Vanilla Imperial Stout
White Elm Brewing Company

Appearance - Pours black with an absolutely enormous mocha colored head. Retention is very impressive. Sheets of lacing cover the glass.

Aroma - Huge tobacco aroma up front, roasted malts, mild vanilla, rich chocolate cake. There is also a smoky mesquite aroma.

Taste - Tobacco and roasted malts dominate with the smoky mesquite flavor kicking in strong as well. As it warms more the smoky mesquite pretty much takes over with a nice bitter bakers chocolate finish the vanilla might be there but it is overpowered by everything else.

Feel - Full creamy feel very dry and bittering finish smooth.

Overall - Really surprised at the depth of this beer great chocolate smoky flavors and aromas. Head retention is the best I have seen on high ABV beer and there is no sign of the alcohol at all.

 

White Elm Vanilla Imperial Stout, 13% ABV, about 65 IBU. Pours black with a beautiful three finger brown head that left incredible foamy lacing. Nose is coffee, nuts, alcohol, roasted malt, and slight vanilla. Taste is coffee, slight vanilla, and a moderate bitter close. Outstanding mouthfeel, overall outstanding.

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce can into snifter, best before 8/1/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky tan head with insane retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts the whole glass. Thick soapy lacing clings on glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla beans, cream, fudge, marshmallow, cake batter, nuttiness, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, tobacco, leather, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Touch of booze in the aromas as it warmed, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla beans, cream, fudge, marshmallow, cake batter, nuttiness, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, tobacco, leather, herbal, pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light roast/char and herbal/spicy hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla beans, cream, fudge, marshmallow, cake batter, nuttiness, toasted dark/brown bread, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and zero cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and velvety mouthfeel that is fantastic. Slight sticky hops, and chalky char/roast. Mildly increasing warmth of 12.1%. Overall this is an amazing Russian imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Super rich and decadent malt complexity, balanced vanilla, and solid earthy hop presence/balance. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Reminds me of Ten Fidy a lot.

Thin sticker on can carrier says "Best by 8/1/18". "Russian Imperial Stout aged on whole Mexican vanilla beans".

Very dark, black pour with shades of angry red. The head also has angry red streaks with a firmament of beige-brown. Incredibly carbonated and foamed a little as I opened the can.

Aroma is rich with tobacco, ash, dark chocolate cake, slight caramel, and vanilla pods.

Flavor starts with tobacco and brown sugar to start, followed by some ash, wet paper, and hop bitterness. This tapers off to a mildly burnt dark chocolate note. Vanilla and very faint caramel finish out the profile.

Feel is thick, but strangely resinous at the same time. Lots of hop oils on the finish. Roasty and dry as well.

Overall not a bad Imperial Stout. I like it better than their original one. The vanilla pops briefly and bows out on time. If you like Evil Twin stouts and are a fan of Ten FIDY, give this one a try if you see it.