One of the first Aussie beers to go really big when it was first brewed, Feral's Russian Imperial Stout weighs in at nigh on 12%. A big, bold, jet black, take-no-prisoners kind of a beer, a new batch has just been unleased by the Swan Valley brewers and started appearing on a handful of taps around the country. We've yet to get our smackers around the latest incarnation so are handing over tasting note duties to Al, who runs the Great Northern Hotel and has just taken delivery of a couple of kegs. "You wouldn't pick it as 11.5%," he says. "Very smooth, lots of chocolate and a hints of port." He even wonders if it's seen the inside of a barrel as he's picking up a little oak. Only one way to find out if he's right... EDIT: Having tasted it, we'd say it's the most highly hopped Imperial Stout to pass our lips. And yes, you wouldn't pick it as that big; very smooth.
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