Saturday (2025)
Cycle Brewing

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla frosting, dried strawberry, caramel, and bourbon.

There’s a decent amount of barrel here, which helps keep it from being too sweet, which is definitely possible given the Neapolitan inspiration the Scooop series has. There’s some light booziness here, char, caramel, and spicy bourbon. There’s not a ton of strawberry here, just a sort of dried dark fruitiness, with lots of fudginess, some roast, and a nice creamy vanilla note.

This is medium bodied, pretty creamy, and really drinkable.

I wanted a bit more strawberry here, but the amount of barrel here is quite nice.

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a minisnifter. Pours a thick and oily black. No foam head. Lots of barrel on the nose with chocolate and light strawberry. Taste is chocolate up front with a stronger strawberry flavor in the finish but also plenty of bourbon heat to balance it out. Full mouthfeel. Oily and slick. Coats the mouth. I am not at all a fan of fruit in stouts but this works. I wouldn’t want much more than the four ounce pour I was given but it has a nice jammy fruit flavor to the finish that lends a berry sweetness that compliments the rich chocolate and bourbon notes.

 

I thought I had Scoop before, but it may have just been a small pour from a stranger at a Dark Lord a few years back. This is an excellent dessert stout. Thick, flavorful, sweet, boozy, big, and complex. The adjuncts are strong, the barrel is assertive, and everything is balanced. A bit syrupy, but I’m good with that. Excellent beer. I will miss you, Cycle.

5 oz pour at Cycle Brewing on Central Ave in downtown St. Pete.

Pours jet black with minimal head or lacing. (look: 4.0)

A whiff of oak from the barrel it was aged in, followed by dark chocolate. (smell: 4.5)

Chocolate up front, followed by a mix of vanilla and strawberry. Most unique tasting stout I've ever had. (taste: 5.0)

Strong, viscous, even for and Imperial stout. It mutes the 14% abv fairly well. The back end lingers with strawberry and some bourbon undertones. (feel: 4.75)

Possibly my favorite Imperial Stout.. It is literally Neapolitan ice cream in beer form. (overall: 5.0)