The closest I think Bearded Iris has gotten to a stout in the past was the porter that I enjoyed quite a bit. Well, they have gone to the dark side for this one, and anyone who reads this blog or knows me at all knows I like me some stout. I tend to prefer an Irish stout or a milk stout, but an imperial stout will do in a pinch.
First sip is bitter coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and earth. They say it has coconut in it, and I do not particularly care for coconut, but I'm not tasting it. Instead, the coffee that is inherent to the malt (not added coffee, or this review might already be over) asserts itself too much, but the chocolate tries to pull it back. Meanwhile, the bitterness is significantly more noticeable than the last few beers I've had lately.
Tip-in is bitter earth with vanilla highlighting chocolate deep inside its depths. The middle becomes an impressively smooth earth and nut mixture with vanilla and chocolate flashing at the free ends. The finish is where the coffee lies, but it doesn't overwhelm - instead, the bitterness is the driving force until a bitter chocolate with coffee around the outskirts heads for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Not my usual stout goodness, but it's different and entertaining.
3.25/5