BamBaLam
Zaftig Brewing Co.

22 ounce bottle, back label says it's 10% ABV. "Bottled on" space on bottle is blank. Served in a Great Lakes Brewing chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, molasses and a bit of smokiness. The taste is just like the aroma, with the roasted malt, chocolate and coffee flavors being the strongest, but the molasses and smoke noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's coating with low/moderate carbonation. I think it's a good stout, I'll have to make a point to try more beers from Zaftig!

Great looking imperial Stout if anything that head dissipates rather quickly leaving behind a very faint mocha ring. color itself is pitch Black awesomeness. Smells pretty chocolate forward not sweet chocolate more bittersweet cocoa and just a slight hint of coffee roasts. Taste is pretty sweet bittersweet chocolate cocoa mild roast and a smooth finish despite the higher ABV. Body is smooth medium to thick in body and slick. Overall I was very impressed by this imperial stout was very smooth had a nice distinct chocolate flavor and good body. Recommended!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled in November 2019. Batch 252. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours almost black with a very small khaki head that quickly fades leaving okay retention and lacing. The aromas have hints of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Some hazelnuts. Malts are there. The flavors follow the nose. More chocolate and coffee. Some chocolate syrup. Roasted characteristics are there. More vanilla and hazelnut. The coffee really comes through in the finish. Moderate bitterness with a moderate sweetness. I guess you can say it's bittersweet. Solid malt backbone. Mild warmth in the finish, but the alcohol is ultimately well hidden. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate to low carbonation. It's velvety, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a pretty solid stout. The chocolate and coffee both come through. The craftsmanship is on point. Enjoyable stuff.

12 Fluid Ounce bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black with a fleeting skim of dark mocha head.

The smell is loaded with chocolate and coffee.

The taste is milk and dark chocolate. The coffee compliments the chocolate and adds a little bitterness to the finish to avoid this beer being too sweet.

Full bodied with a viscous and smooth mouthfeel

This is a fine example of an adjunct stout. The chocolate and coffee additions elevate this beer to a delicious treat.

The beer pours a fairly dark black color, with a pretty small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This one smells like cookie dough, dusty chocolate, vanilla, and really rich and roasty coffee- almost burnt.

This one has a very intriguing flavor- I distinctly get both cookie dough and marshmallows, with a little bit of roasty coffee. As the beer warms a bit, I get some umami/soy sauce type flavors.

This is kind of syrupy, and is definitely a slow sipper, with a lower level of carbonation.

This isn't perfect, but it's definitely interesting.

This beer pours a dark brown (almost black) with very little head. It has a rich chocolaty smell, but it tastes a bit more sour, and the mouthfeel is more acidic (and less creamy) than most of my favorite stouts. It has a nice richness to it, befitting the "breakfast stout" moniker.

Bottled in January of 2018.
Look: Pours pitch black in color, with little head retention ring. Some residual lacing on the glass. As I swirl the beer, some head is able to be revived, but it dissipates to a ring rapidly.
Smell: Lots of rich, roasty malts up front with prominent oat aroma. Coffee on the nose, but it isn't as strong as I would have thought. Some chocolate present on the nose as well, but minimal. There is a slight booze warmth on the nose, but not overpowering.
Taste: Rich malt complex up front with nice chocolate flavor. The chocolate is more bitter than sweet, which is my preference for this beer. Coffee is present throughout the entirety of the flavor and on the finish. I really love the aftertaste this beer offers. Oat flavor is abundant on the finish, with chocolate and then some coffee. Can't taste the booze at all. I am really enjoying the flavor.
Feel: Medium in body and weight, with moderate carbonation for the style. Some bitterness, but not overly so.
Overall: I really am enjoying this. Even cold, it was enjoyable. As it warms, the oats/chocolate complex really starts to shine through. Per instructions of Zaftig, this can be consumed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I am very grateful to have tried. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Coal-black body; thin, wispy head although it lasts. Smells of dark roasted grain, dark chocolate and coffee. The taste mirrors the aroma with the addition of a subtle sweetness offset with a low-key bitterness. Heavy body; smooth and silky.

A rich, deeply appealing stout. Well-balanced and intriguingly complex in flavor and feel, it is a pleasure to drink.

 

Toasty, roasty and oh, so robust, any fan of strongly roasted coffee will find enough pleasure in this beer to make you smack your mama. Oats, coffee and chocolate pile onto this imperial strength stout for a taste worth getting out of bed. Still, I'm not sure that this is what Black Betty had in mind.

Nevertheless, Bambalam pours with a hefty onyx black depth and with a mirror-like sheen. Its froth swirls gently of sparse coffeehouse creme while enticing the nose with a leading coffee fragrance and a backdrop of cocoa, wood, nutty and scorched sugars. Molasses, caramel and burnt cream greet the front of the tongue with a robust sweet taste that's only the beginning.

And as the dark and decadent ale rolls across the middle palate, it begins to slowly shed its sweetness and the earthy, toasty and roasty edges of the stout seem right at home on the tastebuds. Richer french press coffee continues to take the lead while a quick followup of bittersweet chocolates, black walnut earhtiness and burnt toast adds complexity to the lingering molasses sweetness. Relaxing to a caramel and brownie-like finish, the hop bitterness seems more like a coffee derived bitterness as the late palate is light with campfire char, peppery spice and an overall sweet soilish demeanor.

Bold and full in body, the beer has a relaxed demeanor. Its moderate carbonation allows for enough of the malt sweetness and creaminess to sit weightily on the tastebuds, sacrificing full creaminess but allowing for full appreciation of its caramel macchiato and irish coffee finish.