On tap at Broadway Dive, deliriously complex Christmastime-spiced Imperial Stout (with mighty 10% ABV) layers creamy black chocolate syruping atop dry hop-charred roast and molasses-draped bourbon, whiskey and sherry boozing. Curtailed holiday spicing (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander) shuffle across fudged brownie, coffee, vanilla, hazelnut and espresso nuances as well as lovely dark cherry, blackberry, rum raisin and sugarplum notions.
Brash 2015 version (11% ABV) rocks hard as smoky dark-roasted chocolate and coffee overtones receive massive hop-charred nuttiness and chewy molasses-sapped burnt caramel sweetness. Bold mocha theme picks up latent anise-spiced dried fruiting at dry black chocolate finish.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, reliable medium-bodied stout brings smoky dark-roasted black chocolate malting, powdered cocoa dryness and black coffee bittering to black cherry-pureed anise spicing.
On tap at Ambulance, affluent sweet stout packs dark-roasted black chocolate malting atop luxurious bourbon-burgundy warmth and burnt caramel creaming. Incidental black licorice, dark cocoa, fudge brownie, hazelnut coffee and vanilla undertones reinforce chocolate-y dessert treat.
Uniquely robust and luxuriously detailed Aztec chocolate richness coats curried cinnamon spicing above roasted pasilla negro chili peppering. Syrupy molasses sapping soaks whiskey-tinged bourbon and burgundy subtlety while cedar-burnt hop char deepens peppery heat. Tertiary peppermint, vanilla, coffee, cacao nibs, carob and anise illusions drift into the colossal dark chocolate center.
Fierce limited edition 30th anniversary Imperial Stout (boasting 11% ABV) settles like thickly creamed mocha-molasses syruping on the tongue, contrasting tarry hop-charred bittering and latent wood-burnt charcoal singe. Its sweet side ultimately dominates as caramel-burnt creme brulee, black chocolate, dark Italian roast coffee, whipped cream espresso, dark cocoa, bourbon vanilla and cinnamon illusions merge alongside dried-fruited fig, raisin, plum and blackberry flirtations to harness fudgy chocolate-covered black cherry finish.
Oak-barreled wood char seeps into dry burgundy luster, smoothly edging out the original Frost Monster’s dominant mocha aspect. Soured day-old coffee slipstream jams vinous black grape esters embittering smoky soy-milked cocoa malting. Crisp tobacco roast mildly affects tertiary fig, black cherry and prune snips.
On tap at Ambulance, noir full-bodied stout plies richly dark-roasted black chocolate malting to wood-charred molasses bittering, dried cocoa powdering, caramel-burnt vanilla sugaring and black cherry sedation. Tertiary chocolate liqueur, black coffee, toffee and anise illusions add to chewy robustness.
On tap at Ambulance, dry dark-roasted coffee bittering overpowers black-malted dark chocolate tones, Blackstrap molasses astringency and hop-charred oats toasting. Distant blackberry-blackcurrant-blueberry illusions as well as murky cola-hazelnut sweetness deepen heavy mocha finish.
Metaphorical fire breathing dragon brings firey habanero peppering to smoky mocha malting and oak-charred oily hop linger, tailing off as molasses-smoked black chocolate, bitter dark-roasted coffee and dry chalky cocoa drown out the finishing chili heat. Below the surface, black cherry respite and wispy cola nuttiness waver.
Complex, bold, adjunct-heavy Imperial Stout douses creamy brown chocolate spicing with advertised oats-sugared maple molasses syruping, black peppered cayenne burn, dried fruited raisin-date conflux and dry dandelion-rooted hickory bark without getting muddled. Ashen hop char contrasts dominant chocolate-caked sweetness while tertiary star anise, cocoa, vanilla, hazelnut and cola nut illusions increase intensity. Out of this world.
“Intense coffee-chocolate” confluence receives oily hop char to relieve moderate alcohol heat. Dark-roasted mocha malting dominates, allowing bittersweet coffee, black chocolate and cocoa nibs creaminess to surface above tertiary walnut, anise and dried cherry illusions.
