Grab Box 2

Yesterday, I wrote about how I decided to open a neglected holiday gift pack of Beau's, that it had been so long since I had looked at the four-pack that I couldn't remember what was in it, and that I was going to blindly pull out a bottle each night until it was gone.

You can read that post here. My tasting started off on a high.

Last night, I once again reached into the box and grabbed a bottle without looking. Here's what came out:

Matt's Sleepy Time Belgian Imperial Stout (8% ABV)
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
Vankleek Hill, ON
Beer O'Clock rating: 3

Appearance: besides the bottle, which had a mutilated label that was hard to read in some places (especially in places that had valuable information), the beer itself poured a dark brown with walnut highlights and a creamy, taupe head that followed the stout to the bottom of the glass.

Nose: dark chocolate, malt, with a touch of hops. At one point, I thought I smelled coconut, but that's just crazy talk.

Palate: walnuts, coffee, some bitter hops, and a cocoa finish.

Overall impression: lousy labelling aside, I liked this stout. It had great flavours and went down well. Despite the high alcohol content, this imperial stout was well balanced with the bitterness of the hops, the walnuts, and the cocoa.

Sadly, because this ale was the first of the brewery's Wild Oats series, only 1,000 bottles were made for its March 19, 2011 release. I'm surprised I even was able to get my hands on one in December, 2012, but it seems that the lads put some in this gift pack for a special release.

Oh well.

Hopefully, this brew will come out again, and if it does, grab some.

Cheers!