Into Oblivion
Wild Mind Ales

The brewer describes this beer thusly:

Imperial stout conditioned on roasted coconut, vanilla beans, and a touch of lavender to complement the bold, flavorful body, resulting in a smooth, rich finish.

One of those descriptions that gives me pause, dreading the possible artificial or soapy presentation. As it turns out, these dreads were completely unfounded!

However, we are not off to a good start. No carbonation released on opening.

Deep dark and opaque. No head, not even a meager ring. Nothing. No lacing, either, obviously. It looks very dark, dark and black and absolutely still.

Very nice aroma. Roasted malts and alcohol. Chocolate from the roasted malts. But, I'm not picking up any of the flavoring additives. (This is perhaps due to the complete lack of head and carbonation.)

Taste is much better. Coconut is to the front, roasted malts, vanilla, excellent flavor. The lavender is just there in the background. Nice subtle touch. No bittering with a sweet finish with a bit of alcohol burn. I can't emphasize enough the subtle touch with the flavoring additives. I think this is great, but, unfortunately, not common.

Mouth feel, as expected from the inauspicious start, is flat, but very thick, viscous, and sticky. With the substantial body, the flatness in not really a detriment to the feel.

Overall, a sweet dessert beer, nicely done with an enjoyable subtle touch with the flavoring additives. Apart from the alcohol in the aroma and a bit of heat in the finish, it is well hidden in the feel and flavor, although it does grow a bit in prominence as the beer warms.

A very enjoyable sipping beer. The alcohol does creep up on you. I only had a half this evening, and the alcohol "hit" is quite noticeable.

This could have been an excellent beer, but I wish it had at least a little carbonation and head to release the aromas.

750ml bottle. No dating information on bottle.
Opaque, black colored body. First pour results in a two finger mocha brown head, which reduces to a skim island and ring. No lacing, but oily sheen on glass.
Aroma is mostly dark roasted malt, but features a sweet mixture of coconut and vanilla.
Taste is quite sweet, with the vanilla being prominent, along with a touch of coconut. Good stout base of dark roasted malts.
Medium plus, near thick mouth feel. Good carbonation. Higher ABV% is well hidden.
With the added ingredients of vanilla and coconut, it stands to pass that this is a sweet beer. Well put together, but more suited for a dessert beer than a general sipper.