EPISODE 17
Russian Imperial Stout
(Originally published in Pin-Up Quarterly, Issue 6, April/June 2012)
When Catherine the Great was on the throne
And Russia waxed in power like a storm
An ale to cure pneumonia was shown
That had a potency beyond the norm
The English brewers shipped it down the line:
As black as pitch, as thick as motor oil
With alcoholic strength to rival wine
A dark elixir fit for any royal
The tastes of chocolate and of coffee run
Throughout the palate (roasted malts, of course)
It satisfies all hungers (save for one:
There was that little thing about a horse)
So raise a glass to the Czarina's name
'Twas she who brought this style of stout its fame