Imperial Biscotti Chili Hazelnut Break
Evil Twin Brewing

Review: 2236
Name: Imperial Biscotti Chili Hazelnut Break
Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Style: Imperial Stout
A.B.V.: 11.5%
Canned: Unknown
Date: 31 October 2024
The cellar purging continues with the Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break series. I am unsure how old this beer is; it is at least two or three years old. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 46 degrees. The pour created an airy, foamy, frothy, tan, two-fingered head with above-average retention. The slow dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is SRM 34 dark brown, nearly black, and opaque. The appearance of the beer is above average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I smell vanilla, chili, cookie dough, toasted bread, and nutty (not quite hazelnut). Smelling the beer again, I notice caramel, toffee, molasses, chocolate, coffee, tobacco, malty sweetness, and earthy dirt. At the end of the beer, I smell a bit of hops, herbal and grassy.
Sipping the beer, I taste toasted bread, hazelnuts, chili, caramel, bittersweet dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and dark-roasted coffee. After a few more swigs, I noticed earthy dirt, herbal, green vegetal, raisin, molasses, grassy, and malty sweetness. I can also detect Maillard, char, and dark-roasted malts.
The mouthfeel is carbonic, and the finish is warm from the chilis and the ABV heat. The body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation.
The stuff that comes out of Evil Twin is a hit or miss for me. I am on the fence with this beer. I like the flavor combinations but am not a fan of the balance and harmony in the beer. Overall it is a solid offering from Evil Twin.

16oz can from Tavour. A little bit of a gush at the opening, but I was able to catch it in my snifter. Inky black pour with a thick beige head, which subsides down to just a small ring and a few collars of lacing. As you can see by the beer name, there's an awful lot of things going on here. And each one of them is detectable in both the aroma and the taste. Quite a feat, well-crafted beer. A little bit sweet, a little bit roasty, a little bit spicy and a little bit nutty. No warmth whatsoever, slick and smooth and creamy.

Yes worthy offering. Get the chili and it works for me.

Love the regular Biscotti Break and all of the stouts I have tried by evil twin. I only saw the hazelnut part when I ordered the beer when I got home I saw the chili part and was a bit scared. I love chilis and I love beer but the few chili beers I have tasted were not good mainly that dreck called Prairie Bomb. Thankfully this was the exception.

L - Pours pitch black with not much head that dissipated quickly. Usually the case with higher alcohol beers like this so I don’t dock it for that.

S - I get a lot of the hazelnut in the nose and that seems to accentuate the coffee aroma more vs regular biscotti break.

T - Like the nose hazelnut and coffee come forward. The chili seems to be just some residual heat on the back end almost like cinnamon. The chili does not mess with the flavor profile at all and if you were expecting a ton of heat or chili flavor this might disappoint but for me everything blended together very well.

F - This is one aspect I love about Evil Twin. Many people these days make imperial stouts that are like drinking syrup. This one is decently dry and drinkable considering the high alcohol content. Not cloying and the nice bit of heat on the back end is pleasant. Overall for me a very drinkable imperial stout.

O - Overall a great beer that I had no problem finishing but imperial stouts are my favorite style. Another winner from Evil Twin, don’t regret buying this one in the least and look forward to other 3.

 

I didn't think the original could be improved upon, but who knew that chili and hazelnut could work so well together and in one of the best stouts ever. Who knew? Evil Twin, silly.

It pours a sublime black with constant foam (it's alive). The aroma is huge - chili hazelnut, on top of an amazing big, malty stout, which, by the way, probably has a bunch of hops too. It all works so well together.

Highly recommended. You should always buy any Evil Twin stouts that you come across, and this one proves why.

 

Evil Twin sequel to Biscotti Break featuring chilis and hazelnuts. The base beer is very much there and a bit of chili spice, but no sting. Pretty tame for ET overall though.

Definitely can taste the chili aspect. Makes it a little weird. Otherwise quality stout.

 

 

473 ml can, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11.5%. Pitch black colour, small tan head. Aroma of roasted hazelnuts and roast malts, chocolate biscuits and vanilla. The flavour has a light chili burn and is fairly sweet, with the same elements as the aroma. Moderate but noticeable hops. Good beer.

04/28/21 can @ home

16oz can poured into a snifter. Pours out nearly jet black with a mocha-colored head. Aromas and flavors of vanilla sweetness and fresh coffee combine with a nice poke of chili heat with a nearly-full-body and a touch of alcohol booze. Tasty and enjoyable.

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left sticky patches of lace on the glass. It smelled of chili peppers, chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla. Sweet caramel, chocolate, toffee with a spicy heat and subtle vanilla.