Pot De Crème - Blueberry & Banana
Hubbard's Cave Brewery

16 oz can from Tavour. Black, slick pour, no head. Aroma is chocolate, bananas and light blueberry. Taste brings the blueberries forward, chocolate underneath. Sweet and rich.

 

 

Look: Needs at least some head for me to rate it higher. Small ring left around the glass and some foam fingers cling to the sides. Long lasting lace though.
Smell and Taste: Blueberry hits first, followed by chocolate and vanilla. Next would be the banana. Super sweet, like over the top.
Feel: 12.0% ABV doesn't hurt a thing. Thick and chewy but as you would expect in the pour with no head, lacks carbonation.
Overall: Got to have an occasion for a sweet, flat, fruity, imperial stout to reap the full benefits of this brew.

Revisit: 22 Nov 21
16 oz. Can
2020-1

5 more months on this can.

Poured into a chalice a very nice dark brown/black color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger dark tan head, which also leaves a pretty nice oil slick, and some very nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, with a very nice chocolate/toffee, blueberry, banana, vanilla, slight licorice. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, with a very nice touch of chocolate/toffee, with some very nice blueberry, banana, some pretty nice vanilla sweetness, licorice. Full Body, ABV is hidden very nicely, a very tasty sipper, with a pretty nice little dry/bitter/sweet finish. Overall, this is a very tasty brew. Glad I found another can.

16 oz. Can
2020-1

Poured into a Trillium glass a very nice dark brown/black color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger dark tan head, which also leaves a pretty nice oil slick, and some very nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, with a very nice chocolate/toffee, blueberry, banana, vanilla, slight licorice. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, with a very nice touch of chocolate/toffee, with some very nice blueberry, banana, some pretty nice vanilla sweetness, licorice. Full Body, ABV is hidden very nicely, a very tasty sipper, with a pretty nice little dry/bitter/sweet finish. Overall, this is a very tasty brew. Nice to see it around here.

Tasted in a Spiegelau stout glass from a one pint can on May 22, 2021.

Pours opaque, jet black in color with one quarter inch head. Taste is big blueberries, banana, white sugar and cocoa. Heavy body, very sweet with low carbonation. I really like the huge blueberry taste. Stout is a notch below cloying but makes for a nice sipper. I do want the banana to show more.

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into snifter, 2019-2 vintage. Pours dense opaque black color with a small fairly dense khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, mushy bananas, blueberry, fruit skin, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, blueberry, banana, lactose, vanilla, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, mushy bananas, blueberry, fruit skin, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, roasted bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, mushy bananas, blueberry, fruit skin, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, blueberry, banana, lactose, vanilla, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/tartness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and slightly slick/sticky/chalky/acidic/tangy mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 12%, with zero lingering booziness after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic flavored imperial milk/sweet stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, blueberry, banana, lactose, vanilla, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the minimally bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish; amazingly soft/silky feel. Perfectly balanced super rich dark/roasted malts, chocolate, jammy fruit, and lactose/vanilla flavors; with mild earthy hops and fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering and amazing style example as expected. Not overwhelming on any aspect.

Appearance - The beer was rich black in appearance with a dark mocha colored head.

Smell - The beer smelled liked BooBerry cereal, being very blueberry malt forward.

Taste - The beer was very blueberry forward, with the banana reminding me of banana chips from whole foods. The banana is slightly medicinal, but banana is rarley good in a beer. The body makes for a rich aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Hubbard’s Cave makes stouts with incredible body.

Overall - The profile sort of worked. This has not my favorite creation from the brewer, but it was enjoyable.