

Now most people would pour stouts into a glass but I was too thirsty or lazy, probably both and didn’t feel like leaving the fire pit.. so straight from the bottle would have to do. As far as Imperial stouts go the 9% ABV didn’t hit as hard as expected, it had a soft heat more like a regular 5%. It was not a sweet Stout by any stretch. Heavy notes of bitter coffee and mildly floral hops with its intense dark color made me love it right away. Then a slight dark chocolate creeps up and just as suddenly fades to a smoky roasted barley flavour. After I drank about 1/3rd of the bottle I remembered that a cigar patiently waited for me to try it with so I would draw some smoke into my mouth, exhale and immediately take a sip. The oiliness of the cigar and the bitter chocolate linger of the Stout interacted wonderfully.

