United Nations of Beer

Long Valley Imperial stout

by Andrew Schanel
(Beer Delegate, NJ, USA)

Long Valley Imperial stout: the brewer celebrates his 1000th batch

Long Valley Imperial stout

Imperial Stout. Or, Russian Imperial Stout. This type of beer has a long, interesting history associated with it.

This is the beer brewed by English brewers in Imperial times to satisfy the taste buds of the Czar of Russia and his or her court. The history of this beer dates from the mid 1700s and it's still brewed today by avid historian brewers.

My first taste of this style was with the venerable Samuel Smith's Imperial stout, a benchmark in the style and certainly one to revere, with its brewing starting in the year 1758. For those of you who are in the know, this style of beer is one of the most highly regarded and imitated reverently as a brew of this historic importance should be.

Russian Imperial Stouts are, my friends, Godly.

If I were a cooper, or founder, or even a gunsmith or brickmaster; or some other individual with an occupation worth fighting for, you would find me in a tavern in the Northeast colonies sipping on this God-sent brew and talking of rebellion and unease.

In this period of enlightenment, you'd find me in a tavern not unlike the Long Valley Pub.

The Long Valley Brewery is located in a real turn of the century (18th century, that is) building that probably once housed livestock and now houses a modern set of wort boilers, fermentation tanks and aging/lagering tanks.

Joe Saia is the man here, folks. You see, Joe is the man here when it comes to brewing the beer. I've been coming here for six years and this is, by far, the finest offering this place has ever had.

Long Valley Brewery's 1,000th batch. Long Valley Imperial stout.

Between talking to admiring patrons and newcomers alike, I was lucky enough to earn an interview with Joe about this very special brew.

This Godlike beer is an effort of years of research. When I met Joe, I mentioned that the North Coast Brewing Company in California brewed my favorite Russian Imperial Stout, Old Rasputin Imperial stout.

Joe's face lit up. "That's what I based this brew on!" was his reply. It turns out we are both a fan of the Old Rasputin.

Here is the beautiful difference though: Joe dry hops, or "hopbacks" Long Valley Imperial stout in a special contraption to counteract the intense sweetness of the beer. This sets it apart from its West Coast counterpart.

The result is a sweet, yet hoppy, brew favorable by us East Coast beer drinkers. I had two of them; just to make sure I was into this beer... Judging first by my taste and then noticing the row of Long Valley Imperial stouts poured for all of the bar patrons, I'd definitely say this one is a hit!

My applause to Joe Saia for an excellent unveiling of Long Valley Brewery’s 1,000th batch of beer. What an excellent choice, Joe!