Authoritarian
Short Throw Brewing

 

16oz. Can served in a Spiegelau tulip. Pours one shade shy of black with an opaque clarity and a loose, mocha-colored head that immediately disperses into a band around the shoulders and an oily swirl across the surface. Nose expresses rich chocolate, marshmallow and a hint of roast. Taste is absurdly sweet and decadent - consistent with nose, but amplified. There’s also a hint of raspberries at the tail end. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a mild, almost still carbonation, and an oiliness to the texture. Overall, a very nice pastry stout, but a little cloying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served in a teku glass from the can.

Appearance: Ridiculously thick dark black colored chocolate tinted brew.

Taste: Devil's food cake with extra chocolate shavings and hard hints of coffee bean with light vanilla...complex as a reverse Oreo. Get ready to confuse your palates.

Smell: chocolate, half and half with vanilla bean. That's it.

Mouth: Nut taste finish which feels nothing more like a bag of roasted peanuts meshed with milk chocolate.

Overall: Great brew, extra milk sugar which I will pay for later but good brew which I will remember. All it needs is a catchier label. Salud!

 

Too sweet.

Probably dairy.

 

 

 

Designed like Russian Imperial Stout but built like cake batter, the collaborative efforts of Short Throw and Equilibrium breweries strikes a near-perfect balance between what's stout and what's pastry.

Pitch black and pouring like used motor oil, Authoritarian Russian Pastry Stout quickly takes command of the session with a decadent chocolate laden java scent. With spicy hints of coffee liquor, intense roast and vanilla cream wafting about the nose, the suggestion of authentic pastry shops come to mind. Unapologetically sweet, creamy and pillowy, the initial taste is boisterous with marshmallow, chocolate, molasses, condensed milk and all-things-cake batter.

The richness only double-downs on intensity as the stout stretches across the middle palate and saturates the tastebuds completely. Meanwhile, a balance of roast brings a heightened sense of espresso, campfire and burnt marshmallow for a savory taste of char. Soothing with vanilla, milk sweetness and caramelization ensures that the beer's pastry flavors remain in command of the session.

Full, lavish and chewy, the beer finishes with a pleasant cloying character that hampers drinkability but rewards flavor. Its a beautiful after dinner complement and even a replacement for dessert. Any attempt to drink the entire can should stop halfway through to take an insulin shot whether diabetic or not. Finishing roasty-sweet and extending with a long nougat effect, this beer could easily be baked at 425 degrees for 35 minutes and then let cool before applying icing.