Please use this thread to discuss and post pics for... Aardwolf Brewing Co. Bananas Foster 11% | 16oz can Imperial Stout with lactose, bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, and natural flavors. ...and don't forget to rate the beer (click on the beer name above and then "Rate It") on BeerAdvocate!
So glad to see Aardwolf and Funky Buddha in the lineup! I was very excited to see not one but two Florida breweries represented here. We've come an incredibly long way from ten years ago.
3rd beer from the box for me. I was little let down to be honest. Smells of ripe bananas and taste is strong but straight bananas in every sip. I didn't get many of the other flavors coming through. Disclaimer: I am probably spoiled with Tree House and Trillium banana stouts in my backyard so the bar was high for this one.
Seriously, Sweet Ride Banana was incredible. I'll be interested to see how this one stacks up when I get to it, which should be on night 1 of my tasting, whenever me and my friend can work that out
This one pours cave black, minimal beige top. Very little banana scent for me. Roasted malts, chocolate, alcohol, cinnamon and vanilla but really no banana. Fast forward 2 hours, I let this sucker get up to 68 ° and there's the banana. Like an alcoholic chocolate-covered banana. I like it! I don't usually let beers (never) get to room temp but it really accentuated the terpenes in this one. I think I might do this more often with complex stouts as mid-50's is about as high as I get regarding heavy beer temps. While the banana was there, I would have liked some more- but this was a tasty one, would re-purchase.
Yeah, let this one warm all the way up. Maybe even let it sit in the glass a bit to breathe. It's pretty roasty for a pastry stout and cinnamon seems to be the dominant adjunct. The banana and vanilla are definitely there though. I don't love it, but it improves over time and I'd still give it a thumbs up.
First out of the box (going in the arbitary order on the sheet). Head dissapated very quickly, which I always find a little dissapointing in a stout, but I guess there are so many adjuncts in there it is not surprising. Heavily scented with bananas. Thick and chewy with low carbonation. Very sweet, almost sickly, but the bananas didn't come through too strong for me in the flavor. May have a desensitized palate from eating them for breakfast every morning! Chocolate/creamy/caramel flavor delicious! Slight tingly burn on the finish - combination of alcohol and cinnamon. Overall 4/5. The description above and on card in box states 11%, but can states 12%. Do I win a prize?
First one out of the box, based on no rationale whatsoever. I let it get to room temp, as suggested. Burnt molasses, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, as advertised. It was very tasty, but TGIF. I couldn't do these on a daily basis.
Enjoyed this stout. Incredibly creamy stout with a nicely balanced taste of vanilla, bananas & some spices. Great way to start off my Extreme Box.
Aardwolf Brewing Co. -- Bananas Foster Quality stout brewed with lactose and natural flavors added 11.0% ABV; pouring temperature: 53 °F; canning data: unknown 3.86/5 rDev +0.8% look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.75 Dark, nearly black body, opaque; thin, wispy light tan head. Nice, prominent initial smell of bananas through the can opening but only the faintest trace when the beer is poured in the glass; chocolate and roasted grain char. Milk chocolate and sweet cocoa flavor; a bit phenolic, medicinal; some grain char bitterness; whiskey undertone. Incredibly thick and silky body; smooth and oily on the palate; excellent residual sugar presence; moderate boozy heat. I only got a strong presence of the bananas from the can's pull-tab opening and not from the glass, so that is a bit disappointing. Even at 11% ABV, a bigger, longer lasting head would also have been nice. The taste is okay. But the mouthfeel! It's been a long, long time since I've given any indication of a "5" rating, but this beer has it done. Overall, I like the beer, but don't love it. -------------------- This is one of two Florida beers from the BeerAdvocate Extreme Beer Box, my third beer and, so far, my least favorite.
First one out of the box ... why? Cuz I thought, "OMG, I'll never like this one." Alas, I judged prematurely. I'm not a fan of pastry stouts, but this one was ok. I was worried there would be too much banana, but as others have said, those notes come after it warms up. I like the chocolate and cinnamon that comes out first. I'd drink it again, but definitely cold.
Poured a very dark brown (not quite black) with minimal head. Nice boozy, coffee and chocolate smell. Taste was similar with a pleasant alcohol warmth. I couldn't perceive much banana but I did get spice - maybe the cinnamon? I took my time with this and near the end it became sticky and I got some burn and an acrid (metallic?) taste. Guessing from the roasted malts. This was nice, late at night, just north of Boston during the 2-foot storm.
Another good one! Pretty sweet, but I liked how the banana was subtle, more of a cooked/caramelized banana vibe with a bit of chocolate and spice. This one started to turn @Pru into a Stout guy
The third one opened with trepidation, third pleasant surprise. The bananas are caramelized and decadently drizzled in cinnamon and vanilla. The base stout is subdued but provides a nice backdrop. This far surpasses my expectations.
My Extreme Beer Box arrived unexpectedly today so I'm celebrating my opening a couple of them! Second up is Aardwolf's Banana's Foster. After starting with Funky Buddha's Tropical Sunrise my bar had been set fairly low, so I hoped this one would fare better. And it delivered for the most part! It poured jet black with a small head that dissipated fairly quickly. Given the adjuncts and ABV level this isn't too surprising for a stout, but nonetheless noteworthy. No real lacing left to speak of. The nose was overwhelmingly bananas with some lactose, vanilla, and a little chocolate from the malts. Smells fairly nice and inviting. The palate follows the nose and is again primarily bananas. This tastes nice, however, and I was a bit surprised to read it was 11% because while there is a bit of alcohol heat, it's very well hidden. Following the bananas I again get the vanilla and lactose. I can vaguely identify the cinnamon but am not sure I'd be able to pick it out without reading it's there. Mouthfeel is good -- appropriately carbonated for an imperial stout with a fairly viscous mouthfeel. Overall: This was rather enjoyable, particularly after Funky Buddha's offering. I really enjoyed this one, and it's one of the most banana-forward beers I've had. Looking forward to digging into the Extreme Beer Box further! Cheers! Look: 3.75, Smell: 4, Taste: 4.25, Feel: 4, Overall 4
I saved the bigger and darker beers for the end and so this was my beer that immediately followed the blueberry one. I mentioned in an earlier post that I hate banana and, even more so, fake banana flavoring. This had none of that. The hints of banana were underlying and popped up in very inoffensive ways. There is a tremendous flavor of caramelized sugar and vanilla that really brings this beer up another notch. It is interesting though. The first two to three sips of this beer was kind of bam, hit you in the face and felt one note BUT as I continued to drink through it really proved to be incredibly complex and overall, a very good beer. So make sure you give it more than just your initial reaction. Great beer!
For me this was very drinkable (how could it not be, I like pastry stouts) but not a real winner. Drank room temp. Lots of banana and cinnamon with caramelized sugars; I always have a harder time tasting vanilla in things so not surprised I didn't really notice that. It does remind of bananas foster a bit. That said, it felt like it wasn't quite enough like bananas foster for me to want it as a pure dessert and a little too much like bananas for me to want it as a pure beer. Respect for doing what it does, probably just not my personal style.
