Mr Banks ‘Roasted’ Imperial Coffee Stout

Rating:

“A Big, roasty, coffee & chocolate laden imperial stout. Forget about your morning mug of joe, this is packed full of some of the finest Peru Chirinos Beans from Prodigal Coffee Roasters.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Glossy black with a thumb of fizzy yet finely beaded brown foam which quickly dissolves. It forms a halo and works a wet lace down the glass.

Aroma: Yup, loving this already. If you’ve been following us for long enough you’d know that coffee comes a comfortable 2nd to beer as our favourite beverage. So when these two magical worlds meet it’s usually just that…magical! The balance between the nutty, slightly burnt and chocolate-driven coffee and the roasty, licorice and ashy Stout base is literally divine. Honestly there’s no other way of describing it.

Flavour: We had to double check the ABV to reassure ourselves and yes, it’s 9.2% ABV. Dead set, where is it?! So dangerously drinkable! It opens up with a mild coffee roast, toasted walnuts, cocoa and ash – which develops a bit later. Picking up nuanced notes of vanilla and toasted coconut, light florals and burnt milk for days on the back palate.

Mouthfeel: So thick and creamy but unbelievably smooth. Mild-moderate Co2. Full body. As we touched on earlier the 9.2% ABV is incredibly well concealed.

Overall: Not often are we this impressed by Banksy but this offering deserves some adulation. It’s excquisitely balanced, rich and full flavoured and the coffee is beautifully integrated. That’s a definite two thumbs up from us.