[1] Review by eaglefan538 from DE, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/14/2008 5:45:41 AM)
"Bottle from SL, courtesy bfeld. The pour was pretty typical for the style, nice deep dark body and a good head on top. The aroma was wonderful, excellent roasted coffee with firm vanilla support, coconuts. The flavor followed the aroma, but unfortunately was a bunch too much, bitter coffee in combination with cheap water ice or snow cone vanilla, just overkill. Mouthfeel was sweet and a bit sticky, a great concept indeed, but just too much over the top. Stick with this one, ST, work on it again!"
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
5/10
Overall:
5/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $8.69 Unit Cost: $6.32 per Pint
[2] Review by Phil B from Gatineau, Canada who has tried this beer once. (10/3/2008 4:03:00 PM)
"Bottle: Poured a deep pitch-black color stout with a medium light brown foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma is totally dominated by vanilla and some weird crème brulé-like syrup. Taste is also dominated by the vanilla and whatever syrup they’ve used and little else is discernable. Full body but could have been creamier with good carbonation and no discernable alcohol. Interesting experiment but a bit over the top and not sure I would want to drink a full bottle by myself."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
5/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by bigred00 from buffalo, NY, USA who has tried this beer once. (9/6/2008 1:06:15 AM)
"Presentation: It was poured from a brown 1pt. 6oz. or 650ml bottle in to a snifter.
Appearance: A big, thick and foamy head sits on top of a very dark brown and opaque body. Its head is dark tan in color and it slowly fades to just a very thin covering. Lacing is rather sparse and slick as it slides down the sides of the glass.
Smell: The aroma is strong and noticeable as soon as the bottle is opened. The big bold sweetness of caramel and vanilla bean hits the nose. Under that there is a hint of roasted malt and sweet boozy alcohol like butterscotch schnapps.
Taste/Mouth feel: The flavor is overwhelmingly sweet!!! A thick, heavy caramel flavor dominates the over some creamy vanilla notes as well as a hint of dark powdery chocolate. Hop flavor is well hidden with just a slight bitterness sliding in near the finish. Also there is a mild warming from its 10% abv. The body is heavy and full with a syrupy slick, sticky texture. Its carbonation was mild which added to the slickness.
Notes: Its thick sticky body and its unchecked, unbalanced sweetness made for a very slow sipping beverage. It’s not exactly my cup of tea but cheers to Southern Tier for pushing the boundary with a very interesting beer.
"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
3/10
Flavor:
4/10
Overall:
4/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.7)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 650ml @ $7.25 Unit Cost: $5.28 per Pint
[4] Review by Phishpond417 from Madtown, Wisc, USA who has tried this beer once. (8/28/2008 11:24:51 AM)
"Wow, who's idea was this? A delectable treat to say the least. Absolutely tastey and beautiful in every way. Pours a wicked thick creamy black colour with a soft two finger sized tan head. The lacing is creamy and coats the glass in a thick frosty way.
Don't feel ashamed if you catch yourself licking the sides of the glass or even the air around this beer for that matter.
Like a beautiful 5 star dessert in every way. Vanilla, pecans, caramel, toffee and gingerbread. Taste is chewy, nutty- butterscotch, chocolate and vanilla flavors. While it is super tastey brew, it's one that is best enjoyed in small amounts or once in a while. "
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.3)
Sampled: Forced Draught Sample Size: 16oz @ $5.5 Unit Cost: $5.5 per Pint
[5] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (8/1/2008 11:45:20 PM)
"A massive wall of vanilla cream hits my nose just after I vigorously pour this beer; smells more like desert than just about anything, it is actually more concentrated than an actual crème brûlèe. The head form an initially three-finger thick, frothy, lightly browned, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The vanilla is just so overwhelming and loud, you really can't smell much else; luckily the vanilla note itself is not overly one dimensional, it is full enough that I am sure the brewer used actual vanilla beans (and a ton of them at that). If you like sweet and vanilla then this aroma is good, luckily I was ready for desert so this beer is fulfilling that urge so far. After warming up a bit the aroma takes on a touch of nuttiness and a butterscotch note becomes a bit more prominent.
Thick and rich up front with enough of a viscous body to make this a sipping brew; to be honest though it is not quite as rich and full as the aroma led me to believe. The vanilla notes are definitely far and away the dominant note here in the flavor as well, but some other flavors manage to assert themselves just enough to be noticeable. This finishes with a touch of hot alcohol, that in combination with the vanilla makes me think of Bourbon. Sweet, in fact incredibly sweet, though again not quite as much as the aroma might have suggested. The vanilla flavors contribute or bring out notes of butterscotch, Bourbon, . Not overly roasted, but some roast malt flavors seem to add a touch to the finish with a bit of bitterness. As this beer warms there is a slight nuttiness to the flavor that is a bit like browned butter and the flavors definitely lean towards burnt as the beer rolls across the palate.
I knew this beer was going to be a sweet, sticky, incredibly vanilla laden beer coming into this. For that reason I waited until I was really wanting dessert to have it. The aroma definitely satisfied any dessert fix that I might have wanted, but "strangely" I find the flavors not quite rich enough as this could use more roast malt flavors and a thicker, more complex malt base. That strangely in that last sentence is important, because if I was not ready for the overbearing vanilla and sweetness here I likely would have found this beer a sickly sweet, train wreck of an Imperial Stout; properly forewarned & with the right occasion, this beer, while overly simplistic, is not quite half bad and is even enjoyable if had in small doses."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
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(3.4)
