New Beer Weekend #273

How did it work as a pairing?

 

It worked really well but only because despite the ingredients the cake wasn't sweet. The apple cider beer isnt cloying sweet but its still sweet so again luckily I toned down the cake

 

Olde Hickory Scorpio's Eclipse Imperial Stout with honey aged in Bourbon Barrels, raspberries, marshmallows, coconut and Titanium Dioxide added for coloring ( why? ).10.4% ABV; 3.69 overall


Canned 4/16/2025

Pours an effervescent chestnut/mahogany with one finger of mocha colored head. Viscous, zero head retention & lacing

S: Marshmallow, vanilla, berries All tail off once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry, some boozy notes up front. Plenty of dryness from the honey, marshmallow, coconut & raspberry & red grapes a touch of booze once this beer is warmed up, along with some cola notes. Finishes dry with dark fruit notes, some jammyness, & treacle/honey notes; plus Sour Mash

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, fairly warming

Too much going here, not bad, but not one I'd pull the trigger on again. The dryness makes it a sipper, it tried to pull together late, all the magic happened at almost room temperature

 

Did you know going in or get lucky?

 

Titanium dioxide added for coloring??? I know you have no answer but why?!

 

When I bake for just me I really tone down the sweetness so I can't take credit,lucky coincidence

 

I have a sweet tooth, but not with something like that. Let the fruit do the heavy lifting

 

Doesn't make sense to me either. As a colorant it enhances brightness and opacity - makes stuff look whiter and brighter. Seems out of place. Make a stout whiter? It's limited in use to 1% by weight in foods, safety (as usual) is debatable. Its banned as a good additive in Europe.

However, deeper digging (I dont have all the resources at my fingertips I had a couple months ago...) reveals that titanium dioxide can react with metal ions in brewing. So if it ties up transition metal ions, it's essentially an antioxidant and could reduce stale flavors. Still not sure it makes sense.

 

I can't even imagine a reason to do it, but maybe by law you have to declare it? Maybe some stupid white stout??? Since I was the first to see it here, we may never know...

Untappd also shows a dark beer...

 

@Blogjackets gifted me with a six pack of stouts, two of which I have never seen before.
This was one of those -

The pour of the first 12 ounces is stout black with a one cm brown head that left no lacing.
The last 4 ounces is where the wheels come off.
When they claim it’s brewed with granola, I didn’t think they left it in, but evidence suggests that they did.
The taste is a good imperial stout; coffee, chocolate, warm bread and a bit of hops edging. The granola adds a little nutty taste, it wants to be sweet but isn’t. The hops are just enough to keep it in line.
The feel is good, and once I filtered out the floating bits, it finishes good as well. A bit viscous, which is a good place for imperial stouts.
OA, not sure if this is an anomaly or if it’s just part of the experience. Either way, I prefer the floaties to be filtered out.
In case you are interested, I did filter out the bits:

Rather odd, but it’s certainly not the first time I’ve come across such things and I have a tool just for filtering out floaties. Saves a number of beers that might otherwise just be poured down the drain.
Cheers!