Imperial Stout Vinegar. . .a Canadian 1st

Jeff Turner (PhD)
4 days ago
3 min read

Here at St. Eugene Vinegar, we desired a very dark malty vinegar to define the darkest end of our vinegar offering. We liked malt vinegars but wanted dramatically more flavour, so we turned our attention to the black sheep of the beer world - Imperial Stout and made Canada's first and only Imperial Stout Vinegar.

What makes this Stout Imperial?

Imperial Stout is among the richest and strongest of beer styles. It’s a history lesson in a bottle. Imperial stout was originally brewed by porter brewers in London as an “extra stout” porter – read high alcohol - for export to the Baltic countries and Russia from the 1790s onward. It gained its title as a drink supplied to the Russian imperial court of Czarina Catherine the Great. Emma Jenzen in her article Decoding Stout Beers Styles describes Imperial Stouts as “defined by its higher alcohol content (usually 8 percent or more) which yields a more intense sweetness and pronounced dark chocolate and coffee flavors. Most modern imperial stouts show this rich black color, sharp bitterness balanced against notable residual sugar, and waves of dark fruit melded with chocolatey and coffee-like roast.

Yes, I know, sounds like a great start for a new vinegar relationship.

Why Imperial Stout makes great vinegar

Imperial stout has it all for us vinegar makers; high ABV, rich, dark sugary flavour balanced with just the right amount of bitterness. We adore the 8% ABV (alcohol by volume) because we convert this into snappy acetic acid. This acid is balanced by residual sugar that was extracted from the dark malted grain along with a deep color and flavour. Rounding out the taste profile is the addition of hops with their contribution of essential oils and flavourful resins that provides just the right amount of bitterness.

Left image: Wellington Brewery & St. Eugene Vinegar collaboration in action! Matt Herkimer, Head Brewer (Center), Nick Babiy, Brewer (right) and Jeff Turner, St. Eugene Vinegar Co. (left)

Right image: Dark malts are highly roasted barley grains, a featured ingredient in Wellington Brewery Imperial Stout

Our collaboration with the Wellington Brewery

St. Eugene Vinegar Co. collaborates with the Wellington Brewery, Guelph, Ontario to source Imperial Stout. They are the oldest, independent craft microbrewery in Ontario, going on 41^st years of successful brewing! Matt Herkimer, Head Brewer, poetically describes his Imperial Stout as “a bold, full-bodied stout is jet black with a deep tan head and an inviting aroma of dark chocolate and coffee. With complex roasted malt and toffee flavours alongside a hint of dark fruit, this award-winning stout is a bold flavour experience; with 8% ABV, 40 IBU, Color SRM 52”. The ABV is perfect for us. The Internal Bitterness Units at 40 provides ample hop flavour while still permitting successful vinegar making. Recall that hops were originally added to beer to protect them from spoilage, so more than 40 IBU is lethal to our hard-working vinegar cultures. Lastly, Matt’s stout color has a number - 52 - named by a Standard Reference Method from the American Society of Brewing Chemists (now that’s a group that enjoys the occasional pint) which means jet-black!

So, now you understand the historic journey that our bottle of Imperial Stout vinegar (Russian crown included on the label) has made to you. Please enjoy it on your favorite sea food, beef dish or wherever a bold full-bodied taste is desired! Oh, and if you’re near Guelph, please drop by the Wellington Taproom (950 Woodlawn Road West) for a pint of one of their many different brews and thank them for their Imperial Stout from us!

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Imperial Stout Vinegar

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