As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in Miami Beach today and spent the morning running and enjoying the sun on South Beach (along with getting some work done with my laptop). For lunch, I searched for a nearby brewery or brewpub and found The Abbey Brewing Company. While trying their Immaculate IPA, I struck up a conversation with their Brewmaster/President Raymond Rigazio. He was a tremendously nice guy and let me sample several of the hard to find beers they had on tap.
They had 4 of their beers on tap, and I debated which one I should go with. It was between their Double, Quadruple, or their imperial stout. All the dark wood in the place made me crave the flavors of the imperial stout.
Location: On tap at The Abbey Brewing Company in Miami Beach, FL
Numbers: 9.5% ABV
Appearance & Aroma: The deep black beer looked like it may have been a bit cloud, although it was hard to tell because it was so dark. There was a half inch, creamy, tan head, through which I could pick up on some coffee, chocolate and dark caramel aromas.
Taste & Feel: As you’d expect, it had a solid, full body and a smooth mouthfeel. The initial flavors were coffee and dark chocolate, but then a sweeter, almost milk chocolate like flavor came through in the finish. There were some dark fruit flavors which also came through in the finish, leaving a smooth chocolate-coffee flavor in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: There is a decent amount of chocolate and coffee flavor in the beer, and I could see it going well with other chocolate flavors. Ideally, I could see enjoying this with some chocolate cake – adding both a flavor complexity and something to help soak up the big 9.5% ABV.
Overall Impression: This beer reminds me a lot of my own Russian Imperial Stout recipe. I enjoy the full chocolate, coffee and dark fruit flavors, yet it’s also very smooth and drinkable for such a big beer. Overall, I really enjoyed this beer along with some great conversation with the brewmaster Raymond.
My Rating: 
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