Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake Doughnut
Trillium Brewing Company
- From:
- Trillium Brewing Company
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Pastry Stout
Ranked #276 - ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 94
Ranked #2,187 - Avg:
- 4.43 | pDev: 6.09%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 22, 2025
- Added:
- Jun 09, 2021
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
94
Outstanding
94
Outstanding
For this project, we started with inspiration from a shared favorite, the German Chocolate Cake. Blackbird crafted a Trillium exclusive in doughnut form, and we imagined what it'd be like to have your cake and drink it too! Comprised of bourbon barrel-aged beers ranging from 28-34 months old, we treated the blend with toasted coconut, cacao nibs, and chopped Madagascar vanilla beans.
Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake Doughnut is a 15.0% Imperial Stout that pours a thick, pitch black with an espresso-colored foam cap. The aroma is rich and layered, offering confectionery notes of creamy chocolate, thick vanilla frosting, and toasted coconut upfront. As the glass warms, the beer's complexity is unveiled, with oak, sweet bourbon, and brownie batter contributing secondary tones. The body is viscous, providing structure for the huge flavor profile, moderate alcohol warmth, and welcomed sweetness.
HOPS: CTZ
MALT: American 2 Row Barley, C-80, C-120, Flaked Oats, Black Patent, Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, White Wheat, Maris Otter, Simpson DRC, Simpson Aromatic Malt, Roasted Barley
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: Unsweetened Toasted Coconut, Flakes, Toasted Coconut, Cacao Nibs, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Milk Sugar
Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake Doughnut is a 15.0% Imperial Stout that pours a thick, pitch black with an espresso-colored foam cap. The aroma is rich and layered, offering confectionery notes of creamy chocolate, thick vanilla frosting, and toasted coconut upfront. As the glass warms, the beer's complexity is unveiled, with oak, sweet bourbon, and brownie batter contributing secondary tones. The body is viscous, providing structure for the huge flavor profile, moderate alcohol warmth, and welcomed sweetness.
HOPS: CTZ
MALT: American 2 Row Barley, C-80, C-120, Flaked Oats, Black Patent, Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, White Wheat, Maris Otter, Simpson DRC, Simpson Aromatic Malt, Roasted Barley
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: Unsweetened Toasted Coconut, Flakes, Toasted Coconut, Cacao Nibs, Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Milk Sugar
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by micada from New York
5/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Poured cold to a mini snifter. It looks heavy and thick, slamming into the glass. Deep onyx color. No head at first, but eventually a scant lake of infinitesimal bubbles break to the surface. Aroma is spot on to the name. First sips have a solid bright bourbon note right on top of the decadent German chocolate profile. The coconut does well to find a voice toward the tail end of the sip, whereas the vanilla seems to struggle being found. Mouthfeel is intensely thick, right on the line of syrupy. A small drop on my finger stains the skin brown. Expectedly sweet, but it avoids an overly candied or cloying effect. 12% hides altogether. As it warms, the coconut starts to pop more, and pulls out the vanilla. A very nice dessert stout, albeit expensive at $37/500 ml.
Feb 01, 2025
Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts
4.85/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.85/5 rDev +9.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
500ml bottle - 2024
Pours black with a small light brown foam head. Smells like rich dark cacao nibs, vanilla, creamy coconut, caramel, toffee, toasty brown sugar, oaky barrel, with mild earthy hops. Tastes like sweet rich decadent dark chocolate, coconut, vanilla cream, caramel, toffee, toasty brown sugar, frosted doughnuts, subtle hint of black cherry, oaky barrel, with mild earthy hop to balance the sweetness. Feels medium full bodied, heavy, thick and viscous with smooth moderate low carbonation. Overall a really great barrel-aged imperial pastry stout.
Dec 11, 2024Pours black with a small light brown foam head. Smells like rich dark cacao nibs, vanilla, creamy coconut, caramel, toffee, toasty brown sugar, oaky barrel, with mild earthy hops. Tastes like sweet rich decadent dark chocolate, coconut, vanilla cream, caramel, toffee, toasty brown sugar, frosted doughnuts, subtle hint of black cherry, oaky barrel, with mild earthy hop to balance the sweetness. Feels medium full bodied, heavy, thick and viscous with smooth moderate low carbonation. Overall a really great barrel-aged imperial pastry stout.
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts
4.3/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Drank from a 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
06/02/21
Served in a tulip
The beer poured thick and pitch black, like used motor oil. There was no head whatsoever, nor any lacing.
The aroma was solid, but the adjuncts were far more subtle than I anticipated. Rich and malty. Nice melding of caramel and roasted malt notes. Brown sugar came through strong. The bourbon barrel character was also really intense. Vanilla was detectable but rather subdued. Quite boozy overall though not excessively so. Hint of cocoa powder. The chocolate presence intensified as the beer warmed.
The flavor profile was very similar to the nose. Malty and robust up front. Roasted and caramel malts were apparent. Good dose of brown sugar too. Like the aroma, the adjuncts played a subtle role here. Boozy bourbon notes kicked in hard as the beer moved along the palate. Moderately sweet. More roast, booze and sweetness on the back end and the finish.
The mouthfeel was fuller bodied for the style. Rich and fairly viscous on the the palate. A touch syrupy. The liquid contained a fine, fairly subtle effervescence that fluffed up nicely.
Despite the fact that the coconut was nonexistent and the other adjuncts were quite subtle, Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake Doughnut was still a very enjoyable beer. Folks who tend not to like excessively sweet pastry stouts will be pleasantly surprised by this offering.
Oct 12, 202106/02/21
Served in a tulip
The beer poured thick and pitch black, like used motor oil. There was no head whatsoever, nor any lacing.
The aroma was solid, but the adjuncts were far more subtle than I anticipated. Rich and malty. Nice melding of caramel and roasted malt notes. Brown sugar came through strong. The bourbon barrel character was also really intense. Vanilla was detectable but rather subdued. Quite boozy overall though not excessively so. Hint of cocoa powder. The chocolate presence intensified as the beer warmed.
The flavor profile was very similar to the nose. Malty and robust up front. Roasted and caramel malts were apparent. Good dose of brown sugar too. Like the aroma, the adjuncts played a subtle role here. Boozy bourbon notes kicked in hard as the beer moved along the palate. Moderately sweet. More roast, booze and sweetness on the back end and the finish.
The mouthfeel was fuller bodied for the style. Rich and fairly viscous on the the palate. A touch syrupy. The liquid contained a fine, fairly subtle effervescence that fluffed up nicely.
Despite the fact that the coconut was nonexistent and the other adjuncts were quite subtle, Barrel-Aged German Chocolate Cake Doughnut was still a very enjoyable beer. Folks who tend not to like excessively sweet pastry stouts will be pleasantly surprised by this offering.
Rated by TheeWarPig from Michigan
4.69/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.69/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Outstanding!
Aug 29, 2021
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