Imperial Stout—even the name is intimidating. These beers aren’t for the watered-down-lager-swilling faint of heart. They were first brewed in the 18th Century to withstand the journey from England to Russia, where they would end up in the court of Catherine the Great. Under her reign, Russia colonized Alaska, defeated the Ottoman Empire and established the first state-run college for women. We like to think it all started with good beer.
We bought a baker’s dozen from our local Decatur, Ga., beer store, Ale Yeah!, so this is by no means meant to represent all or the best imperial stouts. There’s no Three Floyd’s Dark Lord or Portsmith Kate the Great here. But our jury of a dozen beer enthusiasts were happy to rank the following 13 beers for your tasting pleasure.
13. Courage Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery: Wells & Young’s Ltd
City: Bedford, England
ABV: 10%
On the Nose: Cigarette stubs
Stout As: Watered-down borscht
The verdict: I think we all were expecting to love this well-reputed beer, but it simply didn’t stand up to its peers. British or not, there just wasn’t enough flavor to carry the imperial name, and the smell was a little off-putting.
12. Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij Grand-Café Emelisse
City: Kamperland, Netherlands
ABV: 11%
On the Nose: Belgian yeast
Stout As: 
The verdict: The distinct Belgian flavor was a nice touch, but otherwise this Dutch beer was fairly unremarkable.
11. Your Black Heart Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery: O’Dempsey’s
City: Atlanta
ABV: 8%
On the Nose: Smoked pineapple
Stout As: The Falcons in January
The verdict: We’re always pulling for the local boys, and our first taste of O’Dempsey’s didn’t disappoint. It was flavorful for 8%, but it’s always going to be difficult for an 8% beer to measure up to its 10 and 11% cousins.
10. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery: North Coast Brewing
City: Fort Bragg, Calif.
ABV: 9%
On the Nose: Berries
Stout As: Old Rasputin…right about now
The verdict: I’ve enjoyed this beer before, and it’s developed quite a following. But again, we were surprised it didn’t stand up to its rivals in the side-by-side tasting.
9. Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
City: Chippewa Falls, Wisc.
ABV: 9.5%
On the Nose: A morning cup o’ joe
Stout As: A January breeze on Lake Wissota
The verdict: No offense to our friends in Wisconsin, but despite Justin Vernon showing up to a Paste photo shoot with a Leinenkugel T-shirt, that’s a name that mostly conjures up weak lagers. Still, there was real flavor here-coffee, sour and citrus notes combining into something quite good.
