Opportunity Cost
Corporate Ladder Brewing Company

Sparing no cost in making a world class Imperial Stout, Corporate Ladder turns to apple brandy barrels, granola, vanilla, cinnamon and cake batter for a well rounded pastry-style stout that just oozes with culinary delight.

Jet black and pouring like tar, Opportunity Costs might be slight on foam, but is big on pastry aromas. Fresh baking brownies, chocolate, coffee, nuttiness, vinous spice and holiday spices flow from the glass to entice the nose with dessert decadence. Its lavish taste greets the tongue with a dense and calorie-packed first sip of cake batter, vanilla, chocolate, caramel and honey.

As the taste turns from sugar-laced malts and into the more subtle nuances in taste, the flavors of dark roast coffee, roasted almonds, savory burnt sugars and heavy toast fill in the blanks while a slight bitterness seem of bittersweet chocolate, walnut and wood spices. Trending warm and slightly fruity, the spice of brandy and cinnamon add a semblance of balance to take an edge off of the plump sweetness.

Full bodied, pleasantly cloying and plush with malt, the teeth clinging sugars are unrelenting and relegates the stout to a slow sipping session. And when all else fails, you can always lick the beater before the beer goes into the oven.