Little Earth Project Russian Imperial Stout 2018

This is the latest in Little Earth’s yearly series of big mixed fermentation Imperial Stouts. Brewed in December 2017 & bottled in December 2018, it spent just under 12 months in the same single barrel that housed the 2017 vintage (ex Bordeaux red wine cask). For this version, Little Earth wanted to add an extra dimension to the beer so at the end of the boil they added treacle. This not only added extra sugar for fermentation but a rich Christmas pudding-like sweetness and rich roast aroma. The result was initially quite overpowering so it was allowed to mellow and develop further in bottle for another year before release. It’s tasting delicious now.