North Of Kathmandu
Burlington Beer Co.

 

 

 

Vintage 2002

 

 

Poured from a 500ml bottle into pint glass in July 2023. This is vintage 2022 release, and I drank this within 3 months of purchase at the distributor.

Appearance: Very dark black with almost no head. The head was dark tan, with fine bubbles, and there was very little lacing on the glass. No head remained after a minute.

Smell: Strong aroma of coffee and bourbon from the barrel aging that filled the air as soon as the bottle was opened. There is some additional sweetness like chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Not much hop aroma.

Taste: There is an interesting combination of flavors. There are strong bourbon and smoky rousted stout malt flavors. Also, some coffee, chocolate, and a little caramel flavor. There is some bitterness from hops. There is a strong alcohol presence that matches 11.0% listed on the label. There is a strong oak and whiskey aftertaste, that is enjoyable.

Mouth-feel: This is a big beer, as expected, and feels thick in the mouth. An extremely smooth and creamy body.

This is a good barrel aged Imperial Stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. The bourbon, coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt flavors nicely contrast and balance each other. It is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. This is similar to their 'Imperial Dream Eater' stout. I like this, and would definitely buy this again.

 

Bottle Date: 2022 Batch

A - Dark brown pour with no lacing.

S - Cocoa, coconut, toasted coconut, and green apple (initially).

T - Soy sauce, leather, toasted coconut and cocoa, and a subtle underlying citrus.

M - Medium body with minimal warming. Thin

O - Somewhat thin.

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can, received as part of EPL fantasy BIF winnings.
The beer is poured into my snifter and pours an extremely dark cola to black coffee color with no light passing through my glass. The dense creamy head is a tan to a very dark brown and slowly fades to a sturdy edge layering and one large island in my glass. Leaves dense sticky lattice when I swirl the glass or take a sip. Looks like a nice Impy Stout here!
The aroma is some dark chocolate, roasted malt, hints of toasted coconut and a little bourbon. No hop presence and hidden booze too. I was hoping for a little more robust nose.
First sip reveals a medium to thick body with very smooth texture and mild coating of my lips for each sip. Carbonation is very fine and rolls gently across my palate. Overall very soft physical beer.
Flavor is big dark chocolate and roast malts, with again only hints of the toasted coconut and bourbon. The bourbon is what lingers a bit on the finish, but its not a huge presence. I also get a bit of drying on the finish and some warmth on the swallow.
This is a solid imperial stout, the bourbon and coconut could be a little more robust in my opinion, but they are present and its not a problem that they are mild.
Glad to have tried this one!

 

 

 

 

 

Drinking at the brewery.
Pours a nice dark brown-black with a good stout head.
Smells stronly of cocoanut;
Nice mouth feel.
Very sweet - tastes of chocolate cocoanut.

Nice. But cloying sweetness.

 

On tap at the brewery