Beer & Cookie Pairings: Russian Imperial Stout & Thin Mints

The Seventh Beer of Christmas 2022

Beer: Outer Darkness Brewer: Squatters Location: Salt Lake City, UT Website: https://www.squatters.com/ Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5% Cookies: Grasshoppers from Nabisco and Chocolate Chip from United Supermarkets

Preview - The Twelve Beers of Christmas 2022

The Twelve Beers of Christmas is back to fulfill something from Santa's wishlist ... Cookie & Beer pairings!

While introducing the beers and cookies for the Twelve Beers of Christmas 2022, I am drinking The Last Girl Scout from Martin House Brewing. It's a Thin Mint-flavored imperial stout coming in at 11.6% ABV.

The Fourth Beer of Christmas 2019 - Russian Imperial Stout

From Russia with love, Baltika Breweries' Russian Imperial Stout sets a high bar for other Russian imperial stouts to follow. This is simply amazing.

Summary

• Appearance: Opaque black/brown with a nice head of tan bubbles that leave a lot of lacing
• Aroma: Unsweetened chocolate, dark fruit, charred coffee
• Taste: Dark roasted toffee, bittersweet chocolate, dark coffee, star anise, dates, cabernet sauvignon
• Feel: A touch short of really heavy, nice carbonation, dry finish, robust & complex

Stats

• Brewer: Baltika Breweries
• Location: St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
• Website: https://corporate.baltika.ru/
• Style: Russian Imperial Stout
• Alcohol Content: 10.0%

Lakewood Brewing - Sin Mint Temptress

The Sixth Beer of Christmas 2017 is Sin Mint Temptress from Lakewood Brewing in Garland, Texas.

Summary
If it looks like a cookie, smells like a cookie, and tastes like a cookie, it's got to be a pretty tasty beer!

• Appearance: Nearly opaque black. Beige head of fine bubbles.
• Aroma: Smells like a Thin Mint along with some alcohol esters and toasted grains.
• Taste: Up front, sweet dark chocolate and that 9% alcohol. Finishes with a strong Thin Mint flavor.
• Feel: Medium to heavy body. Not ask silky smooth as their regular Temptress. I think the mint flavor breaks the silkiness.

Stats

• Brewer: Lakewood Brewing
• Location: Garland, Texas
• Website: http://lakewoodbrewing.com/
• Style: Imperial Milk Stout
• Alcohol Content: 9.1% ABV

Left Hand Brewing - Wake Up Dead Nitro

The Twelfth Beer of Christmas for 2016 is Left Hand Brewing's Wake Up Dead Nitro:

Summary
Cocoa, caramel, and licorice ... on nitro. A great combination.

Stats
Brewer: Left Hand Brewing
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Website: http://LeftHandBrewing.com/
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 10.20% ABV

Santa Fe Brewing - Imperial Java Stout

For the Thirteenth Beer of Christmas, our final night in this Brewer's Dozen Celebration, we salute the Land of Enchantment with a beer that's worthy to come from such a magically named place.

Santa Fe Brewing
Imperial Java Stout

In October 2013 I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend a conference. The #2 item on my list for that trip, just below giving my presentation at said conference, was to visit the brewery that makes the magically delicious Imperial Java Stout. Yes, I know, I'm mixing geographic genres with Ireland's leprechauns with New Mexico's general air of enchantment.

Filled with a rich, cola colored brew that's capped with a thick, chocolate milk colored head of bubbles, you might think you've just poured yourself a coke float. Don't let the look fool you, this is much, much better tasting than any coke float! The head settles down and is just minimal traces across the top by the time you're halfway done. Lacing on the glass is spotty.

The aroma is a mix of roasted malts and roasted coffee beans. It's dark and rich with a bit of dark chocolate and a touch of sweet caramel to round it out. Despite being 8% ABV, there is little to no alcohol scent.

Similarly, the high alcohol content is masked by the intense flavor explosion of coffee and roasted malt. Coffee comes through at the forefront - fitting with "java" in the name - with roasted malts coming in not far behind. There's a bit of bittersweet baking chocolate in there, too. Hop flavor is minimal. Medium to full bodied with low to moderate carbonation, the drink clears the back of the tongue with a bittering that is more coffee than anything else.

The low alcohol feel and the subdued hops make me think this is more "coffee stout" than "imperial stout." However, the body and actual alcohol content tell a different story.

This is one of my all time favorite beers, which is why I chose to make it the final beer in this year's special Brewer's Dozen. If you're in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, or planning a trip to New Mexico, you owe it to yourself to stop by Santa Fe Brewing. It will be a treat. Try the Chicken Killer Barley Wine, too. I'm not generally a barley wine fan, but they made me a believer.

Stats
Brewer: Santa Fe Brewing Company
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Website: http://www.santafebrewing.com
Style: Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 8.00% ABV

Interesting Note: Possibly because this beer is so good and so coffee flavored, the folks at Santa Fe Brewing added some helpful instructions to the can. As seen in the picture above, there's a beer mug on the can with the words "after noon." On the opposite side of the can as seen to the right, there's a coffee cup with the words "before noon." So, coffee before noon and this beer after noon. Or, maybe they mean that in the mornings you should drink this from a coffee cup so that no one realizes what you're drinking. Yeah, I think that's a pretty good plan!

North Coast Brewing - Old Rasputin XV Anniversary Barrel Aged Stout

For the Ninth Beer of Christmas, Russia sends its love ... by way of the northern coast of California.

North Coast Brewing
Old Rasputin XV Anniversary
Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed in the tradition of the English brewers that provided stouts for the court of Catherine the Great, North Coast Brewing's regular version of Old Rasputin is a classic in the Russian Imperial Stout style. This is the first time I've seen their anniversary version.

Darker than a glass of Coca-Cola, this version of North Coast's flagship Old Rasputin imbues the mysterious, glossy black body. The carbonation is low for most beers, but is normal for a imperial stout style. The light tan head foamed up at first but cleared away quickly to become minimal at best and no lacing remained on the glass.

The aroma is that of a strongly mixed Jack & Coke ... very sweet with high alcohol esters. There are also hints of vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon. Of course, I think Coke has vanilla and cloves in its aroma, too, so those seem to fall under the Coke umbrella.

The taste is full of whiskey and coke and coffee and chocolate. Dark, baking chocolate. The mouth-feel is full and rich. Almost like you could chew it. Even though there is no visible carbonation, there's a sharpness similar to a crisp, high carbonated drink such as champagne. The high alcohol comes through in the taste (as the whiskey) and in a warming sensation.

This was a fantastic bottle of beer. Rich and strong. It's a bit much (both in strength of flavor and cost) to be in my regular drink rotation, but it would be a great treat to share on a cold, winter evening.

Stats
Brewer: North Coast Brewing Co.
Location: Fort Bragg, California
Website: http://www.NorthCoastBrewing.com 
Style: Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 11.9% ABV
Interesting Note: The label around the neck of the anniversary bottle is adorned with the phrase "never say die," which refers to the many attempts on Rasputin's life. On the regular bottles, a phrase in Russian states "A sincere friend is not born instantly."