Meryl Haggard
Ozark Beer Co.

Wax capped 16.9oz bottle courtesy of Russpowell. My very last beer from last spring/summer's NBS BIF. Been holding onto it as something a little out of the ordinary when an occasion calls for that sort of beer, but then either I forgot about it on such an occasion, or was hanging out with folks that didn't want to drink it with me, or - and this happened at both Xmas & on NYE - I got him from work too damn tired to commit to drinking and reviewing such a beer as this. And what sort of beer, you ask? Per the description on UnTapped, this is an "Imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee and calabrian chile."

Poured into a 16oz Fremont snifter, this was black as winter darkness, with a thin, bubbly, mocha colored head.

The nose was sweet when first opened and poured. Big chocolatey and sugary aroma, almost like candy. As it warmed, there was a very slight spiciness detectable as well, presumably the chiles. Not present in the nose: the coffee.

Much like in the nose, coffee doesn't stand out much, unless it's coffee that's been seriously adulterated with sugar and milk. Up front, it's a candy bar. Up front, it's all dark chocolate and milky sugariness. There's just a bit of bourbon booziness in the background. The barrel aging is rather subtle in an otherwise unsubtle beer. Midway through, the Calabrian chiles kick in with a surprising amount of heat that is almost problematic, but not quite.

Creamy, luscious, dessert-like mouth feel.

Really great imperial milk stout that I'm absolutely sure is going to give me weird dreams, but it will be worth it. A nice beer to sip at on a cold night. I'm very glad it is only just above pint size, and isn't packaged in a bomber or a crowler, as that would literally be too much of a good thing. Thanks, Russ!

Pours a thick mahogany/ebony with no real head. Zero head retention & lacing, very viscous

S: Coffee & dark chocolate, some barrel presence, tails off a little once warm, but not much

T: Dark chocolate, chili heat & coffee, plus dryness up front. Chille heat stays on point as this warms up, but not overbearing, dark chocolate, a little coffee & barrel warmth & bite are also mixing in well. Finishes with Chille heat, dark chocolate & warming booze with a little coffee, dryness & caramel

MF: Very chewy, low carbonation, very warming. Perfect mouthfeel for the style oily, warming & thick

We can debate the co$t of this beer & whether any beer is worth that much. A sipper that is pretty chille heat forward, but really seems to work

Bottle pour - thin head, aroma lean spicy, but not too much so. Full bodied, the coffee is not as prevalent as the pepper, which has a nice, pointed bite. What really stood out for me was the base milk stout, which really added to the creaminess and flavors.