Sent By Liars
Anchorage Brewing Company

 

 

Viscous oily black with a dark mocha fizz that dies off audibly and quickly to a tarry surface.

Oh dang, this thick stout is immediately decadent of coconut syrup with charred hazelnut coffee undertones. It's an undoubted indulgence, but maybe a bit too sweet of one, with a slightly cloying nougat finish that reminds me a little of that Horus acridity, while not quite as ostentatious. The old lady said she tasted Oreos, and if we're talking hazelnut Oreos, then I can totally see it.

The fairly chewy feel is cut by a fine fizz that runs into a tangy, semi-sticky and lightly stinging finish.

I hope they're planning on winding down these "Missouri oak" experiments. The aging simply does not seem to contribute much of anything in any of these brews that eschew second use spirit barrels. And the ratings speak for themselves, both here and on UT. If it was solely the pastry gunk that drove their fan base, at least one of these would crack into their top five, but Anchorage's highest rated beers are consistently aged in spirit barrels.

That said, having had Starry Noche b2 a day later, I can definitively say that this was the far superior pastry stout with similar adjuncts.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells quite sweet and sugary, with creamy hazelnut, caramelized sugar, maple, melted chocolate ice cream, and vanilla.

In very, very small doses, this is good stuff - with a really wonderful and creamy hazelnut flavor. But man, beyond about 2 ounces or so, this just becomes so taxing, and the sort of oily sweetness you get from all the adjuncts just becomes a chore. I wish there was more oak or something like that - it would help sand down the sweet edges of this beer.

This is very thick and creamy, with very little booziness.

Anchorage definitely knows how to do balanced and complex - this isn't one of those times. It's tasty in its own way, but it's also just so tiring.

Dark black body. Oily vanilla bean, dark chocolate fudge, light coconut sweetness. The hazelnut adds a mild nuttiness. Tastes like vanilla ice cream, not unlike Blessed but with addt'l flavors. Full bodied, good carbonation, disappears fast.

375 mL bottle. Inky black. Smells of coconut, hazelnut, strong sweetness. Tastes of roasted malt, sweet milk chocolate and hazelnut. Coconut is a little tangy. Or maybe that's oak? Either way, it's got a twang. Extremely heavy and sweet. As desserty as dessert beers get.

 

 

 

 

Excited to get back into another Anchorage Stout. Let's get to it.

Pours out a thick, dark brown. A motor oil. On an aggressive pour, bubbles barely form at the top.

Nose is similar to the others. Milk chocolate, coconut, roasted malt, a mild nuttiness, and a little bit of oak. You're immediately greeted with the impression of Macaroons upon nosing this. The aromas of a bakery.

Taste follows closely to the nose. Sweet milk chocolate, coconut, roasted malt, and an almost smokiness. That has to be the oak influence. The hazelnuts don't really seem to show up here very much. After recently having multiple hazelnut brews none of these seem to have the sheer amount that Untitled Arts BA Hazelnut Stout has. There is a mild nuttiness that exists, but I'd be hard pressed to determine that without the label telling me so. Especially when you can sometimes get a nutty quality from barrel aging.

Mouthfeel is full-bodied and a touch cloying due to the coconuts involvement. There is a bit of drying heat on the back end, which I'm sure is because of the beefy 15% ABV. Despite that though, you don't get smacked in the face with a ridiculous booziness. That's something these brews do well. When you have stouts this sweet, the alcohol impact fades into near obscurity.

Overall this is a solid entry in regards to these Anchorage stouts. Its a bit standard and doesn't quite have its own unique identity compared to the other ones I've had. By no means a bad brew, but perhaps a mild letdown when put up against the other ones. Considering the price point as well. But alas, I drank this while watching Ahoy's Soundtracker episode and I enjoyed myself.

Appeareance: Pours pitch black with the brief appearance of a mocha film; leggy but no lacing

Smell: Chocolate fudge, coconut and vanilla with a hint of hazelnut

Taste: Sweetened milk chocolate and coconut forward with vanilla growing; just a hint of hazelnut after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with no carbonation

Overall: Typical of the Anchorage big dessert stouts, this is thick and on the sweet side

 

Look: Pours a dark, opaque onyx black with a thin, beige head that dissipates fairly quickly over the course of few minutes. Minimal lacing, though that's not surprising considering the 15% ABV. The high ABV also results in great "legs" when swirling around in the glass. 4.25

Smell: Aroma is predominantly sweet, leading with coconut and vanilla, with a hint of what I assume to be the hazelnuts. The base stout's malts are present in the aroma as well. While a little on the sweet side, this smells really good. 4.5

Taste: I was surprised that I enjoyed this on the palate even more than the aroma would have suggested, primarily I think because the vanilla becomes more pronounced there where it helps to mask the high ABV and balance what is still a very sweet beer. The coconut is certainly also present, and again I think I can tell where the hazelnut comes into play though I would be hard-pressed to identify it without already knowing it was added as an adjunct. 4.75

Feel: With its high ABV and final gravity it's not surprising this is a little on the sticky side. It's fairly viscous as well which works well with the bold flavor profile. 4.25

Overall: This is really good as long as you're prepared for a lot of sugar as the adjunct list would imply, so it may be best shared. While Anchorage's big beers are consistently pricey, they've also proven to be consistently delicious and among some of the best beers I've had the pleasure of enjoying so far. 4.75

Bottle. Tan head. Thick oily black color.

This is decandent. Coconut, vanilla, fudge, cocoa, hazelnut, nutty. Amazing adjuncts and amazing barrel flavors. Sweet, but not cloying. Warming. The bourbon is incredible. Everything about this is great. Full bodied and rich.

Another home run from anchorage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beer was delicious, my only issue was a total lack of Hazelnut on the nose or tongue. Price point was very high for a 12oz bottle. Not on par with Blessed or Ten. Would have rated it higher if the Hazelnut was present, otherwise, still very tasty!

 

A very sweet stout. Definitely delivers the adjunct flavors. Vanilla is most prevalent, but there is plenty of coconut and (thankfully to me) the hazelnut is slightly muted but there. Thick and viscous with a slight oily feel, medium bodied and a subtle alcohol presence for something so high ABV. Pretty good, but I think I’m rating this lower than others for a change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oily black pour, tiny light brown cap. The oak highlights the hazelnut and vanilla right away in the nose, dark chocolate, coconut and booze follow up. Taste actually starts with the chocolate, and then as if biting a candy bar the inside is nougat, hazelnut, coconut, vanilla, and toffee, with accents of dark roast coffee, leather and backed by the oak and slight booze. Feel is lighter than others in the series, so medium bodied lol, still viscous and warm, oak presence always felt in a positive formative way