Ample Breakfast
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

 

 

 

This was one of the last bottles that I picked up at Other Half, right before the proverbial crap hit the fan here. It was released right around the time of the Anniversary and Pastrytown beers and this was every bit as good as the best offerings from those releases. Yes, this was a beast but if you like your Stouts heavy and sweet, then this would easily make the proverbial cut!

Of course, this had a dark pour to it with a moderate mocha cookie head that was full of big bubbles. Although it wasn't thick, it offset the liquid quite nicely although it could have lasted just a bit longer. A few scattered bubbles in the in the middle of my pint glass was the only bit of lacing that could be seen as I was surprised that a beer this thick left so little behind. Lots of cacao nibs, cinnamon, oatmeal, and chocolate powder in the nose as the taste was full of gooey marshmallow, milk sugar, sticky lactose, and coffee - both in the form of something fresh-brewed and the creamer that would go into it. Sweet, flavorful, and sticky on the palate, the liquid was quite slick as this was a wonderfully complex beer that really emerged once it fully warmed up.

Yes, this beer's a beast and even though it didn't taste like something with 16% ABV in it, this easily warmed me up on one of the coldest May nights that I've ever seen. In keeping with the Pastrytown theme, there was plenty of sugar and dessert in this as it was an American Imperial Stout that felt like a Pastry or Dessert Stout on steroids, or hops, or booze, or sugar, or anything else that made this so much fun to the taste. Besides a few bits of dark sediment at the bottom of my pint glass, this held up well and was par with the other Stouts that I've had from Other Half. This was more than ample as it took the idea of a Dessert Stout to a level that I wasn't quite accustomed to or expecting. Another standout from a brewery that has produced so many in recent years.

Bottle at share, courtesy of Redbeard. Thick, dark brown pour, tiny beige head. Aroma comes in hard and fast, chocolate, cacao and vanilla. Taste follows with a sweet pastry vibe, the oatmeal and lactose ganging up to make a nice full, slick, smooth feel. And then there's the heat, a nice boozy warmth that stays there from start to finish.