Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #5

Saint Arnold Brewing Company is located in Houston, TX and has consistently produced good quality microbrews. When they began their Divine Reserve line of small batch, one off recipes in limited quantities they lit up the craft beer geek radar. There have been 8 of these produced so far. In order of style they are barleywine, abbey american quadrupel, double IPA, wee heavy, russian imperial stout, american barleywine, weizenbock and scotch ale. The version I am sampling is #5 and happens to be the highly rated russian imperial stout. My thoughts are as follows:

Pours into my chalice a viscous, inky black with a creamy dark tan head on top. Black as night and enticing so far! Aromas kick off with deep roasted malts and an upfront licorice. Chocolate swirls around with a touch of dark fruit as well. Caramel sweetness as well. Rich and inviting.

First sip brings velvety smooth dark malts across the palate with a mix of bold licorice and chocolate flavors. Slightly vinous dark fruits melding with a caramel sweetness. Mellow coffee and molasses with a bit of dark bread. Super smooth and tasty. Just a hint of alcohol on the finish.



Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a solid medium body. This one is not overly heavy like some imperial stouts can be. Overall, a great depth of flavor and undeniably drinkable. This one is holding up quite nicely and I wish I had a few more. Many thanks to dmeadows for the unexpected opportunity.

Overall this beer earns a rating of Great and I was happy to have been able to sample it!

Check out more from Saint Arnold at their website: www.saintarnold.com