Karl Strauss 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout
From Karl Strauss – This year’s 22nd Anniversary beer is a Vanilla Imperial Stout, with a portion aged in bourbon barrels for nine months. The barrel-aged beer was then blended with a fresh batch of stout, along with the addition of fresh split Madagascar vanilla beans. The bourbon and vanilla flavors perfectly complement the dark chocolate and warming fishing of this 8.5% sipper, making it an ideal dessert or after dinner drink.
Karl Strauss Brewing – Karl Strauss 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout – 22 oz. bottle dipped in wax – 9% abv.
Appearance: Pours a dark brown with a creamy layer of beige froth.
Aroma: Vanilla, bourbon, dark chocolate, sponge cake.
Taste: Vanilla, warm woody bourbon, dark chocolate. Has a roasty bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy for the most part, but the booze adds a little roughness.
Overall: Super tasty, and surprising levels of bourbon greatness. I would have liked to see this beer a bit bigger and thicker, but other than that a great dessert beer.
Bonus: That wax was a pain in the ass to get off. I thought it was just me, but 3 days later at The Bruery, some dude pulled it out of their cooler, and spent 20 minutes widdling this thing, before Jay from Naja’s brought out his Rambo knife and hacked it off.
March 23, 2011 @ 5:01 pm
They were pouring some 100% bourbon-barrel aged 22nd Anniversary at the release party last month, it was beyond delicious.
The regular release is also exceptionally good on cask, I doubt there are many casks of it floating around out there anymore, but if you get a chance to try it don’t miss out.