Last Year's Talent
Oliphant Brewing

 

This beer pours a beautiful pitch black. The head is brown, and is 2 finger, and a bit frothy looking. The head retention is pretty good for a 9% stout, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is coffee with a hint of chocolate from the cacao nibs. Not really getting almond here.
Taste - coffee, and it hits hard up front, and slowly mellows out. When it mellows out the chocolate kicks in and is backed up by a hint of the almond.
The body seems a bit light for a 9% beer, but it's not too far off where it should be.
This is quite good. I'm glad I bought a can at work to try.

 

Can’t quite get over some of the terrible can art on these beers & after one poor experience (Honees Honees) I’ve avoided them. Well, here we are. 12 oz. can.

The pour is dark. The nose is heavy on the promised almonds, with a side of cocoa & no detectable coffee.

Last Year’s Talent tastes like acorn paste. Drinking this one could believe that almonds have taken over the world. There is no hint of coffee, perhaps an echo of chocolate if one tries hard enough, certainly nothing resembling beer. Thin. A two ounce sampler would have been fine.

If you like getting an almond facial, this is for you. Otherwise, avoid.

Last Year's Talent Imperial Stout. With Coffee, Almond, and Cacao Nibs. 9% ABV. Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Solid blackness, thick and rich brown ring of foam on top, lasting long, and looking lovely. Fits the part for the style.

In the nose: cocoa. coffee. Rich, dark malts.

In the mouth: More richness, deep cocoa. Warm, lush, full of dark malty goodness. A little anise, a touch of pepper. Loads of coffee and cocoa. Yum, -um, -um. A dum. dum. I can't emphasize this enough: you-u-um. So easy. So malty. So chocolatey, espresso-y. So, so, very, very. So very smooth and so very tasty.