The Unknown Brewing Co. Dirty Commie Heathen
The Unknown Brewing Co. Dirty Commie Heathen is a Russian Imperial Stout with cherries, 12.4% ABV, 2016 vintage. There is conflicting wordage on the bottle, in the press release and on the website; let’s just say some sort of bourbon, barrel aging, or oak chips was used. This product has been provided for review.
The beer pours with a dark brown color as opposed to the more typical jet black color you normally get with the style. The aroma is fantastic, big time cherry and chocolate give this a serious cherry cordial thing on the nose. Add to that a little bit of bourbon and you have a beer I could smell all day. The taste takes yet another turn with a rather sweet cherry pie like taste leading off the flavor. That pie has a good bit of cinnamon to it. A tartness follows the sweet fruit before a dry and bitter hop finish. Those hops blend with some high cacao chocolate which only increases the dryness to the surprising finish. The bourbon is a subtle part of the beer overall, but I do get notes of it in the taste.
This is not a traditional Russian Imperial Stout by any stretch, but I’m really into this. This is a great dessert beer, perfect for sharing and sipping.
