Starry Eyed Pitch Imperial Stout

 Starry Eyed Pitch Imperial Stout. 

12% ABV, 63 IBU. Starry Eyed Brewing, Little Falls, Minnesota. 

I’ve been sitting on this bottle for far too long. Bought it at the brewery in May of last year, a good year and a half ago. Maybe I hesitated because the Barleywine I opened (notes I have not shared...yet), did not impress. No time like the present, so let’s do it. 

Ebon-hued, opaque, slim, slightly brown, tannish head, looking nice.

In the nose: creamy cocoa hits first, nutty, rich, almost sweet, not quite what I expect from an IS.

In the mouth: rich and malty, chocolate and coffee, touch of anise and char. There’s a tug of war between sweet and dry, darkness and light. Stays nice and balanced, for a beer so big. Unfortunately, it stays a little shy of what I really like from an Imperial Stout. I want a little more. Ain’t nothing wrong with it. Just chocolate-y enough, with plenty of booze, to boot. This ain’t bad. In fact, I’m liking it more and more as we explore the bottle. I’m grooving on it.