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

tectactoe

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at the Oak Cafe. Pours a deep brown and black color with a light-brown head that was thin and faded to nothing more than a ring around the glass within minutes; no lacing to speak of. Smells of sweet coffee and creamer hit the nose first. Packed with dense, concentrated coffee flavors, this one smells sweet and powerful. Some cocoa and roasted notes on the sides, but the coffee is certainly what dominates.

Same goes for the taste - this is a coffee stout, through and though. Chocolate plays a secondary role. Sweetened, sugar & cream coffee up front; lots of sweetness, roasted malts, and some lightly burnt sugar. As the beer warms on the palate, some more dark, bitter notes come alive, but still remain very reminiscent of coffee, only this time, a strong, black, bitter coffee. The lingering sweetness hides this fading bitterness very much, however. Some black licorice and toasted cocoa beans make their way into things near the end, along with a generic roasted malt flavor, but again - coffee is the leader, here. Slight hint of alcohol near the end on the very back of the tongue. Dense body, thick, lightly syrupy, sticky, heavy, low carbonation.

This is certainly one for coffee lovers everywhere. Very sticky, sweet, and dense coffee aromas and flavors. This reminds me of the concentrate that Tim Hortons and Dunkin' Donuts use for their iced cappuccinos - you know, before it gets mixed with cream and ice. Almost a touch too sweet for my liking, meaning I could never have more than one. But it does make a nice dessert beer on occasion.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 12:33:49 | More by tectactoe

Hoozierdaddy

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

05-24-2013 05:17:55 | More by Hoozierdaddy

anteater

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-24-2013 02:28:54 | More by anteater

csfcmitchell

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%

05-23-2013 15:57:10 | More by csfcmitchell

beergorrilla

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1%

05-23-2013 05:33:30 | More by beergorrilla

dfillius

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1%

05-23-2013 01:02:52 | More by dfillius

verge

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-21-2013 18:18:50 | More by verge

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