Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout 2011 “ODD YEAR” Edition…(Long Name :P..lol) is an Imperial Russian Stout by Stone Brewing rating at 10.5% ABV. First pour is basically pure dark liquid. Hardly any fizz period!!. Evil looking in a way. So much in fact that some may shy away as they would not want to be doomed at the fiery pits for even thinking of drinking this potion. No worries though, the guys at Stone assure that the Gargoyle has scared away all the evil preservatives and spirits. All the sinning part is left up to your discretion. It is brewed in the old historical Russian Stout tradition but well with added epic ingredients. It is fermented with Belgian yeast, Oak chips and Anise. For many that may not know what this is, it is the herb that is used in alot of dishes, drinks and candies. Some may remember this flavor like licorice and root beer. Much like the regular stone imperial stout that will come later this year that has flavors of black currants, coffee, dark chocolate and some minor anise, this one actually is exploding with Anise flavor.The combination of all the aged ingredients in simple terms is like having one of those Hotel chocolate mints they have on top of the pillows. Minty, chocolate/coffee and licorice bread with dark fruits such as the currants and raisins and spicy vanilla. For those that don’t like licorice, it is not bad at all as the licorice flavors is hardly there because it evolves into the mint chocolate cake flavor. Man this is good but sadly…hard to find :(… Spent a while looking for this but if you are a fan of stouts and dark Belgian ales, find it right now!!!…who knows…this years beer might be more different than the 2011 one 😉