Black Rainbows
Amager Bryghus

Pours a deep, dark brown coloration with a small, creamy head. Smells of roasted malt, chocolate and vanilla, with the merest hint of strawberry also coming through. Taste is a good balance of roasted malt, strong milk chocolate and lighter vanilla, as well as hints of strawberry and licorice, with some leathery accents also coming through. Finishes bittersweet, with a light/medium bitterness and some chocolate, vanilla and licorice lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and medium carbonation.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would, mainly because it's actually the polar opposite of the last "Neapolitan" Stout I had, which was extremely sweet and artificial tasting. This a lot better balanced, with some distinct roasted malt and a good bitterness balancing out those sweeter notes, with the strawberry staying particularly in the background here, which is probably for the best. While you could argue that this isn't a great "Neapolitan" Stout, I personally think it's the best way to do this. I'm not a huge fan of Pastry Stouts and while it's a bit sweet, the strawberry and vanilla character thankfully isn't all that overdone here. It's definitely there, but without becoming obnoxious, which goes for the overall sweetness as well. You could say that they sacrificed a very strong Neapolitan ice cream character for balance, which is absolutely fine with me, while this is also surprisingly non-boozy for the ABV, with a great mouthfeel.