Big Bad Baptist - Breakfast Baptist
Epic Brewing Company

 

2022 Release.

A - Black pour with massively dense caramel colored, creamy foam.

S - Cacao and chocolate with a little bit of char, Maple, and delicate Whiskey on the nose.

T - Toasted cocoa, chocolate, light Whiskey, "hints" of coffee bean, and Maple buried in the mix. Ends mild and slightly on the sweeter side because of the toasted cocoa.

M - Big silky soft body with a slight sticky residue on the lips.

O - Nice and mellow with really no coffee presence whatsoever. Solid, but "uneventful".

Pours dark in color. Drinks much easier than other 11% beers. I wish there was a more pronounced maple syrup flavor, after all, there is a picture of a stack of pancakes on the label and it is a "breakfast beer". Picked this one up when they were fire selling everything here at the Denver brewery, truly a sad day when they closed their doors. I gave this a 4 because it is not the original but a nice drinking Imperial.

A touch hot on the palate, and the sweetness of the maple syrup isn’t balanced by enough richness or depth. The coffee and oak still come through with a nice bitterness.

Overall, not the most disappointing BBB variant, but like most, it doesn’t live up to the OG, or the more complex barrel takes.

 

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark chestnut brown + dark cola brown + dark amber colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense sudsy foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a handful of small patches of medium thick film surrounded by a large patch of mottled very thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with light to moderate amounts of caramel + maple sweetness and hints of charred malts. Light aromas of dark chocolate + cacao nibs + coffee and slightly heavier than light aromas of whiskey + toasted oak + vanilla. Hints of briny salt.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with light to moderate amounts of caramel + maple sweetness and hints of charred malts.That is followed by light to moderate flavors of dark chocolate + cacao nibs + coffee and slightly heavier than light flavors of whiskey + toasted oak + vanilla. Finally there is a light amount of brininess/salt towards the finish. Moderate lingering roasty bitterness along with coffee + cacao + a hint of maple.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with a hint of alcohol warming.

O: Drinks pretty easily considering the strength with well hidden alcohol and a smooth albeit slightly lighter than some other whiskey barrel aged stouts mouthfeel. Enjoyable though the addition of maple syrup and salt do hugely differentiate it from the original (maybe just a touch sweeter). Still one to grab.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured black on tap with beige head. Lots of coffee on the taste, along with some maple sweetness and a bit of roasted malt. It’s definitely good but not as good as the original base stout.

 

Poured a black body with minimal head and no lace. Aroma is very maple syrupy and buttery along with hints of breadiness and chocolate. Medium body, slightly sticky, coffeeish-taste with some dryness and has some maple notes along with hints of chocolate and vanilla that all comes together on the finish with well-hidden ABV.

Pours a deep dark brown to black with a half finger of tan head. The nose has some roast and smoke but nothing that would indicate barrel-aging. The flavor brings some hints of bourbon but it also imparts a soy sauce essence on the back end.

L: Pours a hickory liquid that forms a very thin tan head, which is quick to fade. No traces of lacing or retention. Held to the light, it is a thick, fudgy color that is completely opaque.

S: Roasted malts, coffee, bourbon barrel, maple syrup, cacao nibs, with hints of char and some spice. Very nice, with some heat at the end.

T: Roasted malts, nutty coffee, dark chocolate, oak, char, and some smokiness towards the middle. Hints of maple syrup and dark fruit towards the end. More bitter than sweet, but in a very smooth and drinkable manner. Delicious.

F: Full-bodied. Rich and layered. Coats the mouth. Very smooth and lingers.

O: A magnificent barrel-aged stout. Epic's lineup has always impressed, and this beer is no different. No obvious weaknesses, not overly sweet and sugary. Nice, pungent aromas and good mouthfeel. The maple syrup plays in the background as the coffee, malts, and chocolate lead the charge, but why fix it if it ain't broken?

 

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pitch black, short-lived beige head forms to a finger in height but collapses into a thin cap a few minutes later. Thin and delicate rings of lacing.

S: A deliciously nutty and smokey aroma of a freshly brewed pot of medium roast coffee greets the nose first. Roasted malt character of smoke, char, and bakers chocolate soon follow. Subtle undercurrents of maple syrup. Woody whiskey barrel, dark chewy caramel, bourbon ball candy, vanilla nougat. Fatty nibs and chocolate truffles. Faint steely minerality from the salt. Ghostly whiffs of green and barely piney hops.

T: Differing from the nose, a huge wave of fatty and chocolatey cocoa nib character hits the palate first, and in a big way. Chocolate truffles and straight-up Hershey's chocolate syrup dominate. Maple syrup further adds its own nuanced sweetness. Flash of blueberry skins. Muted backbone of malt roast, bakers chocolate, and light smoke. Coffee pulls through with a nutty and mellow flavor of unsophisticated but pleasant medium-roast diner fare. Quick hit of briney salt mid-palate. The whiskey barrel starts softly with subtle drying oaky vanillins, caramel chews, and nougat. Toward the back end, a gentle corny wash flavor builds. No heat at all though. Some green and mildly oily hops bring a welcome bit of balance, but do nothing to get in the way. Pleasant finish of subtle maple syrup and fading nutty coffee and roast.

M: Full bodied and hefty. Creamy, silky, and full in the mouth. Lightly coating and syrupy. Firm but gentle carbonation scrubs and lifts with fine, sharp bubbles. Some syrupy stickiness on the lips.

O: So everyone just decided to do "breakfast beer" now? Like we all wouldn't notice it's just a half-assed attempt to dress a pastry stout in new clothes? I'm only half kidding, but the cynic in me goes away pretty quickly when the product is actually great. I'm not sure the salt is doing much here, but it isn't hurting either. And there's way more chocolate going on than anyone should ever think about putting on their breakfast plate. Despite these perceived incongruities, the overall beer is a pleasure to drink and it mostly hits its mark in terms of the concept. It leans perhaps a bit too nib-forward, but there's still enough complexity escaping the chocolate onslaught to keep things interesting. Most importantly, it does rein in its sweetness enough to be easily drinkable. It ends up being highly enjoyable in a hedonistic way, and it's well worth tracking down a bottle.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a one finger milk chocolatei head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, drip coffee, mild bakers chocolate and maple syrup; coffee is dominant. Flavor is dark toasted malt drip coffee, milk chocolate, whiskey, light oak and a hint of maple syrup. Lingering coffee finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; nice mouth feel. Glad I sprung for this one. I'm sensitive to caffeine in coffee stouts, but love the taste. The BBB series has been one of my favorites because it has good coffee flavor, but less obvious caffeine kick. I almost didn't get this because of the suggestion of extra coffee in the breakfast name. We'll see if it keeps me up, but the aroma and taste are real winners. This does seem to be the most coffee forward of these, but like the others, there is careful balance. As usual the malt body is rich and supports the coffee and adjunct flavors. Both maple whiskey are fairly light but detectable. The overall impression is fine integration and balance of flavors even with the very clear coffee flavor. This could be my favorite of the series so far in flavor. Really excellent.