This is the second of four Wicked Weed imperial stouts from this collection. They call themselves guilty pleasures, and as such, they are dessert beers. I mentioned in the previous review that it seems very strange that they went with something so stoic as an imperial stout rather than something smooth and creamy like a milk stout, and that is especially true with this one. It seems like you are setting the difficulty on hard by not choosing a milk stout for your milk and cookies beer. Let's see if they were on to something.
I have a feeling that all of these are just going to be black. Yes, there is a rusty brown at the edges, but this beer is just as black as it sibling. What is not the same as it sibling is the meager amount of head that I was able to coax out with a rather exuberant pour. This head is a noticeably darker shade of tan, and it scurries away quickly. The single layer of tiny bubbles floating in a diamond shape on top of the beer is all that would remind you the carbonation existed. Once again, this beer misses the requisite ring of bubbles around the edges of the glass. The aroma is less smoke and more oatmeal to the malt, and the resulting beverage is a bit more daunting.First sip is noticeably more bitter with similar spices to its brethren and there is smoke in the malt, but it is much grainier and heavy. The chocolate appears to be all but missing, and a light coffee has been put in its place. I'm not sure that I'm in for this kind of change over, but that's the nature of a variety pack. While the presentation was fairly similar to it sibling, its taste would not easily be confused with it.
Tip-in is sweet vanilla and chocolate that was missing in the sip with very, very light carbonation tingle. Middle turns up the carbonation significantly, and coffee joins the chocolate malt while the cinnamon and spices come to join the sweet vanilla with a bitterness as more of a feeling of something building at the outsides. The finish is where the bitterness comes crashing down and the coffee becomes significantly stronger with the vanilla and spices hanging on for dear life as a trail off.
Bottom Line: Sipping was problematic, but gulping showed its flair.
3.5/5