Pebbles & Puffs
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

Cereal grains have traditionally been snubbed by brewers and drinkers alike, but with recent trends, cereal and beer have seen a nice new kinship. But nothing quite like this. Southern Grist's collaboration with Main & Mill brewers take that relationship to an "oh-no-you-didn't" level.

Slathered with the childhood character of Cocoa Puffs and Cocoa Pebbles cereal, Pebbles & Puffs, an Imperial Milk Stout that pours a luscious and plush visual texture of milkshake along with a solid black austere. As a thin sheet of froth skirts the surface, the nose becomes rife with chocolate, coffee, sweet cream and caramel. Much of that translates to a nearly marshmallowy effect early on the palate, sweet with condensed milk, vanilla cream and a blend of caramel, honey and molasses.

As the lavish ale washes the middle palate with a sugar soaked kid's cereal flavor, the taste of bittersweet and milk chocolates become the centerpiece in taste. Bold roast coffee gradually brings the stout into an adult world of flavor with a light and earthy bitterness that serves as an offset to a small portion of sweetness nearing the late palate. Pastry-like in its creaminess, a vanilla layered roast character frames a savory and sweet finish.

Full bodied, decadent and smooth, the velvety dark ale trends bittersweet in finish with perhaps a bit more emphasis on the sweet. Lingering with chocolate cereals, kaluha spice and coffee, this collaboration stout has us coco for craft beer!

On draft at Hawthorne in St Pete