it didn't even need any aging to make it better. It's going to be a while until I'm back in the US, but I'm excited to see what Fulton has up their sleeves when I do go!

http://www.fultonbeer.com/beer/worthy-adversary

No comments: