Bananaversary
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

Black, with a small beige head. Chocolate. roasted malt, vanilla in the aroma. Sweet and warming. Alcohol is not even noticeable. Maybe a bit too sweet.

 

Diabeetus central: Other Half 2025 Bananaversary. Dessert stout all day, this one has VERY bold flavors, unlike the past couple years that were muted IMO. There is an almost cinnamon brightness, that might be from the barrel, as there is reportedly no cinnamon in it. Thai bananas are identifiable in the back of the flavor profile, with that sort of fresh Thai banana “dryness.” I might get more of this version. Even if the banana fades, I hazard a guess the sugary sweetness will continue to burn down and morph this into something equally good. Quite viscous, without much carbonation. Alcohol brings some warmth.

 

Poured from a bottle. No head. No lace but I can see “legs” from the viscosity. Near black color with no light passing.

The smell is very rich with dark chocolate, sweet cherries, and boozy liqueur notes. Perhaps some cream and vanilla but no bananas.

Very rich body with nearly no carbonation. Boozy flavor with notable cinnamon spice. Very sweet, almost like molasses. It reminds me of chocolate pudding. It’s very good but also difficult to drink because it’s like a fudge cake.

 

Appearance: Pours black with a tan film that fades quickly; leggy but no lacing

Smell: Dark chocolate and banana aromatics

Taste: Chocolate foward, slightly roasty, with some banana in the fray; boozy and a bit astringent

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low carbonation

Overall: I anticipated a stronger banana flavor but this bottle was several years old when served at the festival I attended

 

Bottle at share thanks to Steve. Black, oily pour. Huge aroma of vanilla, caramel with strong boozy notes. Taste is more strong, boozy warm sugary goodness, slick.

 

 

Poured from a bottle (2020 release from early February) into a stemless wineglass

L: pours a deep, dark black brown with a bare minimum head that fades immediately. Wine like legs, abv appropriate

S: rich chocolate and banana nose, with some notable abv as well. Dark chocolate, baking chocolate, overripe banana, banana bread. Some other fruit, thinking figs/cherries

T: follows the nose okay, get some solid flavor but a bit muddled. It’s mostly chocolate, get some roasty notes like bitter dark chocolate. Not sure where the banana ran off to, but I’m barely getting it. Definitely some abv here. Medium/long finish, astringent

F: medium body, light carbonation, would expect the body to be a bit thicker

O: a fine stout, but a good distance from world class. Realize it’s been a bit over a year in the bottle, but I had the OG a couple months ago and that was a wildly better beer. Don’t think it’s just a batch 1 was better thing, oh well