Southern Tier Brewing - Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

Tonight I'm going to break out a big 22oz bottle of creme brulee Imperial Milk Stout from Southern Tier Brewing in Lakewood, New York.  Southern Tier is a fantastic brewery....so far Steve and I have had their Cuvee Series Two and my personal favorite, the Gemini Imperial IPA.  This is a summer seasonal brew available beginning in June that boasts 9.6% alcohol.  It's a part of their Blackwater Series of Imperial Stouts, which includes other well-known numbers like Choklat and Mokah.


This brew is going into my snifter, color is deep dark brownish black with a minimal amount of tan head after a vigorous pour.  Looks like a nice stout.  The aroma is like a walk through a coffee shop adjoined with a candy store....very sweet with coffee, cream, and vanilla extract.  Milk, sugar, sweet sweet sweet, even a little caramel candy in there.  If this were a blind smell test, I wouldn't know for sure if it was even a beer, it smells more like a dessert.   Does the taste follow the nose?  YES.  Creamy, sugary, gritty coffee.  Starts off as a vanilla latte, then it morphs into a mutant coffee stout with extra sugar.  Marshmallows come in and linger for a bit, along with some burnt chocolate malts.  Vanilla is definitely prevalent throughout.  The alcohol is a welcome but fleeting distraction, adding just a hint of warmth to the drink.


Overall Rating:  This was a dessert in a bottle - true to the brew's name.  It was simply too overwhelmingly sweet for me.  Too much heavy, sugary sweetness and not enough other stuff to keep it grounded in reality.  If you like a sweet beer, then you'll enjoy this, but it wasn't for me.  D