Endless: Imperial Stout with Cacao
Trillium Brewing Company

On tap at Trillium Brewing in Canton, MA.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and no lacing.

This smells like milk chocolate, dark fruit, dark chocolate, light roast, port, and bourbon.

This is quite chocolatey, as would make sense given the name of this beer. There’s both milk and dark chocolate tones, with a creamy vanilla like flavor, some berry-like character, and a touch of caramelly bourbon.

This is medium bodied, silky, and with a lower level of carbonation.

This is an impressively chocolatey beer. It’s pretty well done

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drank from an 11.2 fl oz (330ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
11/23/21
Served in a tulip

Review #2200

The beer poured a thick and shimmery, dark brown/black hue. Used motor oil immediately came to mind. The body was topped by a thin, saddle brown film that dissolved almost instantly. There was no lacing whatsoever.

While not super complex, the aroma was really intense and enjoyable. Cocoa notes came through big time. This definitely reminded me of the smell you might get from the edges of chocolate brownies or the crust of a chocolate lava cake. Vanilla extract was noticeable as well. Hint of roastiness.

The flavor profile was similar to the nose but not quite as smooth. Cocoa notes again came through strong. Bakers chocolate perhaps. Rich and malty. Roasted malts were apparent. Bit of caramel malt sweetness too. Vanilla was noticeable in the center. Boozy bourbon notes kicked in hard as the beer moved along the palate and crescendoed on the back end and the finish. Bit of lingering oaky barrel. The alcohol intensified as the beer warmed.

Terrific rich, dense, creamy mouthfeel. Frothy and slick on the palate. The liquid contained a fine, subtle effervescence that worked nicely for the style. After a few sips, the sugars in the beer left a slightly sticky film on my lips.

Endless Cacoa was another impressive offing in the Endless series. However, seeing as all the other Endless beers were also very cocoa forward, I am not sure how much the addition of cocoa powder was necessary. While I am glad I tried this, the ultra steep ($24) price point for an 11.2 ounce bottle definitely would not make me a repeat purchaser.

 

 

 

4 months old. Bottle to tumbler.

Look: Pours a dark, almost black brown leaving a golden brown head that dissipates rather quickly. Some floaters visible.

Smell: Chocolate fudge and cacao with a strong bourbon barrel booziness.

Taste: Cacao and dark chocolate paired with boozy and woody barrel notes. Medium sweetness with a slightly bitter finish.

Feel: Somewhere between oily and creamy. A bit sticky. Very low carbonation.

Overall: Straightforward bourbon BA stout with cacao as a perfectly fitting adjunct. Even though the beer‘s high ABV is clearly perceptible, it drinks quite smoothly. Perfect to finish the night off.

 

Appearance: Pours daaark with just a tawny edge at the lip; the beige film fades while the liquid leaves legs but no lacing

Smell: Rich chocolate syrup, molasses and Bourbon with just a hint of Rum

Taste: Bold dark chocolate flavors with molasses, espresso and a hint of soy; through the middle, oak and Bourbon elements build followed by a wave of Rum; the finish adds some roast and booze

Mouthfeel: Syrupy thickness with limited carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: A really intense experience pushing the concept of a big stout to an extreme

 

 

Pours deep black. Aroma is incredible sweetness and a balance of chocolate, bourbon and molasses. Taste is complex with cocoa, fudge, bourbon and some vanilla. Sweetness & bourbon. Mouthfeel is medium. Great stout.

 

Endless imperial stout with cacao pours as black as ink with a 1 finger thick brown foamy head that was packed with small bubbles, fading on the quicker side and leaving basically zero lacing after it receded. Expected for a barrel aged beer with 15.6% ABV. Smells mostly like dark chocolate and baker’s chocolate, with burnt coffee grinds, bourbon, espresso, molasses, charred wood and fire smoked s’mores in the mix. The nose is malty, roasty and full of chocolate layers which are complex and yet simply cacao dominant at the same time.

The taste is like extra rich Hershey’s chocolate syrup mixed with cocoa powder, burnt coffee grinds, dark chocolate, bakers chocolate, peat moss, hot fudge, Tollhouse chocolate chips, tobacco, light soy sauce, charred wood, faint vanilla, smoky bourbon, smoked grains and ashy wood. This is very chocolatey but never comes off as too sweet, thanks to the booze, woody notes and malt bill propping this up. It’s one dimensional but extremely complex and tasty for a chocolate malt bomb. The alcohol burn ends every sip. Very steep price tag, which may prevent me from revisiting this brew in the future, but overall it was very well done and quite tasty.