Bilberry Hill Blueberry Dessert Stout
Levante Brewing Company

 

Pours a very murky, paintbrush-water brown that looks okay in the glass. Over three fingers of very slow-rising, sand-and-cinnamon-colored head made of tightly-packed tiny bubbles with a soupy lid up top. The head dissipates slowly and leaves thick, sloppy lacing.

Sniffed cold, cardamon is by far the dominate aroma. Maybe there’s some light breakfast coffee roast malt and a touch of blueberry beneath, but it’s really hard to pick up anything else at this temperature.

The creaminess is what jumps out first upon sipping, then another wallop of cardamom along with some cinnamon and vanilla. Some borderline chocolatey/roasty malt makes a brief appearance mid-palate a mild bitterness/roastiness for balance. There is a touch of blueberry in the finish, but it’s relatively restrained.

The feel is very full bodied and thicker than creamy. Whipped creamy maybe? It definitely has some next-level viscosity to it. Just a hint of carbonation manages to cut through to keep it lively.

The cardamom seems over the top at first, but is less shocking to the system as the pint progresses. The blueberry and vanilla do grow as it warms as well. The chewiness of the mouthfeel is one of the beer’s most memorable qualities. Good stuff.