Now I must admit to being no fan of Christmas ales.
Cinnamon, twigs and holly berries or whatever are not the sort of extra
flavours I want in my pint. For me, Winter is about really good dark beers and
you cannot beat an Imperial Stout.
St. Petersburg started life as a 7.7% monster before
being trimmed to 7.4% to avoid the extra tax aka the `tramp tax`. However, this
one is bigger still. Having been stored away in oak barrels for 2 years, Barrel
Aged St. Petersburg weighs in at an impressive 9% and so decent value at the £5
price tag that the Cross SCYTHES had put on it.
With a strong line-up on the pre-New Year bar, I opted to
start with a Thornbridge Chiron on keg (5.5/10) and then a pretty decent Kama Citra (6.5/10) from Elland as
the Halcyon had just finished. Next up was the 1872 Porter (9/10) which was the 2013
Champion Beer of Britain for Elland. A really great drink that is full of
complex flavours but very drinkable belying its 6.5% volume. The star of the
show was always going to be the St. P though, or was it?
Recently, when I have had this 7.4% Russian Imperial Stout on cask and keg (at GREYSTONES and COACH n HORSES) it has
not been quite balanced and just too boozy for my palate but in this version that is
not an issue. There`s always a danger of this type of beer being too dominated
by the alcohol, which I found with the Arbor Moor Double DARK ALLIANCE earlier
in the year. However, this one pours deep and
dark with a creamy-coloured head. Time
spent maturing in French oak barrels has pleasingly resulted in a smoother,
fuller taste that is better rounded than previous versions in my opinion.
Worryingly, it did look as though Thornbridge were not doing anything special and strong for
Christmas (not counting their Myrissty, etc.) after being blessed last year
with the likes of the previously reviewed Imperial OATMEAL and the Chilli MOCHA but this certainly
fits the bill. Clearly, THORNBRIDGE`s best cask beer of 2013 and I`m going back for more!
Mike - 9
(AND, btw, that concealed raffle ticket was 136 and a winner in their New Year Quiz!) :-)
(AND, btw, that concealed raffle ticket was 136 and a winner in their New Year Quiz!) :-)
Love this beer! Although have to say I disagree with you on the Christmas ales front, love a good winter warmer :)
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