Lips Of Faith - Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout - New Belgium Brewing

cradke

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark brown to black. Pour is a little less viscous than other Imp. stouts. Very nice head and some decent lacing.

Smell: Good coffee and very forward chocolate. Some decent malt and it finishes smooth. Very few bitter notes.

Taste: Very pronounced coffee and chocolate again. Some hazelnuts thrown in. Limited bitter notes with a smooth aftertaste. Kind of like having a extra chocolate coffee late. Sweet but not to cloying.

Mouthfeel: A little thin compared to most imperial stouts but with a good amount of carbonation. It's very pleasant and it drinks very easy; almost too easy!

Overall: Very pleasant. Very forward on the chocolate and coffee as advertised. A little thin but it's very easy to drink. For New Belgium not doing very many stouts, this is a solid beer and for $6, I will drink this all day long. Well done

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:46:26 | More by cradke

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5  rDev +1%

05-18-2013 17:48:19 | More by drgonzo2k2

SocalKicks

California

4/5  rDev +1%

05-17-2013 05:31:44 | More by SocalKicks

BillyTWilliams

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-16-2013 00:08:03 | More by BillyTWilliams

lucasj82

Indiana

4/5  rDev +1%

05-15-2013 00:58:44 | More by lucasj82

DeschutesFan

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-11-2013 17:17:35 | More by DeschutesFan

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1%

05-11-2013 01:25:57 | More by ToddHolder

rph97

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-10-2013 01:09:01 | More by rph97

jacewg

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-09-2013 21:12:07 | More by jacewg

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -30.6%

05-09-2013 01:44:51 | More by tommyguz

gtermi

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-09-2013 00:53:18 | More by gtermi

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1%

05-04-2013 19:17:36 | More by leftstagebrew

pschul4

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a light black with a 1 inch black head

S - Espresso notes along with a hint of bakers chocolate and some roasty malts

T - The roasty malts take the lead but there is a nice coffee taste along with a nice touch of booze in the back

M - A little thinner than would care for

O - Some thinkness would essentially turn this into FBS. Really good but somewhat light. That said I'd drink this often if given the chance

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 01:47:15 | More by pschul4

djs467

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-30-2013 16:17:21 | More by djs467

Integritous

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-30-2013 01:44:36 | More by Integritous

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Solid stygian blackness, beneath a gorgeous deep tan head, long lasting, creamy and luscious.

Aroma: chocolate first on the nose, sweetness aplenty, rich and lovely. Mocha delight. The glaze on a scrumptious chocolate donut. Coffee hasn't revealed itself yet. Very pleasing, nonetheless.

Taste: In the mouth, cocoa sensations resonate, with coffee notes rising up to greet them. This is delectable. Now we're dunking that chocolate-dripped cruller into our morning cup joe. Getting the best of all worlds. It's the most intense, the richest, the fullest, or the deepest, but it's tasty and drinkable, beside the high ABV. Fullish body, long, but not overly intense finish.

Alcohol isn't showing just yet, and, as noted before, there's not trace of "imperial stout" flavors, like dark fruits, char, dark rum, molasses, etc. Just chocolate, with coffee beans peeking in at the sides.

Someone asked me if this was a "Belgian-style" stout, and I replied, no, just regular, plus coffee, plus chocolate, plus imperial. But through their name and their past brews, people expect everything NBB makes to have a Belgian bent of some sort. Personally, I'd like to see more of this, especially now that they've embraced their hoppy nature, or formed one, or something.

No, this is not barrel-aged, or vanilla bean infused or whatever other gimmick we need to use these days. It's just a darned good beer. Really nice, and very flavorful.
What's wrong with that, I'd like to know, so here I go…again…
...

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2013 08:04:55 | More by feloniousmonk

hsus0225

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%

04-23-2013 02:07:21 | More by hsus0225

jabo134

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1%

04-22-2013 11:45:59 | More by jabo134

dbrelsfo

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-22-2013 00:10:51 | More by dbrelsfo

Bowers-Brew

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-21-2013 21:50:33 | More by Bowers-Brew

PatrickKlopfenstein

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

04-20-2013 21:38:28 | More by PatrickKlopfenstein

nickfl

Florida

4.16/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a small head of off-white foam on top of an opaque black body. The head settles quickly and leaves little lace.

S - Lots of coffee with a touch of chocolate.

T - Espresso and dark bread up front. Some molasses and burnt caramel in the middle and a finish of dark chocolate, more coffee, and just enough bitterness to keep it balanced.

M - Medium-thick body, moderately high carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - This is somewhere between a robust american stout and a real imperial, but it works nicely. The coffee character is excellent and there is enough chocolate to justify its inclusion in the description as well. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 00:45:25 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

3.86/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: very thin tan head which doesn't last long on a jet black body.

S: dark chocolate, brown sugar and coffee as advertised.

T: simple but good with chocolate, hints of earthy hops and mild coffee bean bitterness. Alcohol is very well hidden

M: fairly thin light to medium body and moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: it's fairly basic. Not very memorable, not a bad beer. One of e better of the lips of faith series which doesn't say much but is true. Carbonation is higher than I want for a big beer like this.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 00:42:36 | More by kylehay2004

Bizoneill

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1%

04-18-2013 20:12:23 | More by Bizoneill

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.

L – Deep brown-to-black color with a 2-finger, frothy, bubbly, tan head. Really nice retention and some great patchy lacing.

S – The aroma consists of tons of coffee and a nice amount of cocoa. There are touches of molasses or caramel present, as well.

T – The taste starts off sweet for a second with chocolate and caramel notes and rapidly shifts to a bold and bitter roasted coffee flavor. As roasted bitterness fades, the sweetness becomes apparent again with chocolate and cream taking the forefront. It tastes like a mocha and certainly lives up to its name.

F – Medium-to-full-bodied with good carbonation, a creamy and smooth mouthfeel, and a bittersweet and slightly dry finish. Coffee and chocolate flavors linger for a while. There may be a touch of warmth from the alcohol, but the ABV is hidden very well.

O – This is a nice imperial stout. It’s not overly complex but it is exactly what it says it is – a coffee and chocolate imperial stout. The appearance and mouthfeel are lighter than I’d like to see in an imperial stout (they are at about the halfway point between a porter and a stout), but the aroma and taste are right where they need to be. Another solid contribution to the Lips Of Faith series.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:38:25 | More by BlackBelt5112203