Prodromus
Omnipollo

 

Pours a dark brown/black with barely a ruby hue peeking through. Very dark. A darker tan head of half an inch appears and slowly recedes into a tan cap. Of all the imperial stouts, this is one of the nicer looking ones that isn’t a nitro. Usually low/nonexistent heads on these bad boys.

Very strong aromas that differentiate it from typical milk, chocolate, and imperial stouts. Likely all the adjuncts, which are many from coffee to vanilla to ‘natural flavours’. That doesn’t mean it isn’t pleasant as all hell though! Very strong alcohol character gives whiffs of dark rum and generic whisky. They’re not wrong with graham cracker, as cracker like, rich desert smells come through. Chocolate but more milk than dark IMO, less cacao and more refined of a smell. Sweet. Vanilla and oak-y. If beers were rated on smell alone, this is one of the absolute best.

Wow, quite a unique taste here. Strongly vanilla through the entire thing. Roasted malts are present at the start, dark and burnt caramel like malty grains. They do take a backseat to the adjunct flavours, syrupy and sticky chocolate, a little bit of tobacco there. From the tobacco you can get licorice and darker spices. Strong barrel aged, sweet liqueur flavours here. Kind of like brandy beans but not really — there is a dessert taste I can’t put my finger on that I can’t stand that I can’t remember! But it’s similar to that.

Probably the first beer I can comfortably say is full bodied. Definitely a fuller bodied beer with very tiny, fine bubbles, which at its lower carbonation, create a creamy mouthfeel. The body of the beer is syrupy, slick, and oily all at once thanks to the additives and oats. A long, bittersweet finish on the palate that is lightly sugary sticky, a little burnt and a little chocolatey.

Overall, there are moments it wanders into a sickly sweet territory that isn’t super pleasant. It’s absolutely, 100% a dessert beer in a can. I mean, lots of beers call them dessert beers, and they kind of are. But this is 100%, one and done, full dessert, full sugary sweet, Imperial stout. Fuller bodied than the nitro Galaxy Cowboy stout I had, more creamy and sugary than chocolate milk lactose stouts, this is definitely an experience. For what it is, and the high price, likely something I’d only revisit once in a long while, but definitely worth experiencing.

 

 

I wanted to love this beer but couldn't. It smells great and has a great mouth feel. Very complex flavour with the chocolate coming through well. The downside is the other flavours seem phony as if added by an extract. The cookie dough flavours are overwhelming and too sweet.
This beer earns a B. It has a lot of good things going for it, smell and feel wise, but falls down on the taste. it also runs to the expensive side $6 a can, given the high ABV and style, so I stand by giving it a B despite the generally high scores.

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated 05 11 2018 and served barely chilled. Brewed at the Brunswick Bierworks in Toronto.

Pours jet black, topped with a half finger of foamy, tan-coloured head that falls apart within the next minute or two. A creamy collar is the only notable debris; not that impressive to look at, but it's attractive enough to get my mouth watering - or maybe that's me noticing the aroma wafting off of the glass before I've even put my nose anywhere near the thing. Once I do, the graham crackers, cocoa powder, toffee, dark & milk chocolates were all easy to discern; the vanilla and roasted malts are just a bit more subtle. It's an unabashedly dessert-like aroma, which is not always my thing, but in this instance it is done masterfully well.

Rich and intensely flavourful - the dark roasted malts are front and centre at the beginning of the sip, but steadily give up ground to the adjuncts over time. Dark chocolate is probably the most noticeable flavour to me, with the caramel and graham crackers also making strong cases; cocoa, coffee, burnt sugars and vanilla are also present towards the finish, with a touch of herbal licorice. The dessert elements linger briefly into the aftertaste, as does a twinge of ethanol warmth; you can tell the booze is there, but it blends into the whole tapestry quite nicely. Full-bodied, with minimal carbonation providing the faintest sense of a tickle on the palate; slick and soft, a bit weighty and satisfying to swirl around in the mouth. I almost want to call this a dangerous beer because the 10.5% is so well-integrated, but the sweetness really does limit my desire for seconds. In other words? A true dessert beer.

Final Grade: 4.34, an outstanding A grade. Prodromus is a feast for at least three of the five senses, and maybe even four, if you just love the way stouts look in general. I was actually a bit worried that this would be a sweet boozy mess, but was instead delighted to discover one of the best stouts I've bought at an LCBO (sorta-)recently. It's a beer I hope to enjoy once again in the future - ideally on a special occasion, as this is not the sort of thing I'd want to drink every day (or week or month, for that matter). Highly recommended: I continue to be grateful for Omnipollo's Canadian presence.

 

 

How can something be a bit too sweet and a bit too bitter at the same time?
Like this.
After pouring, a disappointingly nonexistent head makes an appearance and you wonder what you are in for. But then you meet the mouthwatering nose and you celebrate. The taste is okay, although the chocolate is a bit too bitter, the caramel a bit too burnt and the whole thing is a tad bit syrupy and way too sticky. I guess it's good enough to try but I wouldn't go beyond that.

 

Pours a midnight black with a slowly developing three finger head. Head has great retention and there is ample lacing.

Smell is quite sweet with the caramel being the leader. Hard to get past that beautiful smell, but I also get roasts and some vanilla.

Taste brings the nose to the mouth. The caramel becomes almost treacle and the roasts blend nicely with the subtle vanilla. Fudge shows up, but the graham cracker seems lost.

Feel is a big ol' heavyweight. Carbonation is there but definitely not strong. Finish is sweet bordering on cloying. You can really feel the booze in this one without actually getting any burn.

Wow, when people say big beer, this is going to be my thought from now on. A gorgeous look and smell to this one leads to a huge flavor bomb that perhaps becomes too much if you are having it alone. Drink wisely and share.

Got this from hopsolutely and pino this past summer. Cheers for the cans!

From a can into a snifter
Graham cracker chocolate chunk caramel bar stout

APPEARANCE: Pours out clear black and yields a one finger, loose, fizzy, noisy tan head with horrible retention. Head quickly fizzes and crackles away to a thin ring only. Black body with no carbonation evident. Finishes flat looking rather quickly. Lousy head on this one.

SMELL: Lots of caramel, butterscotch, graham cracker and milk chocolate on this one. Piles of caramel and chocolate. Bold and exactly as advertised.

TASTE: Graham cracker, caramel and toffee up front. Milk chocolate too. Some booze at the swallow with a bold and lingering finish of graham crackers, vanilla cream, milk chocolate, caramel, and lots of butterscotch. Really decadent.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes a bit mouth-coating. A bit of heat lingers.

OVERALL: This was awesome. The look was not all that impressive, but like a lot of other Omnipollo imperial stouts, these things are just exactly as advertised. Lots of lovely aroma and flavor that is exactly as the label suggests. Top notch stuff. Thanks again guys!

Pours black with lots of amber edges. The flash in the pan head disappears quickly. Molasses, milk chocolate, raisin bran in the nose. The taste is Malty and sweet with more subdued roastyness than is usual for the style. Cocoa and caramel buns in there. The mouthfeel is full bodied with light carbonation. The finish is moderately bitter with lots of chocolatey malt.

A nice Imperial Stout but somewhat sweet. Worth a try for sure.

Second time - share of 16 oz can. Pours thick rich black with deep tan head with reddish tint - dissipates quickly. Aroma is so much sweet chocolate fudge with caramel toffee and a sweet grainy effect. Tastes of chocolate with caramel and a nice graham cracker effect and bit of date - so sweet but nice in small pour. Full thick mouthfeel - even with the sweetness nice bit of coffee bitterness on the finish. Excellent dessert beer.

 

Had to try this as I'm a big fan of Omnipollo Zodiak & after IPAs, stouts are my next favourite. Pours dark brown like cola with a darker than tan light brown head which fizzes & fades down to a flat surface in little time. No lacing while drinking. Aroma is strong chocolate syrup with coffee & caramel, suggesting something sickly sweet is coming in the taste. The taste hits hard: strong, sweet & boozy upfront with tastes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, graham cracker& bourbon, then the mealy taste of an imperial comes in while the booziness remains throughout the sip. Mouthfeel is sticky, smooth & pretty full, with the stickiness being the most memorable feel. Overall, worth the try for the novelty, but not something I'm likely to have again.

Pitch black with 2 fingers of dark brown, purple reddish tinged, beige head. The head is almost as dark as the body.

Smells of vanilla, coffee, hazelnut latte, chocolate, and black liquorice. Really intense on the flavoured coffee like elements.

Very sweet, then the hazelnut, vanilla and coffee notes predominate, followed by black liquorice, and dusted cocoa notes.

Thick, syrupy body, with little carbonation.

Got at LCBO, drinking in Muskoka, March 17th, 2018.

16 ounce can into snifter, canned on 12/21/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts the whole glass. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass. Insane appearance. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, graham cracker, coconut, cookie dough, and toasted dark bread; with light notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and cookie dough notes; with great strength. Taste of huge big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, graham cracker, coconut, cookie dough, and toasted dark bread; with light notes of molasses, dark fruit, smoke, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very mild roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, fudge, graham cracker, coconut, cookie dough, toasted dark bread, light molasses/smoke, roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and cookie dough flavors; with a solid roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and velvety mouthfeel that is amazing. Minimal chalky roast or dryness. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.5%. Overall this is an insane flavored imperial dessert stout! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and cookie dough flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Insanely rich, decadent, and complex; but never overly sweet. Perfect balance of malts and flavorings. A highly amazing offering.

(beware my train of thought analysis) First impression was is this beer or used motor oil! Pours very heavy and dark into tulip. dark lacy head dissipated quickly. Mouthfeel is even rich and syrupy. Amazing nose reminds me of walking into a high end chocolate shop. \very interesting.Vanilla, caramel, chocolate and alcohol .... is this a beer or a dessert? poured from a can from LCBO it is not as cloying as I was expecting. Very sweet at the start and finishes with a strong alcohol residue in the throat, almost like a bad scotch. Can't get over how dark this is. It would be hard to drink a lot of this but it is definitely a must try, if only for the great variety of flavours that play catch me if you can with your tastebuds. vanilla chocolate cream nose is quite robust. taste matches the nose but the alcohol is a bit overpowering on the finish. It is getting harder to drink as I am halfway through due to the sharp alcohol finish, and this is my first beer of the evening. As I sit here savouring the flavours I can feel them dancing over my teeth and jowls but always present on my tongue between sips.

Final thoughts: This is a beer to recon with. The flavours are intense and long lasting. I almost feel that we need a new classification for this style, it is more of a thick flavoured malty dessert beverage. I can see drinking this after a nice fondue with friends or after a nice winter grilled t-bone. it is not a beer for the faint of heart as the alcohol content is significant and noticeable. Intense flavour, fantastic nose, deep mysterious colour, and deep flavour are all a plus. High alcohol and drying throat feel are negatives. This beer would stand up well to rich game dishes and tart desserts.