Frigid Underworld
Hop and Sting Brewing Company

Purchased a 12 oz can at my local liquor store here in Oklahoma, poured into a pint glass.

Inky dark brown almost black liquid with a tan head.

Very slight aroma that quickly dissipates.

Flavor is heavy on toasted malt, relatively sweet but with some bitter notes. The can says it is an "imperial espresso stout" and I can pick up espresso, but otherwise this beer is a little one dimensional, and maybe a bit sweeter than I would expect per the style.

Thick full mouth feel, almost syrup like.

Overall --- this was good but not great. For an Imperial stout, I would expect maybe more alcoholic warmth but also more bitterness. More hops, most toastyness. --- But if you like your stouts sweet and malty, this one is for you. But compared to Anthem's Unoboros or Guiness Extra Stout, this one seems lacking to me.

 

Big brown head that lasts topped a dark, root-beer colored brew. Chocolate, coffee, toasty and light roasty and burnt flavors characterize this one. Overall I rather like it and so does the lady I'm sharing it with.

 

 

Received from @r0rschach post NBS BIF 10 – Thanks John! Reviewed 2/24/20.
Undated 12 oz can. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 54 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 59 degrees F.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Brown, clear.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque. When held to direct light, no change.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.7 cm, aggressive center pour), khaki, medium density, average retention, diminishing to an eleven to sixteen mm crown and a rocky partial layer. Some arcs of tiny-bubbled lacing remain on the side as the head retracts.
Lacing – Poor. A small rectangle of torn curtain lacing is present for a while, but considering the 11.3% ABV, the paucity and shrinkage of what little lacing appears is not surprising.
Aroma – 3 – Weak cocoa and coffee
Flavor – 4 – Begins slightly bitter with moderate roasted malt flavor followed with a weak generic whiskey undertone and a ghost of cocoa. No alcohol (11.3 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma but it burns, from my hard palate to my pyloric sphincter. No diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, almost creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (Minus 0.25 point for an undated can). Lacks the distinct bourbon barrel flavor but definitely tastes like whiskey.

Poured from a can into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a deep brown, nearly black color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a trace of foamy lace on the sides of the glass

Smell – The aroma of the brew is massive of a roasted malt smell mixed with some cocoa and a decent showing of some coffee. Along with these smells comes some notes of a caramel sweetness as well as a little bit of molasses and brown sugar. A touch of vanilla and a hint of dark fruit round out the smell and produce a nice robust aroma overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweet and heavy of roasted malt with the sweet being of a brown sugar and caramel taste. Along with these flavors comes notes of coffee and some crème and vanilla. The coffee is light for an espresso stout and does not stand out that strong. It furthermore does not get all that much stronger, but just remains as a small background taste. As the taste moves forward some light woody tastes and a touch of earth comes to the tongue and with a tiny bit of alcohol, leaves one with a roasty and sweeter taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the slightly thicker side with a carbonation level that is average to slightly high for a stout of its strength. A lower carbonation may have been better to accentuate the roastiness and light coffee tastes, but overall the feel was pretty decent as the higher carbonation was fitting for the sweeter flavors of the brew.

Overall – It was a nice stout overall, but lacked a little bit in the espresso tastes, which is what it claims to be. Tasty, but not really all that coffee heavy.

 

 

I tried this at the Grapevine location. It poured an opaque dark with white head that is not leaving much lace. The scent had mocha notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with chocolate and roast presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a good beer.