So Anyway
Origin Beer Project

I think tonka beans are still illegal in the US, which makes this possibly the most metal beer ever.

Pours pitch black, shiny and completely opaque. Nice head on the beer initially, but that dissipates completely.

Aroma has notes of roasted malt, earthy notes, some light vanilla and cinnamon and a touch of spicy pepper. The aroma kind of reminds me of those old school "mexican. stouts" that had cinnamon and dried hot pepper in them - just not as pungent. Overall its very nice.

The taste is where this beer really blossoms. There are notes of roasted malts, vanilla, cinnamon, some dark fruit, a bit of tobacco and roasted malt. Maybe a bit of roasted coffee too, but it's subtle and more the impression of coffee than the actual flavor. There is also an earthy nuttiness to this. One person described tonka beans as having an almond flavor to them and that is sort of what I am getting, although again, just the impression of it. It works extremely well with an imperial stout and is certainly unique.

Feel is medium to full bodied. Rich and roasty, a true sipper. Mild carbonation. Dry finish.

Overall its a lovely imperial stout and a really unique beer. Would love to know more about their use of the tonka beans and what that looked liked for a brewery.

So, we’re just using illegal adjuncts now huh? I can get on board with that. Obviously I’ve never had a Tonka bean, but I’m very intrigued to see what they can do in a beer. By description alone it seems like they’ll work in an Imperial Stout, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of creamy dark tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose has a very unique character to it, earthy and spicy with dark fruit to back it up. I’m picking up on aromas of earthy cinnamon, medium roast coffee, molasses, vanilla bean, dates, burnt caramel, honey, black pepper, brown sugar, cocoa powder, light oak, and toasted almond

While it does lose a bit of complexity in taste, it’s still very good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting milk chocolate, earthy cinnamon, raisin, vanilla bean, black cherry, molasses, brown sugar, and light roast coffee. The swallow brings notes of earthy cinnamon, brown sugar, burnt caramel, medium roast coffee, molasses, vanilla bean, black cherry, toasted almond, and light cocoa powder

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer with a but of a bite. Finishes bone dry and roasty

This is one hell of a unique beer. I’m wondering how much Tonka bean they used for the batch, as I’ve heard a single bean can be used to flavor several dishes. I think I’ll have to pick up some more