Russian Imperial Stout

This is my favorite beer style and I'm assembling a lineup of the best RIS for a tasting with friends. I plan to have about 8 people at the tasting and will have about 12 beers. That might not sound like much, but a Russian Imperial Stout has double to triple the alcohol of your typical beer. We will be sharing 22 oz bombers of each, or two 12 ouncers in some cases.

I've been making beer trades to get the rare ones. For example, a RIS called Sexual Chocolate has only been bottled once, and there were only 500 bottles. Dark Lord may be rare, but they made 5000+ bottles last year. Surly Darkness has only been bottled once and there were only 480 bottles.

Here's the complete lineup. Some of these are not Russian Imperial Stouts, but they are all thick, black, and yummy.

• Three Floyds Dark Lord
  
• Portsmouth Brewing Kate the Great
  
• Foothills Brewing Sexual Chocolate
  
• Deschutes The Abyss
  
• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
  
• Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
  
• Alesmith Speedway Stout
  
• Stone Imperial Russian Stout
  
• Smuttynose Imperial Stout
  
• Bell's Expedition Stout
  
• Great Lakes Blackout Stout
  
• America's Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Signature Imperial Stout

Don't have yet:

• Peche Mortel
  
• Surly Darkness
  
• Lost Abbey Older Viscosity
  
• Ten Fidy

The Ten Fidy is easy to get, just not around here. The Peche Mortel is harder to get, but not impossible. The Older Viscosity will be hard and the Darkness almost impossible.

Here are some that are easy to get, but might not make the cut:

• Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
  
• Southern Tier Choklat
  
• various Rogue stouts
  
• North Coast Old Rasputin
  
• Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout
  
• Victory Storm King Stout

- schneid