Imperial Stout (thing)

I have read from several other sources that Imperial Stout (also called Russian Imperial Stout) gets its name from the popularity of this style of beer with the Czarist nobility of Russia during the 19th century - hence the desire to ship it to the Baltic, as alluded to above.

Many breweries, of various sizes and locations, produce this stuff today. A few of the brands I have encountered include:

• Victory Storm King Imperial Stout, with a whopping 9.8 percent alcohol by volume
• the aforementioned Samuel Smith's version
• North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (I dig the name)