Picante Imperial Stout
4 Noses Brewing Company

Impressive, dense 3-finger head. It slowly diminishes in a lumpy fashion, leaving plenty of wide streaks on the glass. The liquid is deep, dark brown where only the faintest of light makes it through the edge of the glass.

Strong cinnamon, vanilla, and hot pepper to the otherwise dark chocolate nose. Not much coffee...sweet smelling.

Relatively neutral start to the taste with an Porter-like flavor. The swallow, though, draws out all of the interesting elements: cacao nibs, hot pepper (cayenne and chipotle according to the label), and nutmeg and cinnamon. I'm sensitive to coffee and again, I'm not really picking it up here. For an Imperial Stout, this is one of the thinner ones but the diminished carbonation helps. The finish is very dry and leaves a fleeting aftertaste.