Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread (2022)

I think this is the best of the widely distributed BCBS varients of 2021.
Simple treatment, doesn’t taste like cinnamon.,. Love it!

 

From a growler, Thirsty Dog Horchata - a 10% stout. Really tasty combination of pepper, cinnamon, and chocolate. Great mouthfeel. Lactose? Cheers!

 

Cafe deth. Sweet. Needs more coffee. It's still fuckin good tho.

 

enjoyed this last night. A sparsely distributed stout from Odd Side from 2020 that I recently came across. Very much salted dark chocolate with some bitter coffee notes. Overall, excellent.

 

I gotta tell you. Birthday and Anniversary were good but not great. I hope the 2021s are better, especially considering the prices. They were approaching Rare pricing, and Rare is the greatest ever.

 

Everyone has a different palate, and everyone likes their own thing, so certainly not going to try to argue (that would be silly!). BUT, I will say a few things:

• Universally, I haven't seen any BC beers get as much love (flavor wise) as BCBS Birthday and BCBS Anniversary since Rare.
• This was 2020, not 2021
• The pricing was right around $30ish (I think one was $30, the other $35?) for these, whereas Rare'15 was >= Double that price.
• I was really wow'd by these two beers. For the first time ever I got butterscotch in a stout (the Birthday). It was phenomenal. I was so excited. I had my first one last year. The Anniversary was also really yummy.
• For what they are, these are a 'bargain' compared to rare pricing. Anniversary was a 2-yr aged BCBS in Weller 12-year barrels. That's basically "baby rare", and uses the wheat-whiskey barrels like OG rare.
• I'm sorry you didn't enjoy these as much. If you have more, know that I'm always available

 

Odd Sides stouts are way under appreciated. Rye hipster brunch is probably my favorite "breakfast stout" out there

 

Apparently a month off of drinking lowered tolerance. I had a blind pig followed up with Cafe deth, woke up with the can on my lap and a few good sized sips left....

 

I'm about 3 months in, waiting on the birth of my 3rd child before I return. Luckily I've still got some nice low abv options you sent me so I can ease back in

And I definitely won't dive right back in with any of the heavy hitters I've got sitting around. Definitely not. Definitely, probably, maybe, not.

 

The 2020 Anniversary might be the best BCBS I've ever had

 

They definitely have some great stouts, and other styles as well. If they had more visibility and better distribution I’m sure they would be more recognizable. That being said, I’m sure there’s thousands of breweries in America that are in the same boat. Cheers.

 

Let's see...

I know, that's why I said I hope the 2021s are better. I have bottles of Reserve 150, Blanton's, and Toasted Barrel Double Barrel in the cellar downstairs, which, again, I hope are better than Birthday and Anniversary.

In any event, I just didn't love these as much as I have loved other non-adjunct variants. I liked Birthday more than Anniversary, but in general I found them to be more bitter/roasty and less sweet/barrel-y than others.

BCBS Coffee is still one of the greatest beers of all time, and I am really excited for this year's variant. I am also excited for the 2-year barleywine and the 30th anniversary reserve.

When I had Vanilla Rye on tap in 2014 I was completely blown away. Bottled ones I had later on were never quite as good.

The 2015 OG BCBS was my favorite year; I just drank my last one a few months ago. It's never been as good since the process changed after the variants got infected that year.

Rare was on another planet entirely, as we all know.

The Reserve and Reserve Rye were both outstanding.

The 2-year Reserve is probably the 3rd best BCBS I've ever had after Rare and Vanilla Rye.

Those are just my thoughts. And in case anyone gets the wrong idea, I'll refer to my earlier post, which stated my opinion that BCBS is THE standard bearer of BA stouts. Sub-standard variants like Anniversary and Birthday (again, just my opinion) are still in the upper echelon of all beers.

 

Theyre one I'm always looking for when I visit family for sure. And honestly, these days, their decision to keep to a moderate distribution foot print and refrain from expanding production looks like a real savvy move.

Unless they're loaded down with really bad debt, I gotta believe they're in a good spot to ride out any economic/beer market waves. Also, Brandon Flicker is a super dope summer beer and I've always wondered why that coffee blonde style hasn't got much traction outside of Ohio/Michigan

 

I’m guessing it’s distribution related.

I’m thinking you’re correct on their financials/marketing decisions. They brew tons of beer and distribute fairly well in Michigan. Gas stations included in some cases, I’m sure you’ve noticed when you come into town.

Another note regarding Bean Flicker is their variants. S’mores, new Cinnamon Vanilla, and pumpkin spice. All excellent. Cheers.

 

Lol you love my boxes, don’t even trip. Have I ever failed to come through? Come on now.