Big Bad Baptist - Orange Stick
Epic Brewing Company

2022 Rare Release. Poured a dark chocolate opaque color into a Dogfish Head nonic pint glass from a 22 oz bomber with slight carbonation and a minimal caramel colored head that dissipated quickly leaving no lacing. Nose consists mainly of roasted malts and bourbon with slight hints of chicory, chocolate and orange peel. Mouth follows nose with an unexpected bitterness that seems in contrast to the bourbon and sweetness of the malts. Medium-heavy in body and almost syrupy with a slight carbonated tingle on the tongue. Overall an enjoyable brew but not one of my favorite BBB's.

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a one finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, cocoa and light coffee. Flavor is dark toasted malt, milk chocolate, bourbon, light coffee and a hint of orange. Chocolate milk and bourbon finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; fine mouth feel. A typically mellow and well integrated BBB with good chocolate, light coffee and bourbon, but surprisingly little orange character. There was a little orange juice flavor, but not the orange zest I expected. Since the base stout is so sturdy and rich, the faint orange was a pleasant background flavor that added a little more character. Not that different than the base stout, but that's not a bad thing for this brew.

Pours black with what seems like little carbonation at first, but a two finger head forms with nicely developed foam and bubbles that linger. Aroma is difficult to discern, as the profile seems unusually reticent. After several attempts, I can detect orange and coffee, though little else. Taste is more bitter than anticipated, which I suspect is from the orange peels. I also sense chocolate, orange and coffee. A whiskey wood taste overlays the entire taste. An interesting beer, though the bitterness is beyond what an imperial stout should have, IMHO, and the balance is perhaps not quite there. Scoring is, frankly, all over the board. Still, I enjoyed it.

22 oz bottle into a snifter.
Smell is familiar BBB.
Taste is familiar BBB. Until I squeezed orange zest on the rim of the glass. Then the orange stick chocolate made a glorious entrance. I get it. Finally.,.
Feel is familiar BBB.
Overall, this one needed a boost of individual inspiration to be fully realized.

Pours out dark brown and sits opaque in the glass; roasty and fairly full bodied with a hint of booze. Lots of chocolate and dark chocolate/cacao characteristics, bourbon barrel as well, really only minor impressions of coffee and pretty much no orange flavor or aroma, which is disappointing but kind of expected with this series.

The aroma on this beer was absolutely excellent, too notch. But then everything faded to a point where this wasn't even as flavorful as the regular Baptist. Feel was great. Overall it wasn't bad but idk. I feel like this is only as high as it is from my own bias.