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Not knowing what to expect, I cracked B.O.R.I.S - the Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout - to be welcomed by an enveloping aroma of chocolate. It poured an opaque deep brown with a moderate head. Chocolatey, smooth like one would expect from an oatmeal stout, and just a little bit sweet. This is a really good ale. I was expecting the standard big bad Imperial Stout - which don't get me wrong I love - but this ale really has something extra. It has this unique little character like a lactic acid sweetness, kind of like a doppelbock. To digress for a moment, I distinctly remember having Garret Oliver's Brooklyn doppelbock at Pete's Waterfront Alehouse in the late nineties. I just loved that sour character. B.O.R.I.S. is no where near that sour, but it just has a tiny bit of something, maybe German malt that I really like.
No level of disappointment here. I love this ale.