Fulton War & Peace Coffee Imperial Stout

Fulton War & Peace Imperial Coffee Stout. Alc. 9.5% by Vol. 750 ml Real Beer. Fulton Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN.

This one was once upon a time only available in cask form, at special events. And here I am, the lucky recipient of a short-fill bottle. It hasn't been shipped to stores, yet, so far as I know. Yay, for me, and thanks to Fulton and Hohensteins for the gift. Let's open and drink!

Black as night, deep as the darkest depths, with a solid head of toasted brown foam resting atop.

Aroma: Coffee first, vast, rich espresso tones…full, forward, immense, and dominant. It's all about the coffee.

Taste: Boom, ba doom! Bitter espresso notes hit first, followed by cocoa, raspberry, raisins, rum…fat with flavor, full to bursting. Plump. Nearly juicy. Roasty and bitter, rewarding and triumphant.

I know I've enjoyed this in the past, but this is more, I lurve this one, I luff it with a capital F.

Each new sip brings more: more incredible bitterness, more anise, more coffee, more slightly sweet fruit. Just plain ol' nice.

Let's read the copy on the back label, under the Fulton & Peace Coffee logos and under the "Garage Series" banner: "War & Peace is a Russian Imperial Stout aged with Peace Coffee's Guatemalan Organic Dark Roast. We measure out a pound of whole beans per barrel of beer and add it directly to our tanks, then allow it to infuse for nearly a week. It's a combination so natural, you may forget that stout and coffee once existed without each other."

Nice. But no Lebowski references? Okay, but I do like the clever Russian reference to the classic Tolstoy novel.

Plainly put, this is one of my favorite beers of recent release, and possible the best imperial stout or coffee stout, maybe even best imperial coffee stout, that I've had in such a long time. Mmm, mmm, good. Great balance, great flavor, just about perfect.