Vlad the Second (Order of the Dragon) BA RIS Neapolitan
Hailstorm Brewing Co.

 

2018 bottle, drank out of a Dogfish Head goblet on April Fools Day 2020

Nice looking stout - dark color and some bit of head remains throughout the pour, along with a swirly island of thin foam in the center.

Smell was sweet strawberries, drinking this out of a snifter or goblet where you can really get your nose into it for each sip really helped me appreciate the strawberries (maybe I should do this more often for stouts...).

Taste was the mostly strawberries, didn't get as much vanilla, chocolate or barrel. Alcohol was well hidden.

Feel was medium, nothing special.

Overall it delivered on the strawberry, I'd call it more of a Strawberry stout rather than a BA Neopolitan, but it was still damn good.

Beautiful fire engine red wax caps the 22oz bottle. Bottling date of 7/29/19 printed on the side of the label. Poured into a snifter. Pitch black colored beer supports a fizzy tan colored head that quickly dissipates into a thin ring sound the edge of the glass. The nose is spot on Neapolitan with strawberry, chocolate and vanilla, in that order. Thick full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. The palate begins with sweet/tart strawberry notes. Chocolate and vanilla come in next and linger into a sweet finish. The 14.1% ABV is hiding oh so deceptively behind these flavors but a few sips will let you know it’s there.

 

 

 

Dull black with a dense mocha blanket, it's a little sharp but delivers well on the Neapolitan promise, with that distinct combination of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate, but the barrel gets outshined.

 

 

Pours opaque and near black with a thin khaki head that fades into a thin ring on top. The smell is dead-on Neapolitan ice cream. The strawberry, vanilla and chocolate aromas can all be individually detected. The taste follows suit, with strawberry flavor up front. The vanilla and chocolate notes on the back end. Full texture with low carbonation. Just like Neapolitan ice cream: sweet and delicious.

 

Had on tap and in bottle. Very, very sweet, no doubt about that. However they really nail the neapolitan flavor combo with huge strawberry, milk chocolate and vanilla notes. Barrel is lost a little bit, but present on the finish. Little thinner than other vlads, but the body sells the ice cream vision with it's viscous creaminess. The wife loved this one

 

This is without hesitation and hyperbole: This is probably my favorite, and best beer I've ever had. Very rarely do I get the same BA stout more than once, especially considering on the secondary market, these things are going for more than 50 clams a pop.

That being said, I got this one again and it's just as amazing as I remember it being a few months ago. Very balanced in the chocolate and strawberry flavors. Vanilla is muted, but I can tell it's there. Barrel is on the back end as well. Hailstorm definitely makes some of the best BA stouts, and like I said above, this one is hands down my favorite.