Motor Oil No. 10
Alvarado Street Brewery

Pours a deep black/brown with moderate head that dissipates to a thin edge ring over a couple minutes. No lacing.

Sweet vanilla hits the nose first, followed by more mellow coffee and milk chocolate notes. The bourbon barrel makes an appearance in a supporting but memorable role.

The vanilla isn’t as dominant on the tongue and blends nicely with the other flavours. The barrel speaks up, as does the cocao. Appropriate sweetness for the style.

The body is medium, with a long finish. This is very good and an enjoyable 12% ABV sipper that pairs well with the day’s denouement.

 

Had this beer at the English Merchant’s Palour Restaurant in Waxahachie TX. Tepid Porter with chocolate finish.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours motor oil black (had to say it!!) with a nice amount of light brown head.

Nose: Vanilla and chocolate dominate here. The vanilla is incredibly intense, and the cacao compliments this perfectly. A touch of toffee/bourbon, lactose, and rich dark fruits. Strawberry ice cream. There is no bitterness detectable. This is just a smooth stout that showcases the vanilla and cacao.

Taste: Rich and creamy. The chocolate is darker than on the nose. In fact, I would put this closer to 85-90% cacao chocolate, which is great. I love dark chocolate. Lots of vanilla, and now some really nice roasted malt flavors. Barrel notes are there, but they are subtle. A slight touch of pipe tobacco. Black licorice starts to make a strong statement after it sits in the glass for ~5 min. This is absolutely top tier. I love that the imperial stout isn't lost in the taste. Sure, I love vanilla and chocolate bombs, but I really enjoy the base stouts coming through as well. That woody/roasty bitterness dovetails nicely with the sweet elements. I start to pick up other dark fruit - cherries, blackberries, and plums. This is just a nicely-integrated beer that checks all of the boxes for me.

Mouthfeel and overall: Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, as expected. Absolutely lovely. Overall, this is a top-notch stout that I would absolutely seek out. Very enjoyable.

 

 

Plum-tinted black with a slow-building two fingers of dark mocha head. Decent retention and nice rings of lacing.

Lots of vanilla in the nose, along with some lightly burnt brownie, roasty malt and almost a hint of peanut.

Vanilla, marshmallow, brownie batter and alcohol up front in the taste. Less roasty than the nose, although still with a hint of roasty character. Chocolate bitterness and marshmallow bouncing off one another in the finish.

Relatively thick and slick with more of that slow-building soft carb just cutting through.

Very tasty. Lots of vanilla in this, but with enough roastiness in the taste to keep it from being overly sweet.

 

 

 

Sweet fudgy chocolate malty, hint of vanilla, and hint of bourbon barrel nose on this one! Taste follows with a slightly thin, roasty chocolate malty, and vanilla bitter finish...some dark chocolate bitter vibes linger a bit. As it warms, the bitter bite becomes more prominent and interferes with enjoying this fully. This is good, but not as good as I was hoping for.