Wednesday nights are nice and relaxing, since my wife and kids have school stuff every Wednesday night. I spent most of the evening cleaning out my car, prepping to trade it in. Now I’m sitting down to enjoy this beer and the Mizzou basketball game. This beer was sent to me by my sister’s friend Brittany who lives near the brewery in New York. Thanks Britt!!!
Location: Poured into a snifter glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 11.2% ABV, 25° Plato OG, ~400 Calories
Ingredients: 2-row barley, caramel malt, chocolate malt, black malt, barley flakes, Jamaican roasted coffee, bittersweet Belgian chocolate, kettle hops: Columbus and Chinook.
Appearance & Aroma: It’s dark black in color with small hints of dark brown highlights when held up to the light. The khaki colored head fell quickly to just a thin, creamy ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. The aroma is coffee and dark cocoa with some roastiness.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium-to-full and the mouthfeel is smooth and somewhat oily. The flavor upfront is a semi sweet dark chocolate flavor, and in the middle, some coffee flavors emerge. Both the dark chocolate and coffee flavors grow throughout the finish, in which the coffee dominates with a little bit of bitterness. The dark chocolate and coffee flavors last for a little bit in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This has a good amount of coffee and dark chocolate flavors in it, and therefore, it would probably go good with hearty meals like chili, steak, or barbecue. This beer would probably also make a great vanilla ice cream float as well.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed the rich chocolatey and coffee flavors. In particular, the coffee flavors were nice and smooth, and not necessarily a roasty bitterness like some coffees. Although it is rich, it’s not quite as flavorful as Founders Breakfast Stout, which I think I might prefer slightly over this beer. It’s hard not to compare the two, but it is a great beer on its own.
My Rating: 
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