Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout

Maker: Aloha Plenty/Iron Fist/Stone, California, USAMCIS

Style: Imperial stout with cocoa and mint flavoring added.

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 9.6%

Thanks to Rhiannon for this bottle.

Appearance: Black coffee with a lacy beige head.

Nose: Dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, faint herbal note.

On the palate: Full bodied and sweet. Like a Shamrock Shake upon initial entry. Some bitterness does surface later and on subsequent sips. Very dark chocolate, Espresso with a shot of peppermint schnapps.

Finish: Long, bitter and slightly sweet. The mint is in the background but still present.

Parting words: I wasn’t so sure what this beer was going to be like, but my doubts were unfounded. It’s delicious. The cocoa dovetails with the Stout-ness perfectly even to the point where I don’t think I would notice it if I didn’t already know it was there. The mint is noticeable but subtle, especially as the beer sits in the glass. I would have preferred a little more mint, but that’s a quibble. I also don’t know if adding cocoa was really needed but it didn’t hurt.

I received this beer as a gift from my cousin, so I’m not sure how much it sold for, but I’ve been able to find it online for $3 for a 12 oz. bottle. That’s not cheap, but since this is more of a novelty than a go-to brew, I wouldn’t mind paying that for a bottle or two. Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout is recommended.

2 thoughts on “Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout

  1. I was curious about this one but never had a chance to try it. Stone is beyond a solid brewer, so if anyone could pull something like this off, it would be them. Sounds tasty!

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