Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout - Tasting and Aging Notes
By jason on Aug 19, 2008 in Porters and Stouts, Reviews
Name: Creme Brulee Stout
Brewer: Southern Tier Brewing
Style: Imperial Milk Stout
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: August 1st, 2008
Original Tasting: August 4th, 2008
Upstate New York can be a great place to live in during the summer. The Saratoga Track is in full swing, and the Adirondack mountains are just a hop away. It’s an even greater place to live in when I can get my hands on a brew as anticipated like Southern Tier’s Creme Brulee Stout.
The CBS looks like a typical stout, but the similarities stop there. Much as you would expect, a powerful sweet vanilla smell just knocks you upside the head when you get a whiff of this beer. Exactly how many vanilla pods did they use to make this brew? I can’t even begin to imagine. You can get some hints of dark malts, but they are just completely overwhelmed by the intense vanilla.
The taste, thankfully, is a bit more balanced. It’s an extremely nice balance of dark roasted malts and sweet vanilla flavor. You get just enough roasty tastes, with notes of chocolate and coffee hiding in the background, to stand up to the tremendous sweet flavors. I think there’s a bit of caramel hiding in there as well. There’s a slight bitter astringency as the finish starts, but it pretty much gets swept away by the tidal wave of vanilla here. Thick and creamy, not too heavy, and a bit of hot alcohol on the end.
Easy, fun, and unique to drink, but one a night is enough with all of that vanilla!
Cellar Outlook: With big flavors and lots of alcohol, I think this one will hold up well. I’m not sure what will happen to the vanilla - it might be interesting if the flavor gets less intense. I’m wondering if some other flavors are hiding somewhere behind it.
Next Tasting: February 2009
Jason
Such a great beer! Or dessert, whatever you want to call it. I’m more excited about what is going to happen with this one than just about anything else in my (fairly young) cellar.
theglow | Aug 28, 2008 | Reply
Hi glow. I’m pretty excited about his one too. I just wish I bought more of it!
jason | Sep 4, 2008 | Reply
I seem to be in the minority here. I just tried this beer last night. Had never heard of it and thought it sounded interesting. i was lucky enough to get it on tap but I couldn’t even finish it. Tremendous nose but the taste, to me, was too overwhelmingly sweet. I could see it making a great dessert beer. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting such a creme brule taste but it really didn’t do anything for me. I would be curious to see how it aged, however.
Tara | Sep 13, 2008 | Reply
Hi Tara, thanks for chiming in!
I can definitely see how this could be overwhelming, and I think you’re right on in calling this a desert beer.
Even though I enjoyed this brew, I wouldn’t mind a drop in the vanilla flavor. I think it would be a more complex and balanced beer that way.
jason | Sep 14, 2008 | Reply