Blitzen’s Secret Stash
Levante Brewing Company

Poured from a 16oz can into pint glass in April 2023. I bought the can at their West Chester brewpub, and drank within 1 week of purchase. The label on the bottom of the can was:
"BUZZED FLYING IS DRUNK FLYING"
"10:17 #1324"

Appearance: Dark black with dark tan/brown head. The head is about 1-finger thick with thick bubbles, lasts for a minute, and ended with almost no head. There is very little lacing sticking to the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. Also, some roasted malt and a hint of sweetness from alcohol. Overall, the coffee, chocolate, and vanilla dominate the others.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the sweetness from the chocolate versus the coffee. Also some roasted malts and vanilla flavors. There is a little hop bitterness to add to the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, as with other Imperial Stouts, which matches the 10% on the label. Great aftertaste, which is also dominated by the chocolate and coffee.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. More smooth than many other imperial stouts. The high alcohol is well-balanced and not overpowering.

This is a good imperial stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds an impressive complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is smooth and very enjoyable to drink. The smoothness adds to the overall enjoyment. I bought a second can, and will buy more when available.

Imperial stout with burlap & bean Peruvian, Papa New Guinea, espresso blend coffee, cocoa powder & vanilla. *shrug* A good deal of that is utter rubbish to me (burlap, wtf?), but I gather it's an imperial coffee stout with cocoa and vanilla. Huzzah!

Stupid huge, softball-sized mocha head. The bubbles start to expand as it recedes, which gives it an odd look. It's definitely not that tight, creamy head that appetizes so. There is a decent, if malformed, ring of lace at the high-water mark. Smells a bit strange. (Maybe its the burlap...) I don't even know what I'm smelling. It's roasty, sure, but not reminiscent of coffee. At least not to me. Maybe you drink different (and weirder) coffee than I do. Strong alcohol note. Meh; doesn't smell that great, to be honest. It's Earthen, for some reason. Mushroom-y. Those aren't notes I covet in a beer, personally. I do taste coffee. A good deal of it, the bitterness of which is helping to somewhat curb a pretty substantial sweetness. Lip-smacking. Still a little mushroom-y. God, that's weird. Savory umami. Baby's first soy bomb? Vanilla extract vibes too. I'm not saying they used vanilla extract but the booziness is combining with the vanilla to taste like extract. Creamy mouthfeel (they used lactose) is nice, but man, this is going to be something of a chore to finish.

Seasonal stout released in the fall.

L- murky cocoa.

S- raw cocoa.

T- rich chocolate flavor.

F- smooth cocoa.

O- One of the best holiday releases from
Levante!