Me: I could really go for an Espresso Martini.
Bartender: Let's shake this up a bit... How about, Vanilla Froth!
Now this is (and will always be), a particularly special beer to me! For one, I love both Kokebi Coffee & Overtone Brewing Co's range equally. However, it was a cold day in February that I had a virtual meet up with both companies, leading to this brilliant Vanilla Latte Imperial Stout being produced.
It's not too often that a beer kicks with flavour before the first sip, but here we have an exception! Coffee aromas emanate along with sweet, sweet dark chocolate and just a touch of vanilla. Then... the taste test... and by Jove, this is a phenomenally smooth, sweet and rich vanilla stout. Just the ticket!
The coffee kicks in, followed with the bitterness of dark chocolate which melts away with a sweet creamy mouthfeel. This is in part thanks to the lactose and 50% Arabica, 50% Robusta mix of coffee beans chosen, which are notable for a creamy balance.
For such a simple mix of ingredients, it is the quality of those chosen which commends this beer its particularly complex flavour. Kokebi Coffee's Super Crema blend was specifically selected, which on its own boasts an intense and complex flavour, with notes of roasted nut, cocoa and cedar wood complimented by a creamy mouthfeel. Overtone are notable for the quality of ingredients used for all of their beers.
It's worth a mention too, that with almost all stouts of this nature, you should expect a gentle bite of carbonation. However, for all intents and purposes this is not a 'fizzy' beer.
Like I hint at in the start of this review, this stout has a touch of the 'Espresso Martini's' about it, and it is the coffee which guides this beer to that destination. However, like any self respecting cocktail, it packs a punch at a generous 9.0 ABV. This is in addition to all of the sentiment that an end of evening beverage should purvey.
Without a shadow of a doubt I can say this is one of the finest examples of a coffee stout. While that may sound bias, don't just take my word for it. This boy has an untapped rating of 4.18, making it one of Overtones best performing beers yet!
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