Teddy Bear Kisses (Aged on Cacao)
Upland Brewing Company

Teddy Bear Kisses (Aged on Cacao) from Upland Brewing. 12 fl oz can. Received from @Whyteboar in Barleywine and Stout BIF #2. Received 22/02/25, reviewed 03/03/25 (Review 3460). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom rim of can stamped “092723113016.” Stored at 39 degrees F at home. Served at 55.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 58.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, red amber at the edges.
Head: Average (2.3 cm, aggressive center pour), biscuit. High density. Short retention, leaving a 0.4 – 0.6 cm undulating crown, and a rocky, complete cap.
Lacing – Poor. One three-centimeter block of torn curtains remains.
Aroma – 3.75 – Weak cocoa. No hops, no yeast, no ethanol (10.0 % ABV, as marked on label). No disulfide or diacetyl.
Flavor – 4 – Begins with chocolate, very slightly bitter, and some coffee flavor. No yeast, no hops, no ethanol. No disulfides, no diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming. It ends a bit dry.
Palate – 4 – Medium to full; creamy; soft but aggressive carbonation.
Style: Follows the loose style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 Very easy drinking, particularly for a Russian Imperial Stout.

pours dark with great head and bourbon smell strong bourbon malt taste

Brew: Upland Brewing Company – Teddy Bear Kisses (Aged on Cacao)

Intro: 12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass. Shared with a friend.

Appearance: Pitch black, Moderate head maybe 1 inch. Minimal lacing as I drank

Smell: Chocolate is the headliner. Barrel in the back but prominent.

Taste: Something is off here. Don’t think it’s infected but more like a semisweet chocolate with a sour tinge. Not appealing.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, medium carbonation.

Drink: Got it down but it was a chore.

Conclusion: Not sure what happened with this one. If it was intentional, they missed the mark in my estimation.

 

 

Lighter black with brown edges, tan ring. Aromas of big bourbon, cocoa, and smoky earth with a hint of metal, danger will robinson. Taste confirms my fears: huge metal finishing waves of hot bourbon booze and cocoa powder, ash tray aftertaste. Feel is hot, metallic, yet thin and harsh. An awful disaster, somehow worse than the mint one, woof!

 

One can understand how the reviews looked completely mixed up and inconsistent, as this is now the 7th Stout with variants of the same Teddy Bear Kisses title. This one was not an exact match for any of the others, so here we go.

12oz can dated 9 October 2020, poured into a snifter. Darkest brown possible with tan head of a finger that laces in a scattered spotty manner with each swirl. Smells of chocolate, sugar, vanilla - with taste that matches smell. Catch some coffee on the finish. Has that nice RIS feel that coats the tongue w/o much of a bite, but the alcohol warmth is present.

Pretty outstanding offering, it's a shame that Upland doesn't come up with some unique names to help with the confusion, as most reviewers seem to just pick any Teddy Bear and jam their thoughts under an umbrella with holes.