Modist Blueberry Second Breffix

 Modist Blueberry Second Breffix. Imperial breakfast stout w/ blueberry maple syrup, Wildflyer coffee, brown sugar, vanilla bean & oat milk. 

10 % ABV, Modist Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Solid blackness, completely opaque, under a large, creamy tanned head. 

In the nose: coffee and vanilla, roasty and bittersweet. Blueberries creeping in. 

In the mouth: surprisingly smooth and sweet. Berries are shining bright on the palate. Bitter meets sweet and roasty malt rises over all. There’s maple surup here, too, right? Swallowed up by berries? 

A complex and richly rewarding beverage that is making an excellent nightcap on this frigid night. 

Arbeiter Julebukk Black Cherry Imperial Stout

 Arbeiter Julebukk Black Cherry Imperial Stout. 2023. 

11.3 % ABV, 64 IBU, Arbeiter Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Been sitting on this for a year. Time to crack it open.  

Full ebony appearance, large cocoa brown head, immensely opaque. 

In the nose: roasty malt, deep and dark, with dark fruit rolling out from under. Smoke and oak blends with chocolate. 

In the mouth: big malt, rich cocoa, slight smoke, and cherry hiding in the back. Wait. Spoke too soon. Here it comes…coming in tart, bright, fruity. Nice. Increasingly delightful. This actually makes me wish it were colder outside. 

Lupulin Cookie Monstrosity Imperial Stout

 Lupulin Cookie Monstrosity Imperial Stout With cacao nibs, salted caramel, coconut, honey, graham crackers, graham cracker flavor, and double fold vanilla extract. 

11% ABV, Lupulin Brewing, Big Lake, MN.

I very rarely try beers like this, but since it was sold as a $5 single, I thought what the hell. And then there’s my love of Cookie Monster. 

Dark as a November afternoon in Minnesota, deep and impenetrable, large, cocoa toned head. 

In the nose: big sweetness, honey and Graham leading the charge, not too rich and chocolatey, with vanilla coming into the front.

In the mouth: now the coconut is in charge. Very macaroony. Full-bodied, decadent, delicious. Unexpectedly smooth. Remarkably coherent. Just remember, kids: cookie monstrosities are a sometimes beer.

I’m going to finish this slow, before I get googly eyed.

Brace yourself for indulgence with Cookie Monstrosity, an imperial stout that delivers a rich and decadent liquid pastry experience. Brimming with coconut, salted caramel, cacao nibs, graham cracker, honey, and vanilla, each sip offers a symphony of cookie flavors, that will have you yelling, "Me want more!"

Three Floyds Yella Rrari Barrel Aged Pale Imperial Stout

 Three Floyds Yella Rrari Barrel Aged  Pale Imperial Stout. With vanilla beans coffee and cacao nibs added.

13.2% ABV. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, Indiana. 

Mostly opaque, dark brown, small brown head.

In the nose: big vanilla, coco, pinch of coffee. Mega malty. Sweet, rich, deep, inviting. 

In the mouth: complex, rich, rewarding. Big sweetness at first, slowly smoothing out. Vanilla, cocoa, brown sugar, molasses. Intense, with alcohol breaking through the barriers. Not as full bodied as I want in a beer this strong. Is that where the “pale” comes in? Oh, well, it is what it is, and what it is is delicious. 

This is a beer I tucked away when it came out last year and saved it in a cooler at work until a few months ago. This is bottle #4. How I wish I had the cash to buy enough of beers like this to last me through the years. Wouldn’t that be something? Alas. 

A hulking, decadent Pale Imperial Stout brewed with mountains of malted oats and aged for over a year in hand-picked bourbon barrels. Notes of chocolate are underscored with the addition of vanilla beans, Ehtiopian blonde roast coffee and copious amount of cocoa nibs. Yella’ Rrari's comin'!

Mob Craft Solid Non Fail Stout Imperial Stout

 Mob Craft Solid Non Fail Stout Imperial Stout.  

12% ABV, MobCraft Beer, Milwaukee, WI.

Solid blackness, thoroughly opaque, slim brown ring of foam.

In the nose: cinnamon and coffee cover up chocolate and caramel. Bittersweet and dry. Maple syrup.

In the mouth: rich, strong, deep, delicious. Maple syrup stands on top, met with cinnamon and cocoa. Lot of coffee going on, too.  Full-bodied, but not quite thick, while still rich and terribly tasty. 12%? What? 

Time to luxuriate and languor with this treat. Who says you can’t enjoy Imperial Stouts in July? Cowards and quitters, that’s who! 

Imperial Stout with hints of coffee and maple syrup

Kros Strain Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Kros Strain Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

13% ABV, Kros Strain Brewing, La Vista, NE. 

So, there I was, minding my own business, doing my job, and someone asks me to help him pick out 24 beers to take back home to Omaha. New England IPAs, preferably, and some weird, stuff, too. Okay, so, 6 4-packs, that should be easy, and I grab from Modist and BlackStack and Falling Knife and Lupulin, it's fairly quick and pailnless, and he thanks me, pays up, takes it to the car and returns to give me this can, from his brewery in La Vista, Nebraska. I never would have heard of them, if not for this incident. And now I will drink this beer. 

First of all, what kind of name is Kros Strain Brewing? I'm going to make a wild guess and say that a guy named Kros meet a guy named Strain. I might be wrong, though. 

Imperial Stout aged in Willett barrels for 20 months. With toasted coconut and hazelnuts added. I am eternally grateful that they did not refer to it as a pastry stout.

Strictly Stygian appearance, absolute opacity, slim to no head. 

In the nose: Coconut bomb. Flavor comes screaming out of the glass. Let's go in deeper. Coconut smothers everything. Not even getting any hazelnut, let alone the other barrel flavors or RIS flavors. It's all coconut. 

In the mouth: HUGE coconut flavors, with more trying to escape form underneath. Rich malt, thick, impenetrable, and sweet, with possibly some small hazelnut flavors showing, but I am also not really picking up any bourbon effects, either. It seems that everything has been swallowed up by the coconut. That might work for you, but, as for me, I'd like a little bourbon feeling in there somewhere. 

If you're coockoo for coconuts and in the Omaha area, go for it. 

Imperial stout aged for 20 months in Willett Whiskey barrels then finished with over 100 lbs of toasted coconut and hazelnut. Dessert in a glass! 

Dugges Big Idjit Imperial Stout

 Dugges Big Idjit Imperial Stout. 

12 % ABV. Brewed and bottled by Dugges Bryggeri, Landvetter, Sweden.

Hey, everyone, let's have a Swedish beer. It's been a while. And let's make it an Imperial Stout, while we're at it. 

To the eye: Solid blackness, fully opaque, slim brown head. 

In the nose: deep and rich. Charcoal and chocolate, molasses and anise, roasty and smokey. Exceptionally intriguing. 

In the mouth: More depth, more deliciousness. Big and bold, huge and hearty, thick and powerful. Rich malts, chocolate and caramel convene with all those riches noted in the nose. Small sweetness, minor hops. Feels a little ...less than, though. I can't find a date on it, but it had been on the shelf at the store where I work since the day I started...sixteen months ago months ago. 

Dark malts since 2005. Dark Malts forever. This is a big and bold imperial stout, bigger and bolder than most. So, what does that make this beer then? An imperial (it's a word) stout. A more imperial stout? Let's just say it's big. Big Idjit. 

Clown Shoes Advent Party Crasher American Imperial Stout

Clown Shoes Advent Party Crasher American Imperial Stout.

8 % ABV, Clown Shoes Beer, Boston, MN. 

So, I bought a box of beers called the Clown Shoes 12 Beers of Christmas. Even though we got it at the store more than a month ago (at least), I didn't bring it home until last week. Only a few days before Christmas. There were four beers I've reviewed before, and eight new to me, including some with holiday themes. I'm only getting to the first new one today, the day after the holiday. Don't be surprised if a few more reindeer and/or elf themed beers pop up in the next few weeks. 

Fullon ebony, utterly opaque, rich brown head atop. 

In the nose: Light roast. Cocoa and char. Bittersweet. Mightily malty. 

In the mouth: Smooth and malty, but with depth and complexity. Chocolate is at the forefront. Some coffee on the side. Long malty finish, deep body, full and rich. I'd have to peg this as a middle of the road Imperial Stout. Right square in the middle, while still enjoyable. 

Brewed with holy water and orange peel.

There's more to the story than that, but this is all that I got off the Untappd entry. I'm not going to fish the can out of the recycling, uncrush it, and try to type out that lengthy ramble that doesn't explain anything.

Surly Age of Leviathans Stout

Surly Age of Leviathans Stout, with Ruby Chocolate, Lactose, vanilla.

11.9 % ABV. Surly Brewing Company,  Minneapolis/Brooklyn Center, MN. 

This beer crosses two of my lines: lactose and vanilla. I am so sick of lactose and vanilla. I hope that this is just a phase that brewers grow out of and I suspect that I may be right. But, I decided that I had to try it anyway, even though I don't know what Ruby Chocolate is. 

Strictly Stygian, fully opaque, large and lush layer of cocoa-tinged foam above, looking very regal and domineering. 

In the nose: Very berries, or cherries, and very chocolate, too. Fruits and dark malts at play in the aromatics. Hints of caramel, toffee, vanilla, too. Very nice.

In the mouth: Fairly  smooth and effortlessly fruity. Big ol' berries on top of chocolate. Raspberry chocolate truffle in an Imperial Stout. Or, American Double Stout? I can't tell the difference, some days. It's damned tasty, though. Not fully bodied, not too rich, not too full. Just a bit of fruity sweetness countered by a bit of tart. 

In the farthest, deepest fathoms of the ocean, light is but a rumor. That vast, benighted place is where the leviathans hold sway.

Age of Leviathans, Surly’s BC Small Batch offering for September and October, reaches similar depths of flavor, sweetness, and body. Brewed with a new “ruby” chocolate variant—noted for being rich, fruity and just slightly tart—plus raspberry puree, lactose, and vanilla beans, it’s complex, rich, and rules all that it surveys.

Copperhead Barrel Aged King of Terrors (Bookers)

Copperhead Barrel Aged King of Terrors (Bookers).

16.6 % ABV. Copperhead Brewery, Conroe, TX. 

Solid blackness, complete opacity, slim brown ring of foam atop. 

In the nose: Vast bourbon notes, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, oak. Deep and rich. 

In the mouth: Massive malt. Quickly coming alcohol. Rich and delicious. Dark fruits, chocolate, berries, vanilla, Big and beautiful. Huge body, wonderful balance, while still outsized and bombastic. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Whoa. 

Style: Imperial Stout 

ABV: 5% {I'm going to call typo on this one.}

Bitterness: 100 IBUs 

Profile: Brewed with Brown Sugar, Aged on Cocoa Nibs, Intense Chocolate, Coffee and Caramel Toffee flavors.

Serving Temperature: 40'-50'F 

Availability: Specialty

Description: Our once a year brew. Massive imperial stout aged on vanilla beans, coffee and cocoa nibs!

(These are the stats for the non-barrel aged version, but I am sure is not 5% ABV.)

 

Bear Republic Baba Yaga Imperial Stout

Bear Republic Baba Yaga Imperial Stout.

12 % ABV. Brewed and canned by Bear Republic Brewing, Cloverdale, CA. 

Solid blackness, complete opacity, slim ring of deep cocoa foam. 

In the nose: Richness upon richness, deep molasses, massive malt, heaping helpings of cocoa, a healthy dose of smoke, and good smack of anise. Deep and lovely. 

In the mouth: Deep and rich, and just a little sweet. A powerful bombardment of malt arrives on the palate, highly satisfying, unspooling many layers of deliciousness. Cocoa, charcoal, roasted malt, caramel, and a touch of licorice. All of the goodies you want in an imperial stout. Lays long on the tongue, perfectly balanced. 

This isn't the biggest Imperial Stout you'll find, but it's a damned nice one. It's got the goods. 

Rush River Arise Coconut Vanilla Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout 2019

Rush River Arise Coconut Vanilla Bourbon Barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout.

11 % ABV. Rush River Brewing, River Falls, WI. 

Complete and total blackness, slim brown head, total opacity. 

In the nose: Chocolate hits first, cocoa, mucho malt, and then the coconut meets the bourbon. Some vanilla. Lots of espresso. A bit o' cherries. 

In the mouth: Thick. Slick. Humungous. Huge malt. Ridiculous. Chocolate and coffee reign supreme, with coconut and vanilla coming in as a cameo. Rich and delicious. 

And that's where my notes end. It was my sixth beer of the evening. Looking back, I said all I needed to say. I did not know that Rush River even made an Imperial Stout until I visited the brewery last fall and bought a few bottles. They like to keep things nice and secret out there. 

Pipeworks Sundae Sauce Imperial Stout

Pipeworks Sundae Sauce Imperial Stout . Collaboration with Hacienda Beer Co. With lactose, cherries, vanilla, cacao nibs and natural pecan flavor. 

10.5 % ABV. Pipeworks Brewing, Chicago, IL. 

Strict blackness, no head, complete opacity. 

In the nose: Huge malt, ginormous chocolate, and where are the additives? They're playing it in a minor key right now. Very lightly. 

In the mouth: Here they come. Vanilla is strong in this one. Rich and sweet. Some suggestion of cherries comes through. Cacao? Yeah. Not sure if pecans will make an impression, we'll see. Here comes the cream, and the cherry on top. Maybe some nuts, maybe...

Fullerst of fullness in the body. Not too rich, though, nor too strong, it straddles the line between doing it and overdoing it. Low bitterness, perfectly indulgent, terrifically tasty. 

Collab w/ Hacienda Beer Co. Imperial Stout with lactose, cherries, vanilla, cacao nibs, and natural pecan flavor.

Junkyard Uncrushable Imperial Stout

Junkyard Uncrushable Imperial Stout.

13.7 % Alc./Vol. Packaged 11/30/20. Brewed and packaged by Junkyard Brewing, Moorhead, M. N. 

Strictly stygian, utterly opaque, slimmed down cocoa-tinged head. 

In the nose: Big time richness. All the usual suspects in attendance. Large and in charge cocoa, espresso, charcoal, slight anise. Slight smoke. Very nice. 

In the mouth: Boom, Shaka-laka! Huge, fat, rotund richness. Chocolate and coffee, rich malt abounds. Dark fruits aplenty. Cherries, berries, grapes, a bit. Full-on bigness. Massive malt. Huge mouthfeel. Loving the texture. 

Uncrushable is right. You need an hour or two with this one.

Venn Sexxxy Delicious Imperial Stout with Chocolate and Raspberries

Venn Sexxxy Delicious Imperial Stout with Chocolate and Raspberries.

12 % ABV, 50 IBU, Venn Brewing, Minneapolis, MN. 

Utter blackness, complete opacity, slim brown head. 

In the nose: Raspberry and chocolate. They're there. Very nice. 

In the mouth: Big malt, rich and roasted, big fruit, and great big chocolate. Berries continue to bout with cocoa for dominance. It remains huge, deep, decadent, delicious. Fruit and chocolate rise up together, matching the malt. 

This is divine. 

An Imperial Stout with actual chocolate & actual raspberries. 

Malts: Maris Otter, Roasted Barley, Special B, Chocolate, Caramel 60

Hops: Warrior

Yeast: American Ale

And: Dextrose, Chocolate, Raspberries

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Imperial Stout. Brewed with coffee and with almond and vanilla extracts added. 

11.5 % ABV, 66 IBU. Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NYC, NY. 

Jet black, perfect opacity, slim brown head. 

In the nose: Intense aromatics. Burnt malt. Heat. Espresso and cocoa. 

In the mouth: Massive malt. Rich, thick, immense. The almond and vanilla is coming through just a bit. Increasing sweetness. Gathers complexity as it warms. Mellow as it is fierce. 

My notes ended there. I bought this as a 4-pack because it was a mere $12. I'm glad it wasn't more, I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting a bit more. 

The Roman Empire had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ – festive food culture, extravagant architecture and spectacular live entertainment. Some might argue the Emperors where brutal, mad and hungry for power, and the people vain when taking baths and working out all day. Listen – that’s still all part of the secret Imperial ingredient – keep it cool, clean, confident, arrogant and flamboyant. Forza Imperiale.

Three Floyds Barrel-aged Blot Out the Sun Imperial Stout

Three Floyds Barrel-aged Blot Out the Sun Imperial Stout.

10.4 % ABV, 97 IBU. Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN. 

Black as the Dark Lord's soul, completely opaque, with a large, rich, roasted tan head. 

In the nose: Bourbon bomb, but the bones of a deep, dark, immense imperial stout stick out. Charcoal, anise, molasses, chocolate, coffee, and the toasted remains of the corpses of your vanquished foes, all holding hands and skipping to and fro ...while the cries and lamentations of their women and children ring loudly throughout the smoldering remains of their once proud land. 

In the mouth: A jolt of sweet malt, vanilla, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, coffee and cocoa.. a mellifluous melange of dark, rich flavors that accompanies the swell of joy you feel when you stride the path of destruction caused by you and your unholy horde, having just laid to waste the formerly glorious Kingdom of Karsh-Allath-Gorg-ku'um, and it's ruler, the Mighty Morgukallal, Merchant of Woe and Sire of the Unholy Bastions of Evil, the Knights of the Despoiling.

Bold and bittersweet, like the feeling you experienced as you silenced the cries of the children of Mighty  Morgukallal with your many-taloned boots, coated thickly with the blood of many conquered enemies, many deserving, none truly innocent. As full as a body can be, as your belly is at the Feast of Devastation, after having eviscerated an entire herd of demon wolves and consumed their bedeviled remains, slowly roasted at the Pit of Righteous Deflowering. 

In other words: Yum. A Dum. Dum. 

"Since the dawn of time it has been mankind’s dream to blot out the sun." -C. Montgomery Burns

(Hey, Three Floyds, hire me to write your label copy, okay? Or the descriptions on your taproom menu, when it reopens...soon, I hope...)

Hubbard's Cave Vanilla Coffee & Cakes Stout

Hubbard's Cave Vanilla Coffee & Cakes Stout. Imperial Stout with coffee, maple syrup and vanilla.

12 % ABV. Hubbard's Cave, a subsidiary of Une Anee' Brewery, Niles, IL. 

According to Untappd, this is a "Stout- Imperial / Double Pastry" It has coffee and maple syrup and vanilla, all ingredients we find in our pastries. I won't get started, I promise. I've made my feelings none previously. 

This, I must be upfront about, is not the sort of thing I'd spend my money on. I didn't have to, so it came into my possession, and because of that, I must review it. Of course, I didn't have to take it home, but then, that wouldn't be being me, would it, now? 

Ebon-hued, complete opacity, thick, lasting deep brown head. Impressive looking. 

In the nose: Coffee hits first, then vanilla rises up, followed by cocoa. No sign of maple, yet. Wait, here it is. Not too shabby. 

In the mouth: Here vanilla is king, sweetness boldly taking charge. It's all malt, no hops. And it only gets sweeter. Maple syrup charges in. Coffee lays low. Alcoholic strength starts big and stays big. I could handle this better at less than 12%, even less than 10. Right now, it's a bit much. 

Assessment: it's massive, rich and sweet, with a killer punch. Definitely a sipper, you're sitting in for the long haul, unless you've got a death wish. Coffee component remains minor compared to the other adjuncts. Tasty stuff, if a bit too outsized. So, I didn't hate it, so sue me. 

Imperial Stout with SPUTNIK Coffee and Maple Syrup finished on vanilla beans

Bent Paddle Barrel-aged Extra Baked Stout with Chocolate, Coconut + Vanilla Flavor

Bent Paddle Barrel-aged Extra Baked Stout with Chocolate, Coconut + Vanilla Flavor.

8.3 % ABV, 48 IBU. Bent Paddle Brewing, Duluth, MN. 

I've stated it before, but it may need reiteration. This blog and this writer are boycotting any use of the word "pastry" in connection with beer. It's a marketing term, like "smoothie sour", but it is dumb to the core. We were fine with "dessert stout/beer" before this, why the need for "pastry" when connection with ale, lager, porter or stout. Just because it has raspberries, it's now a "pastry" beer. So very stupid. And if I see "pastry" on the label, I'm staying away. 

This is the one that tricked me. I looked at the package and liked the fact that they weren't calling this beer a "pastry stout", until I bought it, brought it home, and looked at the back. You'll see that copy reproduced at the bottom.

But, on with the beer: 

Solid black, near-thorough opacity, under a slim layer of brown head. 

In the nose: Coconut is king. Toasted and roasted. Chocolate lies just below, with vanilla coming in from behind. Sweet stuff, here. 

In the mouth: Big coconut, big sweetness. Too much sweet? Let's see. Well, it covers up everything, utterly dominates. Chocolate still lurks beneath, vanilla on the side. Mostly malty affair, minor bitterness. And abundant coconut. Full bodied, long, sweet finish. Nicely balanced, actually, but I'm not picking up anything from a barrel. "Bourbon Barrels" for three months? Only getting a little bit of whiskey barrel...maybe six months would've helped. Just the barest amount. 

All in all, an indulgent dessert beer. A bit over-indulgent in the coconut department, but, you know, if you're going to go, go all the way. 

Our Extra Baked Pastry Stout is loaded with decadent flavor. It's first "Baked" with Stout Malt, Oats, Chocolate Rye and assorted Crystal Malts. It's "Extra Baked" by aging it in Bourbon Barrels for three months with pastry staples of Chocolate, Coconut and Vanilla. This beer is a celebration of some of the best dessert flavors we could stir up! Cheers! 

Arbeiter Chocolate Imperial Stout

Arbeiter Chocolate Imperial Stout.

9.7 % ABV. Arbeiter Brewing, Minneapolis, MN. 

Absolute ebon, fullest opacity, under a rich, roasted brown head. 

In the nose: Cocoa pipes up first. Dark malts aplenty. Bits of molasses, dark fruit, anise. 

In the mouth: Thick and rich, deep and heavy. Again, chocolate is lord of the palate. Almost a fudge-y flavor, without, you know, having to actually throw in a pan of fudge. Wonderfully warming. I thoroughly enjoyed this full-bodied, fully flavored Stout.

Arbeiter’s first imperial stout! This beer has all the specialty malts in this big beer but in the end it equals very palatable and rich imperial stout with all the dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavors one could ask for. Cacao nibs contribute a great dark chocolate aroma but do not typically impart much flavor – therefore the borderline bitter bakers chocolate, burnt caramel, dark roast black coffee, and even some black cherry and/or blackberry flavors all come from the extensive combination of all the malts. This delicious beer will be perfect to warm you up around the fire.