Harvey & Son's Imperial Extra Double Stout is a pretty intimidating beer. Just look at that name! If this didn't have an official Tsarist seal on the label I'd figure it was a poorly translated Japanese import along the lines of "Ultra Super Happy Mega Fun Time Stout." Actually, this beer has a pretty impressive history dating back to the early 19th century. Le Coq, the original brewer of this beer, won a contract to brew for the Russian Royal Family after gaining notoriety for gifting generous amounts of stout to injured Russian soldiers during the Crimean War. This beer was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas in 1912 and was brewed in Estonia. As you can imagine, World War I and the Bolsheviks put an end to this decadent bourgeois beer. What makes this beer so special that it's been resurrected after 90 years?
