The Sun Doesn’t Rise At All
Kettlehead Brewing Company

 

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a somewhat fizzy, two finger dark chocolate head that slowly dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, vanilla, maple syrup, milk chocolate and a touch of coffee. Flavor follows, with dark toasted malt with light char, vanilla, dark chocolate, maple and drip coffee. Chocolate covered coffee bean finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. This has such a long list of adjuncts I wasn't sure how it could turn out, but it is very nicely done. A touch of sweetness, but fairly dry in the finish and good char notes to the malt which melds well with the coffee. Maple and vanilla are clear notes, but not dominating. Remarkably well balanced for all the added flavors. I think that the drier than anticipated finish really made this a winner. Exceeded expectations; quite enjoyable. I'm pretty sure this is the same beer as the more recently added "(Maple, Chocolate, Coffee, & Vanilla)" variant. The original entry for this stout lists all those ingredients too. I'm reviewing under this heading as the earlier precedent.

 

Many thanks to SawDog505 for this can!

A - Very dark brown pour that's borderline black and thick caramel colored lacing.

S - Roasted malt, chocolate, some chocolate cream.

T - Light to moderate roasted chocolate malt, light char, toasted coconut on the backside, a little bit of lingering chocolate and chocolate char after the sip.

M - Thick mouthfeel that's slightly thin around the edges and no warming on the way down.

O - For an Imperial Stout this one is light on the roast character but enjoyable nevertheless - easy drinking for 10%.

Kettlehead's IPAs have been extremely plentiful and also somewhat hit-or-miss to me. When these guys hit, they definitely do a really good job, but when they miss I often end up feeling like I paid a premium price for a beer that didn't deserve it at all. They don't can date, they aren't great at telling you what's going on in their beer (inconsistent website information and design choices at times fail to deliver important info), and it just seems kinda amateurish overall... yet they still get tons of hype. Ah well. So, I've kinda foregone their IPAs for the time being, but when I saw this, an imperial stout, at a local place, I was surprised and interested.

I picked up the can, which plainly states the beer style and the 10.8% ABV, and said to the associate, who I have some rapport with, "huh, what did they do... just make a big ol' imperial stout? That's random." His response was something to the effect of "oh, that? Nah, they did a lot to it... maple barrels, coconut, the works. Check out their site, they talk about it." This frustrated me, but the beer did sound great so I picked up a single can. The pour is a pure, inky-black color with a thin head that recedes very quickly to just about nothing. There isn't much to talk about in terms of appearance here, honestly. It's a 40 SRM liquid with no head, no lace, and nothing to define it other than the insane darkness it achieves through no particular sense of brewing artistry. My frustration with the fact that this apparently has a ton of adjuncts that are not mentioned on the label is shining through here, so let's get on with the rest of the review.

Okay, the nose is good. I will admit that this smells quite high-quality. The full story behind this one (apparently) is that it was aged half-and-half in maple bourbon barrels and in regular bourbon barrels, then re-blended, and then aged on coconut, dark chocolate, and coffee beans. I have no idea how long it was aged in barrels and whatnot. Honestly, I'm probably putting more effort into this review than these guys put into giving a shit about their beer. I mean, their site says this is an "imperial milk stout," yet lactose is not mentioned anywhere on their site or the label or anything. It's actually pretty dangerous and I'm surprised they haven't gotten in trouble for such flagrant disregard for labeling conventions. Anyway, disregarding any of that and being more "objective," this smells like a liquid Almond Joy candy bar with some prominent espresso characteristics, and I really enjoy that despite how much it seems like I want to hate this beer.

Flavor profile is undeniably great. too. Wow, this is a very frustrating experience. In execution, this is so goddamn good. I get a huge hit of deep, bitter chocolate upfront mingling with a prominent barrel/tannin character, followed by slight vanillins, dark malty roastiness, and a subtle flavor of coconut running throughout. It's surprisingly balanced (ya know, for a brewery that apparently gives no fucks) with the barrel aging playing nicely with the base beer and the other adjuncts in a cohesive way. Every further sip just cements that this is a masterfully-crafted brew, but it is mind-blowing to me that they didn't market this as a BA coconut coffee stout. I can't imagine making something like this and not capitalizing on the process and ingredients I used when it came to designing the label... Never mind the issues that could come up, legally, with regards to allergen warnings and whatnot. My mind is a little blown right now, in multiple ways.

Feel is superb and, again, very odd. It's round and well-defined with good, minimalistic carbonation that highlights the barrel character and the sweetness of the adjuncts without being a prominent characteristic of the overall profile. The tannins and barrel aging themselves are wonderful, with a light sweetness and the aforementioned vanillins/tannins providing complexity to the base beer and working well with the adjuncts to bolster the flavors here. It's not overly sweet or saccharine, and everything feels really well-done. If this were marketed right, it would probably be a smash-hit and a beer on the level of some of the most sought-after flavored/BA imperial stouts out there. It's really perplexing to me, as I just cannot imagine going through all this effort and not making a huge deal about it, but maybe there's a certain kind of simple beauty in the uncaring attitude these guys have. Doesn't work for me, but maybe some people of like mind can appreciate it.

Can from the packie.
Inky opaque black with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly.
Big coconut on the nose with licorice roast and dark chocolate. Flavor follows the aroma nicely. More suntan lotion than coffee or maple but it is tasty.

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned 5/3/2021. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 2 finger light brown head, that leaves little if any lace with ok retention. 4

Aroma toasted coconut, rum, maple, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans. 4.25

Taste follows coconut is dominant, maple, cocoa, vanilla, and some woody rum in the finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is maybe medium, not dry or sticky, gentle carbonation, and at 10.8% it drinks rather easy and smaller than the ABV. 4

Overall this is nice, but you better like coconut if you want to enjoy this one. Would pair well with a almond joy. 4