Tiramisu
Campanology Brewing

I miss getting this from Trader Joe's when the holidays roll around. Fairly sweet, dessert in a bottle, it's not very nuanced and lives up to its namesake ;P

Pours dark brown/black with a nice finger of lightly tan head. It smells like a dessert stout - dark, sweet, notes of chocolate and vanilla present. I'm tasting a lot of chocolate and vanilla with a strong coffee backbone. It's a touch sweet, and I get the sort of chocolate frosting/caramel comparison. It is a touch woody in the very back end. Quite smooth, soft, but full-bodied. Hey, given the price, this is a great deal.

Type: 22-oz. bottle
Reviewed as: American Pastry Stout
Glass: Revision 12-oz. tulip
Price: $3.99
From: Trader Joe’s in College Area (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: March 20, 2022
Consumed: April 1, 2022
Misc.: No bottled on date

Grabbed a bottle of this, another barleywine stout, and a 6-pack of Enegren The Lightest One. I generally like the beers that Campanology does (or at least the contract brewer), especially the stouts. Untappd description was “Stout brewed with vanilla and chocolate, this is dessert in a bottle. Pour over vanilla ice cream or pair with cannoli or a slice of tiramisu.”

Poured a very dark color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki-tan frothy head. Could see a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Decent watery lacing. Decent retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled vanilla, cocoa, chocolate cake, Tiramisu, chocolate frosting, caramel, milk chocolate, chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream and toffee. Almost as good from the can with the addition of dark fruit. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste was not nearly as good as the nose. Got vanilla, cocoa, chocolate cake, Tiramisu, chocolate frosting, caramel, milk chocolate, chocolate-vanilla twist soft serve ice cream, toffee, espresso and hints of cinnamon. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Pretty damn good. Campanology delivers again. Outstanding. (Overall - 4.00)

4.06 | 91 | A-

Appearance; Dark amber in color, even before a strong light, with a large, dense and persistent tan head. A sheet of thick, finely-beaded lacing adorns the glass wall in an unbroken sheet.

Aroma: Massive notes of caramel, dark chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, and sweet alcohol

Taste: On tasting, there is a strong note of dark caramel and brown sugar. Soon after, bitter cocoa flavors advance. The alcohol is sweet and warming, without any harshness. Later in the taste, a strong note of wood and lesser vanilla. The finish offers a flourish of sweet Espresso .

Mouth feel: Smooth and soft, full, although I expected it would be a bit more syrupy, but still pleasant, with gentle, restrained carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: Just an excellent dessert beer, alone, or with a rich chocolate or vanilla cake or pastry.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twenty-two ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a La Fin du Monde tulip.

Pulled from the back of the refrigerator. Picked up (with the Chocolate Babka) from Trader Joe's pre Covid mostly as a joke as it is the restaurant dessert that always elicited ooh's and aah's from my family. The 3-1/2 years certainly did not hurt it.

Every aspect well done. Dark and thick with a creamy brown foam cap. Dark chocolate, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla aromas combined with the sweetness perfectly. The cloying added to the creamy, chewy feel.

The synergy of its attributes made this a fun beer to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a 22oz bomber into a sniffer - heavy foam risen to the surface. While the foam dissipates quickly a lot of lacing is left behind. I'm guessing maybe heavy malts mixed with lactose and sugar to retain to the surface.
S: Heavy chocolate smell upfront with a vanilla type of aroma. Getting a milky smell in here as well. Sweet burnt caramel sugar.
T: Taste follows aroma with more emphasis on the caramel aspect of the stout. Very interesting - definitely can relate to a tiramisu. Getting the caramel followed by the chocolate, malts and brown sugar. Slight vanilla in there too.
F: Slightly thinner then what I was expecting. I was expecting a thicker base which kind of threw me off but I enjoy this a lot still. The booziness is fairly well hidden. mild carbonation.
O: This was a nice experience! I'm unsure if I would purchase this again - I might just go with the chocolate stout at the ABV 10% next go around but this was still enjoyable.

Tiramisu Pastry Stout has a beige head and a dark brown appearance, with minimal lacing. The aroma is of chocolate cake and vanilla. The flavor is of dark-roasted, but not burnt, malts, cocoa, cream, and vanilla. The drinker will detect low-level bitterness. Tiramisu Pastry Stout has a medium body and a velvety mouthfeel, with a mostly-dry finish.

RJT

Large bottle served in a Belgian snifter while UGA attempts to beat Alabama.
Appearance. Nearly opaque and nearly black but more light reveals a reddish-brown body at the edges. A gentle pour raised only a thin weak head but left a durable beige ring.

While this smells sweet and boozy, tasting reveals partially hidden ABV and a flavor that's sweet but more balanced by the finish. It has limited resemblance to tiramisu but clearly resembles the flavor of a chocolate pastry.

Bomber from Trader Joe's. Black pour with waning brown head. Just like their chocolate Babka stout, this is on the money for taste. Not as sweet as the Babka, but plenty of chocolaty notes, light coffee. Nice feel overall as well. Price point is attractive at $3.99. Good bargain.

 

 

good beer, especially for the price point. Nose and palate are rich vanilla, roasted malts, milk chocolate, toasted marshmallow. Does a good job of accomplishing the intended flavor profile without being overly sweet.

 

 

Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a deep brown color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head fades rather fast leaving just a trace of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is massive of a milk chocolate and vanilla smell mixed with lots of brown sugar and caramel. Along with these aromas are nice notes of a light roasted malt and a light nut. Overall, the aroma reminds me of a chewy dark chocolate brownie like smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a sweet caramel and brown sugar flavor mixed with a bit of cocoa and some grainy roasted malt tastes. At the same time, there is a light vanilla taste, that with the cocoa, gets slightly stronger in nature. All the while a bit of a nuttiness and some coffee hit the taste buds. Toward the end of the taste a light alcohol heat greats the tastebuds, leaving one with a rather sugary sweet and lightly bittered more porter like taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is thick and creamy with a carbonation level that is rather low. For the big, rich, and sweet tastes the feel is great and makes for a nice slow sipper.
Overall – A rather decent desert brew. Sweet but with a decent roastiness and very light bitter from the coffee and the nut. A fun on to try at least.