Luxurious whiskeyed chocolate nightcap soaks cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon and ancho chili peppering with 15-month barrel-aged Pedro Ximenez sherry and Basil Hayden bourbon. Fudgy brown chocolate syruping greets caramelized whiskey sweetness, bourbon vanilla spicing and mild chili burn, picking up spunky dried fruiting and maple-glazed pecan nuttiness over peaty rye surface. Superb!
All posts by John Fortunato
WICO STREET FATALITY BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT BLEND 2
Bold barrel aged Imperial Stout conditioned on vanilla beans and blending French oak red wine with Basil Haden double oak and Heaven Hill bourbon oak. Sweet bourbon whiskey warmth serenades vanilla bean bittering contrasting brown chocolate-spiced sweetness and fruitful Sangria wining. Lusciously ‘spirited’ vanilla-chocolate dessert nightcap.
WICO STREET FATALITY BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT BLEND 4
Robustly rich stout variant blended in rye whiskey, sherry and herbal liqueurish fernet barrels with bourbon vanilla ice cream, salted caramel and espresso coffee bean adjuncts. Stupendous full body lets sweet bourbon vanilla spicing and caramelized whiskey tones get lathered in fudgy Hershey’s brown chocolate syrup topped by thick Graham Crackered chocolate pudding crust. In the recess, sticky anise, chewy marshmallow, nutty chicory coffee, hazelnut paste, cinnamon toast, dark cherry and brown raisin illusions emerge alongside sherry, burgundy and pinot noir wining to deepen its spiritedly fireside bourbon vanilla-chocolate warmth. Mighty decadence!
WICO STREET FATALITY BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT BLEND 5
Luxurious barrel aged stout given 15 months in French oak red wine vat then splendidly blended with rye whiskey and Heaven Hell bourbon and finally conditioned on cocoa nibs. Sweet bourbon entry gains syrupy brown chocolate sugaring and rummy whiskey splendor plus latent bruised black cherry, prune and fig influence.
BRIX CITY VIET NOM NOM NOM
On tap at River Of Beer, luscious bourbon-aged lactose stout infused with dark-roast Vietnamese coffee and given fudgy milk chocolatey syruping plus sweet vanilla splurge picks up mild espresso, toffee and burnt caramel illusions, finishing with Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss nicety. In all, a Vietnamese iced coffee-inspired Imperial Milk Porter given slight bourbon edge for cocoa-nibbed vanilla adjuncts. Recommended nightcap.
BRIX CITY SILK CITY BANANA SPLIT
On tap at Taphouse 15, decadent 2024 Silk City pastry dessert variant (10.5% ABV) soaked in Smith Bowman bourbon barrels then given rich cocoa nibs, modest vanilla bean and wild Thai banana adjuncts retains bourbonized mocha sweetness at bold finish. Chocolate pudding skin tops creamy vanilla-sugared banana richness contrasted ever so slightly by hop-charred coffee roast.
FAT ORANGE CAT ROLL ME ONE OF THOSE COWBOY WITH COCOA NIBS/ MARSHMALLOW
Fabulous cocoa nibs and marshmallow-induced stout stays richly vanilla creamed as brown chocolate syrup drapes fudgy molasses gingersnap Brownie likeness and sweet bourbon follow thru. Slight black peppering contrasts latent black cherry wisps beneath chewy marshmallow-squared cocoa protuberance. Recommended.
IMPRINT BBA PANDAN COCONUT PISTACHIO STOUT
On tap at Taphouse 15, slightly offbeat bourbon barreled curiosity provides toasted coconut, roasted pistachio and rosily floral pandan leaf adjuncts for whiskeyed chocolate-backed Graham Cracker base. “Luxuriant” full body’s hefty 13.5% ABV hidden nearly as well as fading pandan-leafed pistachio nuttiness while tertiary black cherry bruise, fried banana and vanilla wafer snips beckon.
ITHACA VANILLA PORTER
On tap at Pompton Craft House, exacting earthen vanilla bean bittering sways to the dry side de-sweetening caramel-burnt dark chocolate musk, mild milked coffee tones and nutty remnant in a nitro-smooth setting.
MEIER’S CREEK CHOCCY MILK PORTER
On tap at Ambulance, chocolate bourbon vanilla porter dryer than expected as chocolatey vanilla sweetness and mild toffee sugaring absorbed by smoky coffee-burnt soy milking.
VON TRAPP / TROEGS STOWE-STYLE DUNKELWEIZEN
On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, Vermont maple syrup glazes cocoa-dried peat and mild vanilla splurge of easygoing Bavarian-style dark ale.
EVIL TWIN NYC DUKE MARLON QUADRUPEL IPA
On tap at Kitchen & Beer Bar, stickily sweet vodka-like alcohol esters (11.5% ABV) simmer into tropical fruited double dry-hopped ‘quad’ IPA (utilizing tropical Citra-Comet-Motueka variants), retaining sugary orange-peeled grapefruit swill and peachy guava-papaya tang above gluey oats-honeyed malts.
