Big Bad Baptist - Chocolate Mint
Epic Brewing Company

 

Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint from Epic. Purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 26/04/25. 22 fl oz bottle, $14.00 (Including tax), $ 0.637/fl oz. Reviewed 06/05/25 (Review 3524). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on label “2021 Rel#1” but otherwise undated. Stored on room temperature shelf at the distributor, 39 degrees F at home; served at 57.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.4 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same, but some light passes at the top edge.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.0 cm, aggressive center pour). Tuscan tan, medium density, fizzy, short retention, collapsing to a 0.15 cm crown and a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – Poor. Thin, broken sine wave.
Aroma – 3.5 – Faint mint. No yeast, no hops, no alcohol, no coffee, no roasted malt.
Flavor – 3.5 – Weak mint and bitter chocolate. No yeast, hops. No alcohol (12.9 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Again, no coffee. Uncomfortable gastric burning.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium: slightly creamy: soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the loose style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label artist. Faint mint, little chocolate, no coffee. Maybe it just didn’t hold up well, but three years isn’t THAT long for an Imperial Stout. Anyway, not one I’d buy (or drink) again. In fact, I may just dump the remainder of this one.

Review: 2311
Name: Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Mint
Brewery: Epic Brewing
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 12.9%
Canned: 2021
Date: 21 Feb 2025
I am digging through my cellar and opted for this beer. I need to review several Big Bad Baptists; this is a start to this epic review. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 48 degrees. The pour created a frothy, airy, half-fingered dark tan head with poor retention. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is dark brown, nearly black, with SRM 38 and opaque. The appearance is average for this style; I have seen a high ABV with decent head retention, so I was expecting something.
Nosing the glass, I detect mint, dark chocolate, leather, earthiness, caramel, toffee, Maillard, whiskey, oak, char, molasses, and vanilla.
Smelling the beer again, I notice a light floral, malty sweetness and dark roasted malts. I am disappointed with the aromas; I expected this beer to have a significant presence with the aromas, considering it is a Big Bad Baptist.
The first sip of the beer, the mint, and the chocolate are noticeable, but they remind me of an Andes Mint you get at a restaurant after you pay the check. The chocolate has a bit more depth but is a tad chalky and darker. The mint is not as prevalent as one would expect but muted. The mint flavor and aromas need to have more depth. The barrel-aging does add much-needed character, yet it could have a more profound effect on the overall stout. The other flavors I notice are caramel, toffee, malty sweetness, toasted bread crust, roasted malts, char, Maillard, leather, tobacco, oak, whiskey, floral esters, and burnt sugars.
The mouthfeel is chewy and thick, and the finish is bitter. The beer's body is heavy and has light carbonation.
I was expecting a delicious beer with a minty chocolate vibe; however, I got a muted one with some barrel aging. The mint has this chemical quality, making it a slight challenge to enjoy. I wonder if the brewers used mint extract instead of a shitload of mint leaves. I wonder if the boil or whirlpool created this odd chemical flavor. I have too many questions and no answers. It is an okay beer, but I hoped for more harmony and balance.

 

L: Pours a dark hickory, forming a thin tan head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving behind a swirl of retention and a robust ring of lacing around the edge of the snifter. Held to the light, this beer has a dark carob hue, opaque, very thick.

S: The mint is evident on the first sniff. Coffee, cacao nibs, roasted malts, light bourbon barrel and a hint of char.

T: Follows the nose, with the mint dominating the initial swallow. As the beer warmed, chocolate, malt, and light coffee roast became more pronounced. The dark chocolate works well with the mint, although they could've done with slightly more balance.

F: Medium-bodied. Somewhat thinner than expected. Silky smooth mouthfeel, with moderate carbonation.

O: Eh, not my favorite iteration from BBB. Serviceable, but they've got better options.

 

 

Bought at Liquor Shed in Casper. Release #1 2021.

It pours a pitch black with a gorgeous 2 finger head of tan foam, oodles of lacing.

The smell is cocoa, mint, roasted malt, some vanilla, whiskey.

The taste is cocoa, mint, roasted malt, vanilla, coffee and whiskey. The mint impedes my enjoyment of this Big Bad Baptist variant.

Not as full bodied as I assumed it would be, overall, I kind of hope that there's no Release #2.

Couldn't wait to get my hands on this.. Haven't heard the best reviews but I LOVE chocolate mint in general.
L: Poured from a 22oz bomber into a sniffer - a fingers length of head risen to the surface. Was a bit surprised to see as much lacing as I saw given that this is almost a 13% beer.
S: Definitely getting the chocolatey minty aroma. Haven't received much of the coffee in this one nor the barrels. The mint takes over most of the smell.
T: Wow yeah the mint just took over this one. This one doesn't have much chocolate - maybe due to the overpowering mint flavor. No coffee whatsoever but the abv is actually hidden fairly well. As it sits out it actually becomes quite tastier than one expects. Many people might judge the taste on the initial sip but once the carbonation sets in it actually becomes tastier as the chocolate becomes a bit more balanced with the mint. The mint is still the dominant factor in this but the chocolate almost comes close to balancing it out.
F: Medium bodied - kind of thin to be honest. Fairly easy to drink.
O: I was expecting this to have more bakers chocolate but I think that they put to much emphasis on the mint aspect of this beer therefore the mint overtook most of the beer. Wouldn't say I'd buy again but I'll try another one of these mystery beers!

 

This review is easy. Unwrap an Andes Chocolate Mint -you know the ones - small rectangular candies consisting of one mint-green layer sandwiched between two cocoa based chocolate layers.
Pour out a regular Big Bad Baptist. Drink a hit, eat the mint. End up with a chocolatey mint taste and a bit of alcohol burn.
Nice little creative novelty, glad I tried it, but nothing I’d go back after.,.

another cool variant of this i was fortunate to catch on tap, didnt expect the mint to be so forward here, its always an accent in beers that use it, or it has an essential oil property, but this has the cool effect of being real mint to me, but also being pretty pungent in the aroma and flavor, especially neat in such a big roasty dark beer packed with coffee and cocoa nibs and barrel char, for the mint to stand out as fresh mint is pretty cool. that said, its also got sort of a mouthwash or toothpaste vibe, cooling in the nose, and as much i like the mint on its own, or even with the base stout, it definitely clashes for me a bit with the coffee, like when you rip an espresso too soon after brushing your teeth in the morning, just not that compatible. also, i think the whiskey part is not all the way congruent either, more subtle bourbon to me here than in some of these others, even fresher or less mature tasting, could be a property of the brightness of the mint, but even the light whiskey thats on this is also a little curious with the herb. the saving grace and the unifier is the chocolate, no denying the synergy with the mint and i think with how bold the cocoa is it really works, dark and milk chocolate aspects both to me, girl scout cookie status here, and thankfully this is the dominant flavor vibe. as it warms i get trace licorice and pipe tobacco and even more coffee grounds, neat and very flavorful. solid stuff, perhaps a little out of proportion with the mint, cooling menthol exhale with the booze too is a bit much after each pull, but it should mellow out well in the cellar. still a total fanboy of this baptist series, and is fun how much they have been playing with it in recent years, feel like i dont dare miss a single one!

Look - a little thin blackness with slight rimming
Smell - chocolate mint but with wired off smells
Taste - worst than the smell
Feel - medium body light carb
Overall - was expecting way more, dissapointed

 

Pour is jet black with a nice cinnamon head. decent retention and lacing.
Nose is mint chocolate, hint of coffee, chocolate
Taste is chocolate, cooling mint chocolate, fresh mint leaf, coffee, hint of vanilla, bourbon, and a bit more mint on the finish. Nothing dominates.
smooth, creamy body.

 

1 PT. 6 FLUID OUNCE bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with an inch of mocha head that leaves spotty lacing.

It has a nice mint smell with some chocolate. I get some booze as it warms.

Minty with light chocolate. Mediocre flavor compared to other Baptist variants.

Medium bodied with a lighter than expected mouthfeel

Decent beer. Not my favorite Baptist variant.

 

Very good head production, and excellent retention. Nice lacing. For a massive BA stout with flavorings, this appearance is top-notch.

Aroma is mild, featuring cream, chocolate, and whiskey. It takes a bit to notice the mint, but it eventually shows its face: a bright, refreshing finish to the nose. Additional notes include coffee, toast, and brown sugar. It's a very pleasant nose, but far too modest for such a strongly flavored beer.

No such restraint on the palate; everything comes to play, and everything mixes together superbly. Chocolate, mint, whiskey, and coffee, along with malt notes of prune, toast, caramel, and toffee. Really lovely blend of flavor. Nothing is too predominant over the others. Some might prefer a more bombastic and sweet profile, but this really hits the nail on the head for me.

Full bodied, but a touch thin for my preferences given the ABV. Superb drinkability; this one goes down easy.