The guys from Norway have produced a gazillion beers to date, and this latest drop is a dessert beer brewed with the addition of cacao and vanilla. Mmmm.
Poured into a tulip glass, there is a syrupy oil slick that oozes out of the bottle. A tiny tan head dissolves very quickly leaving just a thin creamy film on top of mat black beer. Beautiful roasted aromas, along with dark chocolate and vanilla, and some brown sugar. First sip is powerful. Very full bodied here, almost thick in the mouth with strong roasted bitterness initially, which then tapers off very nicely, leaving flavours of sweet chocolate and caramel malt, bitter dark chocolate, chocolate liquor, booze and espresso. little carbonation in the mouth as expected for an imperial stout like this one. There is a sticky, syrup essence on the lips after each sip. Given that this brew is 11% alc vol., there is exceptional balance between alcohol burn and roasted malts. There is minimal lacing on the glass due to the oiliness of the beer. Good length and balance between bitter and sweet here. Of note, there is some yeast sediment at the bottom. We noticed on ratebeer.com that a 100/100 rating was given here. This is a very good dessert stout and we have had some unbelievable stouts in our time… some brewed with oysters, some brewed with chocolate and coffee. Considering this is an imperial dessert stout, and the balance between bitterness and sweetness, we have only high praise. Yummo!