Candy From Strangers - Gold Version
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like chocolate syrup, vanilla cream, oak, light caramelly bourbon, general nutty tones, etc.

This is pretty great. The peanut butter doesn't dominate, like it can in some peanut butter stouts. It comes across less sweet and desserty, and more just roasty and nutty. The vanilla and chocolate does come across as quite sweet, though. It's a hefty beer, and there's definitely a bit of booze here.

This is thick and rich, and a bit syrupy. It took a while to get through the pour.

This was as well balanced as this style can really be. It's yet another solid stout from Other Half.

 

Drank from a 1 pt. 0.9 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Other Half Brewing Co., Brooklyn, NY
Served in a tulip

The beer poured viscous and pitch black, like used motor oil. Not a shred of light penetrated the dense, completely opaque liquid. A small, frothy, saddle brown head topped the body but it quickly dissolved. No lacing whatsoever. A thin but noticeable film of oil (probably from the peanut butter) could be seen floating on top of the liquid.

The aroma was fantastic. Uber malty and robust. Nice melding of dark/roasty and sweet/caramel malts. Bourbon notes also came through big time. Loads fragrant vanilla bean and brown sugar too. Dark fruits were apparent as well. Raisins were most noticeable. A subtle nutty quality was detectable initially, but it came and went in waves.

The flavor profile was also impressive, though perhaps not as complex. Huge robust maltiness. Nice melding of roasted and caramel malts. Vanilla notes came through in the center. Bit of powdered cacao. The bourbon kicked in here as well. There was a subtle nutty quality too. More boozy, bourbon notes on the back end and the finish. I definitely tasted all 14.3% in this. The bourbon notes, along with a faint nutty quality, lingered after the swallow. By the drink’s end, however, I was getting absolutely no nuttiness in either the aroma or the flavor.

Terrific slick and oily mouthfeel but somewhat thinner bodied than I anticipated. The liquid contained a super fine, fairly subtle effervescence that frothed up nicely on the palate. As the beer warmed, it somehow turned much richer and fuller.

Candy From Strangers is a fantastic bourbon and vanilla-forward monster of an imperial stout. Despite the fact that I picked up hardly any chocolate or peanut butter, I would gladly drink this again.