Vanilla Coffee Life's Distraction
American Solera

 

 

This one slowly pours a super thick and super dark color, with a small miniscule head, and not much lacing.

This smells absolutely wonderful - with roasty, bright, and lively coffee on the nose, a big dose of sweet vanilla, sweet caramelesque bourbon, oak, and dark chocolate.

This is truly a top notch stout in every way possible. The base is so viscous, dark, and deep - there's fudge, smoke, caramel, maple, and light roast, just from the base itself. The coffee used is quite killer, too, adding a bright roasty pop and some deep caramel and even deeper chocolate tones. The vanilla just drenches the beer with drizzled frosting flavors. The barrel doesn't add any booziness, just a touch of dry oak to balance the sweet flavors, and a warm sweet bourbon character, some slight spice and caramel. This is just so wonderful.

This is decadently thick and chewy, with a lower level of carbonation, and surprisingly high level of drinkability. It just coats the mouth - it's really one of the thickest stouts I've ever had without becoming sludgy.

These little 8.25oz bottles are pretty cute. What's more important is what's inside - one of the absolute best pastry stouts I've ever had. This is worth both the high retail ($20 for 8oz bottle) and the high secondary price.