New Belgium L.O.F. Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout

New Belgium Brewing Co.   Fort Collins, CO

Notes:

American Imperial Stout

22oz Bottle

9.0% ABV

DOB: Winter 2012

Appearance:  Pours a very dark brown…head is a light mocha color, thick and airy looking foam…thins to a pinky finger thickness…a solid looking stout…(4.5/5)

Smell:  Tons of dry chocolate, I could smell this beer as soon as I popped the cap…some creamy milkiness, roasted malts, roasted coffee bitterness and oatmeal follow…this is a dessert beer for sure, it has a lush chocolate cake meets creamy latte aroma that is mouthwatering…coffee bitterness isn’t overly strong, very much blended into the entire chocolaty package…seems any real hop appearance has faded, leaving a very inviting malty explosion…(4.25/5)

Taste:  Very much like the nose…roasted malts, roasted coffee (espresso) bitterness, chocolate and oatmeal up front and strong…there’s a doughy quality that lends itself to the overall chocolate cake taste…it’s also got a noticeable creaminess that keeps the robust maltiness somewhat contained…there’s an earthy, molassas sweetness to it and a slight booziness comes as it warms…little sign of hops bitterness…a very tasty brew that borderlines on almost too much chocolaty flavor…(4/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light to medium body, it feels light for an imperial stout…it does fluff up nicely though, bringing roasted malt, espresso bitterness and milk chocolate to the palate…carbonation could be a bit more, but it’s nice…it’s light, smooth and mildly chewy…it finishes fairly crisply for an imperial stout, a chocolaty/roasted coffee malt flavor lingers well into the after taste…(4/5)

Overall:  This is a tasty brew…the roasted malts, chocolate and coffee flavors are blended fantastically bringing a liquid dessert to the palate…my one complaint is that it’s maybe too flavored…the roasted malts are very well done and seem to sustain well on their own, only to sometimes be drowned out by all that chocolate…as it warms, it seems to thin out a bit more than I would like from a stout, leaving wanting a slightly more robust imperial stout…anyway, what I have here is good, very drinkable and easy to recommend…the Lips of Faith series is supposed to contain some fantastic brews and this leaves me wanting more from New Belgium…I picked this brew up in the winter and had it stashed away in my closet for a rainy day…I’m glad I pulled it out tonight, it’s gonna be a great brew to watch this Game 7…(4/5)

Score:

(4.12/5)