Lusciousness Hazelnut Latte
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Got this from Terry & Emma. Cheers guys!

From a 473ml can into a snifter
Canned 28 January 2021
IBU: 60
Imperial stout with Lactose sugar, vanilla extract, coffee beans and hazelnut extract

APPEARANCE: Clear black pour yields a three finger, looser looking, pot holed, foamy tan head with solid retention. Really foamy and Swiss cheese-like. Black body with higher levels of carbonation for the style. Head eventually recedes to a full, creamy cap.

SMELL: Piles of hazelnut extract, coffee aromas, sweet lactose sugar, vanilla and milk chocolate on the nose. This is definitely a hazelnut latte. Bold and candy-like.

TASTE: Hazelnut, milk chocolate, some lovely vanilla and sweet, creamy coffee flavors up front. Flavorful. Bold finish of sweet vanilla and milk sugars, hazelnut extract, bitter roasted coffee flavors, some milk chocolate and a touch of alcohol. Flavorful desert in a glass.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes a touch mouth-coating. A touch of bitterness lingers. Good stuff.

OVERALL: The label says it’s rich and creamy, and that’s about right on the money. This is very nice. It’s the head is a little wild but once it calms down, it’s a good looking stout with piles of adjunct character on both the nose and the palate. A good feel supports the show as well. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of the style. Definitely recommended. Cheers!

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Dec 8 2021 and served barely chilled.

Oily black in colour, with my own sloppy pour producing nearly three fingers of billowing, foamy tan-coloured head that slowly fades. A little over five minutes later, I'm left with a wide, creamy collar and thin cap, with lots of webby lace painted onto the glass - it's a beautiful stout, no doubt. Rich and, well, downright luscious on the nose - I'm getting chocolate milk, hazelnut and coffee with cream, with lesser hints of vanilla and cacao. It's enticing, but there's no subtlety here, and not much sign of that 9.5%, either... maybe a little as it warms.

It starts off slow, but progresses quickly - flavours of milk sugar, chocolate milk and cacao, with hazelnut and coffee gaining momentum by mid-sip. Coffee with cream, followed by subtle dark chocolate and vanilla towards the finish, where roasted malts struggle to vie for your taste buds' attention - yet the coffee, hazelnut and lactose sweetness remain dominant into the aftertaste. Moderately boozy, with hints of something spicy, like nutmeg. Medium-full bodied, with low carbonation and a silky-smooth, fluffy texture attributable to its generous lactose dosage. Not quite dangerously drinkable: the abv is integrated well, and it goes down the hatch easily enough... but it's *so* saccharine that I can't help but pace myself.

Final Grade: 4.01, squeaking out an A-. I don't mind a little sugar in my coffee, but Lusciousness Hazelnut Latte Imperial Milk Stout goes way beyond what I'd prefer. That being said, I look at the beer's name and can only conclude that it delivers basically everything it has promised. Not necessarily in ideal ratios, i.e. there's way too much sugar/lactose and the hazelnut is also kind of overused IMO, but my point is that the experience still met my expectations. It's reasonably good value for an imperial stout, and worth looking into if you enjoy sweeter coffee stouts, or sweet imperial stouts in general. Something I can see myself randomly craving once in a while.

 

Look: Pours a very dark brown, just a shade shy of black. Tawny 1 1/2 finger head with intensely tight bubbling. The head has fantastic staying power at the five minute mark it is still a substancial 1/2 a finger, with lacing on the side of the glass where the head has melted down. This is a great looking beer.

Smell: Roast dark coffee smells dominate. Hints of hazelnut are definately noticable, but dark roast and dark chocolate notes take centre stage. Taxandbeer guy hits it on the nose pointing out that the aroma is pleasing, but not as intense as you might expect.

Taste: Rich dark roast coffee, with undertones of dark chocolate ala German chocolate cake. Hazelnut is definately noticable in the mix, with hints of vanilla. Pretty warming and boozy on the back end.

Feel: Medium bodied and slightly creamy. Now this is billed as an Imperial Milk Stout, the feel is going to be a tough road to hoe. Not half as creamy as you would expect in a quality milk stout, as the oily imperial stout feel dominates.....but balancing between those two extremes is always going to be a real trick. Finishes with a definite boozy back end kick.

I'm a fan of the flag ship Skinny Dipping Stout from Sawdust City. This beer is certainly built off that well established recipe. If you're going in wanting a coffee lovers Imperial Stout, you will be very happy. If you're in it for a more creamy milk stout experience you should still come away satisfied, but maybe less so. I give it a solid A-

LCBO purchase for $5.95 CDN. Listed at 9.5% ABV. Served fairly cold into a chalice. Canned December 8, 2021.

Appearance - Essentially black (engine oil) coming out of the can and pours a big 2 finger tan head in the chalice. Excellent staying power and embodies a big brew. Lots of curtain style lacing sticks to the edges of the glass.

Smell - hazelnut for sure, with some dark chocolate and roasty coffee notes. All three blend together nicely with the hazelnut and coffee being the most intense. Aromatics are good but the intensity is only an 8 rather than a full blown 10. (Or 4 rather than a 5).

Taste - Hazelnuts with some sweetness initially, then the coffee kicks in and turns quite bitter. Some sharp boozy notes in there. Vanilla accents the booziness

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, spritzy carbonation and some heat from the booze, then finishes very dry.

Overall - A beer I enjoyed, but is a little harsh on the alcohol side which detracts from what is other a luscious and luxurious hazelnut coffee stout. Don't think it would age too well, but tamping down the booze quotient just a bit might make this even better. Left wanting just ever so slightly, but still definitely well brewed and well enjoyed on this second of COVID Christmas's.

 

Pours black with a thick tan head. Thick lacing adorns the glass. Smells like my morning coffee. Definite coffee and hazelnut on the taste, hints of chocolate and perhaps some toastiness. Very boozy obviously. Full bodied and smooth going down.
Dec 7 2021