Imperial Stouts were originally brewed for Russian royalty in the late 18th Century. The secret ingredient is almost invariably ‘more’.  More malt within the same mash water volume gives a greater proportion of sugars in the resultant wort.  This is the case for anything referred to as an “imperial” version of the base style.  What separates Imperial stouts is the same as what separates regular stouts from other beers.  

During the malt-drying process known as kilning, some grain varieties are not only dried to safe storage levels, but heated to the point of being roasted to varying degrees. Caramelized crystal malts, chocolate malts, black malts, and roasted barley are all examples, and many of these types of malt are added to the mash when an imperial stout (or any dark beer) is designed. 

Cloud at Night used a great deal of chocolate wheat malt, and roasted barley alongside a great deal of pale malt.  While the dark malts don’t contribute any sugar for yeast to eat, they are the driving force behind the signature roasty, chocolatey stouts aromas and flavors, as well as the extreme dark color of the liquid. 

This is the base beer for the barrel-aged version.  The two are identical other than the fact that one was aged in a freshly-emptied bourbon barrel for 19 months. Standalone and blended versions will all take the stage in the not-too-distant future.