Creme Brulee (Imperial Milk Stout) - Southern Tier Brewing Company

RWLawman

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Opaque, almost black in color, with generous khaki colored head.

S - Could smell it the second the waitress set the glass down on the table. Smelled exactly like a creme brulee dessert. Sugar, vanilla, with a touch of alcohol as well.

T - Delicious sweetness. Definitely detect the creme brulee in the flavor, and almost tastes like a Worther's candy. Vanilla and sugar, like you would think of the delectable dessert. Absolutely amazing. A little bit of alcohol bite on the back, as well.

M - Smooth, thick, creamy. A true dessert beer.

O - This proved to be an elusive beer for me. Finally lucked out at Villages Draft House in Raleigh, NC. I went to the bar for the sole purpose of trying this on beer, only to be told that they had sold out shortly before my arrival. The waitress was kind enough to convince the bar tender to squeak out just enough from the keg for a sample. Glad she did, because it was well worth the wait and the trouble.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2013 05:13:20 | More by RWLawman

CDGoin

Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Heavy on the malt, and vanilla extracts, light on Hops. But if you like stouts, porters, anything with lots of malt and relatively few hops.. Then you will love this beer..

It is exactly what it is described as.. The Vanilla aromas smell just like a Creme' Brule and the finish is heavy but smooth.

The only thing I have to say against it, was that as smooth as the first taste was, there seemed to be a bitter finish. While it tasted quite good, the taste was trying to compete with what I think is one of the most aromatic beers I have ever had.

I will admit it was much better from the tap than it was from the bottle. In both cases it was exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2013 00:10:39 | More by CDGoin

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a 12 oz glass

This beer is pitch black with some red tints around the edges. A foamy brown head sits on top for a shirt while. This beer caught me off guard at first, I was expecting a roasty sweet stout, which it is but it's more different then you may think. This beer has a good roasted malt flavor and a dry feel that lasts all the way through. There is a lot of chocolate and a possible hint of vanilla. Some coffee notes and a lot of caramel and toffee. The strongest flavor in this beer is unlike anything I have had in a beer before, Imagine a liquid form of Oreo Icing, mixed with coffee and served on a hershey bar. An extremely sweet beer, Its best in small portions because it is so sweet. The beer is not too thick but has a velvety smooth feel. This beer does not go well with a meal and is sure to be the only thing you can drink in a single setting. A great desert beer so treat it as such.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2012 01:32:01 | More by TwelveOunces

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a brown/black borderline hue. Nearly black, but the light does seep through fairly deep. So, super-dark brown it is. Head starts off fairly full but it dies down to nothing. Tan head turns into a thin bubbly island floating in the middle of my glass.

S-Ah Brûlée! Bitter chocolate notes and concentrated vanilla and toffee. Sweet custard and roasted coffee beans. Quite aromatic, quite pungent and quite attractive. Dulce de leche and butterscotch. Yum.

T-Ah Brûlée! The combination of purely sweet and bittersweet is pleasurable. All the notes found in the nose are carbon copied onto my tongue. White, dark and milk chocolate. Tiramisu and boozy chocolate cake. Reminds me of an espresso martini (in both flavor and alcohol content). Tasty and strong.

M-Lighter for the ABV and style. Fairly bitter and dry. Quite boozy. Perhaps my biggest critique of Creme Brûlée is that the booze is far from incognito. The body's lack of viscosity makes the alcohol more noticeable, but it makes each sip an easy transition into a big gulp. Drinkability is high despite the booze.

O/D-The only other Southern Tier Stout I have had in this format is their Choklat. I liked Choklat but found it to be a bit overrated. I enjoyed this one considerably more. Here I find less sickening sweetness and a bit more flavor diversity. Creme Brûlée coarser, but delicious nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2012 02:10:02 | More by VelvetExtract

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.3/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at the brewery.
8oz serving.

A - Pours pitch black with a small tan head that sinks pretty quick.

S - Awesome! Sugar vanilla, densely sweet, caramelized butterscotch, hints off coffee, fake maple syrup, vanilla cake batter. Smells like a sweet dessert.

T - Rich and sweet all happen at once. Milk chocolate and super sweet vanilla just run over the palate like syrup. Super sweet cupcake batter, chocolate syrup, lots of vanilla flavored alcohol, although the alcohol barely comes through. Finishes sweet and sticky.

M - Dense, heavy syrupy body, low carbonation, cloyingly sweet.

This smells great but the flavor is way to cloying to have more than 4 to 6 oz at a time. One of the sweetest beers I've had. I'd like to mix this with a solid stout to cut the sweetness down a bit. Good for a 4oz dessert cap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2012 23:58:17 | More by StaveHooks

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice

Appearance – Served a black colored beer with a one finger tan head that fades over a moderate amount of time. Upon fading a nice level of lacing is left on the glass.

Smell – The smell is sweet and delicious, like crème brule in a cup. Big aromas a sweet milk, caramel and a lighter vanilla are complemented well by some dark chocolate and roasted coffee smells.

Taste – The taste begins with sweet vanilla and caramel mixed with a roasted malt flavor. Soon flavors of chocolate come to the tongue and bitter the very sweet start. The flavors meld very well at this point and are only complemented and accentuated by a roasted coffee flavor the enters the taste profile more toward the end. Along with the coffee is some alcohol booziness, which when mixed with the other tastes leaves a warming and satisfying taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is rather thick with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. The thickness and creaminess of the body coats the mouth, bathing the taste buds in the sweet and roasted flavors, really allowing then to be individually distinguished and makes for a nice drinking brew.

Overall – A nice sipper after dinner for dessert. The flavors transition well and complement each other nicely. A good sweet stout if I must say.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2012 23:08:27 | More by Darkmagus82

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap and served in a goblet at Burp Castle.

Southern Tier's Creme Brulee pours totally black. There's about a finger or so of mocha foam crowning the beer. Head retention is pretty good and there's a decent amount of head retention. The nose has lots of vanilla and some burnt sugar, but not much else and not much in the way of aromas from actual beer. The flavor is a bit of a letdown, as burnt sugar comes to the forefront and is a bit acrid. Vanilla is also still there, and as the beer warms, a little bit of roasty coffee and dark chocolate becomes apparent. The body is nice, full and just a little bit creamy, and paired with a nicely subdued carbonation. Creme Brulee is an interesting idea for a beer, but in execution the flavoring is a bit over the top.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 00:39:34 | More by axeman9182

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a very deep, almost black color, with a very nice fluffy/bubbly white head that remained throughout the beer.

The scent is very potent of sweet ingredients, vanilla, sugar, some dark fruit, also some notes of coffee and chocolate.

The taste is of sweet vanilla, caramel, coffee and dark chocolate are noticeable toward the end. The alcohol is also well hidden.

Full body, smooth, thick, and creamy, low carbonation.

This beer was absolutely delicious, a ton of flavor, all well balanced. It's tough to drink more than one because it is very filling and sweet but one is all you need. I will definitely look for this again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2012 18:34:21 | More by BeerCon5

Abrengle

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a two-finger pure white head with diminishing lacing. Light carbonation is evident when poured in a 8oz snifter.
S: Nose is full of sweet burned carmel with a deep sugary-malt undertone. It is what you would expect from the name.
T: This beer does not dissapoint or miss-market the experience. This is definantly a night-capper with a descent amount of sugary, carmel, creamy malt and an absence of balance within the volume of the beer.
M: Heavy but sweet with a hint of dark roasted malt.
O: A great beer for dessert, after-dinner food pairings, or for a beer drinker that has a sweet-tooth. I enjoyed the first glass poured out of a 32oz growler, the rest was regretfully drained to the mouth from price obligations.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2012 06:20:35 | More by Abrengle

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sludgy brown-black with a light brown head. Good retention. 4.0

Creamy custard note is huge with big vanilla aromas and minor white chocolate, roast, and coffee. Pretty ridic. 4.5

Vanilla creme, white chocolate, malt bitterness, intense roast, light coffee, and tangy fruits. Booze is here too. Hops are ghostly. 4.0

Medium thickness. Sudsy carb. Intensely boozy. 3.5

Quite the feat in craft brewing. Super sweet, but super good. Treat it as a dessert beer, and you won't be let down. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2012 05:12:18 | More by thecheapies

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Thick pitch black pour with a frothy tan head that eventually leaves a ring. Good lacing.

S- Worther's originals candies. Smells exactly like sweet caramel candies.

T- Sweet caramel followed by some dark malts. The blast of sweetness is noticeable, but the malt actually comes through.

M- As thick as can be. Frothy, thick, tar-like.

O- Better than last year. Sweetness is still the main attraction, but the malt towards the end of the taste actually allows it to drink like more of a stout.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2012 08:23:10 | More by stephenjmoore

challenja

Virginia

5/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served On Tap at Westover Market Arlington, VA

A: Dark black havoc. Zero foam residue. Pure heaven!

S: ohhh my my my. Sweet sweet malt balls, Vanilla sugar cookies, dark roast Costa Rican coffee beans. Caramelized sugar cane.

T: OMG. OMG.. seriously... OMG... Southern Tier are the masters of Dessert beer!!!
Ready??
Vanilla with caramel swirl ice cream. Toasted Honey bun. Oak Cask. Dark roasted Costa Ricas coffee. Whopping malt balls. Like WHOPPERS candy in a glass!!
The Full creamy dairy milk masks the booze in this utterly delicious brew.

M: Richy creamy medium carbo mouth full. This would be glorious on a nitro tap! Smooth and gum tingling. It really coats the tongue O so well.

O: So amazing. It's so out of this world amazing that it should be held high above all other stouts as WOW... This will knock the socks off anyone who tries it. This is what should be served with my last meal..
Get yours NOW. Today.. Check all beer places. and Buy as many bottles as you can.. Well save some. just get 3.

Serving type: on-tap

07-06-2012 23:07:24 | More by challenja

charlzm

California

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Consumed April 11th, 2012 at Hopjacks, downtown Pensacola, Florida.

In appearance, this beer is a dark, dark brown with mahogany highlights. Beautiful sheeting courtesy of the one-finger, incredibly fine head.

Smells like creme brulee and sweet cake batter.

Very sweet and very bitter. Tastes a lot like creme brulee (surprise!). Also, some vanilla and an unexpecyed resiny hop finish.

Thick in the mouth with adequate carbonation.

Much more drinkable and delicious than expected. I really like this one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2012 19:19:07 | More by charlzm

ChaseSams

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

If you find this on tap get it, definitely a unique brew.

Color is deep and brown. Opaque. Nothing special on the pour BUT...the smell... wow. practically all vanilla with some cocoa and light nut. The taste is just as powerful. Tons of vanilla with a great left over taste. The perfect after dinner beer, forget dessert beer, this thing is dessert. I'm going back to my local pub just for this because it is so unique. Hats off to southern tier for this one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2012 23:15:52 | More by ChaseSams

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap during Philly Beer Week at Misconduct Tavern. Looks jet black with excellent lacing on the glass. Smells & tastes just like Creme brûlée. The bartender even said this one is disgustingly good. I agree. It hides all the alcohol wonderfully and almost doesn't taste like a beer, more of a desert. Well, duh. The only thing taking away from this beer is the overly sweet mouthful. Besides that, this one is a real treat.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 15:39:15 | More by jwhancher

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a very unusual Imperial Milk Stout, but enjoyable. There is a very strong aroma of crème brûlée and it goes down incredibly smooth, much like the dessert.

The high ABV and slight dark coffee taste keep the sweetness at bay enough to be able to comfortably drink this. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2012 02:44:35 | More by JohnnyMc

Apostlebrews

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Oh wow! Got to have some of this on tap at Kickbacks Gastropub in Jacksonville. I am a huge fan of Southern Tier and this is a beer that I have been looking forward to trying since they first brewed it.

The beer was served in a 6oz snifter. the color is completely black with a half inch head that that left a beautiful lacing in the glass.

I pick up vanilla, creme, and butterscotch. Very, very sweet.

The taste is similar to the smell, though it's not as sweet as I expected judging by the smell. I get the same notes as on the nose with some toasted marshmallow and burnt sugar on the finish. I don't get any booze, which is scary for a beer that's nearly 10%.

Overall, I this is a great take on an imperial stout. Very creamy and sweet. Extremely drinkable. Well done, Southern Tier. Well done.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2012 17:52:48 | More by Apostlebrews

BrownNut

Florida

3.24/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

This beer smells like the beer I had invented in my head that I did not know existed. I've been dreaming of a sort of rich, viscous, toasty brown ale with hints of butterscotch. This beer smells even more like that than it did in my head.

Taste is another thing though and this one had too much of that sweetness going on. It was distracting. If I could put it in Photoshop, I would crank down its saturation slider - I want that taste, just not so concentrated and pungent as that. It was like they dumped the flavor extract bottle in there and so it came across very overdone. I only had a 4 oz flight glass of it and would not have wanted to work my way through a whole pint.

It's an absolutely beautiful smell and an interesting thing to take one mouthful of, but I'm out after that.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 04:44:12 | More by BrownNut

hippityhops85

Pennsylvania

1.95/5  rDev -49.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This is such a bizarre beer. The name alone would drive me NOT to taste it but we'll take one for the team here. (Note, I am generally not a fan of milk stouts)

About three oz poured into a sample glass from draft.

Pours a deep, opaque black with an offwhite head that quickly dissipates leaving spotty bubbles on top of the brew.

THE NOSE IS INSANE! So much vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, roasted malts. It's literally a punch to the senses. If the beer tastes anything like this it should be good.

Woah, what happened to the taste? Initially the taste does follow the nose but only for a second. The wonderful spice armoa from the nose is swallowed up in a bitterness that's really unpleasing. This bitterness along with the OVERWHELMING sweetness of the beer is just nausiating. There is a fair amount of lactic acid which really doesn't help the beer in the least. It's almost super sweet bile. Blech.

The mouthfeel is much thinner than I would have wanted out of a beer claiming this much flavor. Relatively moderate carbonation coupled with a too-thin mouthfeel and the ever-lingering bitterness/sweetness combo does not help this beer at all.

I've never claimed to be a fan of milk stouts and this doesn't help the cause IMO. I'd avoid this brew and take a well-rounded imperial stout over it without all the "pizazz."

Avoid.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2011 13:58:23 | More by hippityhops85

Ruds

United Kingdom (England)

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Smells just as the name state's 'Creme Brulee' !!!

Served from a Keg Tap into a 10oz snifter glass, poured a black velvet colour with very minimal head (vanishing within a minute or so) and with minimal lacing

flavour was all sweet, toffee, choccy, cream and to be honest did a good job of resemblng 'creme brulee' !

mouthfeel - sweet, fluffy to chewy, not my favourite in this respect !

sweet aftertaste also, happy to be drinking a 10oz snifter and no more, starting to get too sweet for my palate towards the end, but no arguments, did what it said on the tin !

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2011 00:00:25 | More by Ruds

brewcore

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From notes:

Served on draught at Cork in North Charleston, SC. Poured into a pint glass.

A: Opaque pitch black. Thin head with moderate lacing. Legs akin to port wine.

S: Very fragrant and very dessert-like. Smells just like the name suggests. Creme brulee all the way. I even pick up some tiramisu notes. Sweet and rich vanilla aromas heavily cover roasted malts.

T: Super sweet and super rich. More going on than lingering sweetness from the malts. Tons of caramel and vanilla. Tastes like it was poured through creme brulee. No hops bitterness noticed.

M: Body is full and sticky like caramel. Very rich. Light carbonation.

O: The name hits the nail on the head. This is a fantastic dessert beer of which I will return. My wife does not even care much for beer but she loved it. She couldn't hardly put the glass down. Due to the richness of the beer the drinkability is fairly low. I don't think I would want much more than a pint of this beer. In the future I will buy a bomber to split for dessert.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 19:00:04 | More by brewcore

57md

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is chocolate brown, almost black with a finger of tan head that has some retention. There is definitely toffee flavors in the nose. The initial taste is very sweet... almost like creme brulee (call me Captain Obvious); it is followed by some dry roasted hop bitterness that becomes more potent as the beer warms.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 08:21:04 | More by 57md

dcloeren

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Cervezas in Miami. Review from notes.

Poured a deep brown with 1.5 fingers of light tan head. Quickly dissipated into a thin ring around the edges.

The aroma from this beer is amazing! It smells just like fresh baked creme brulee... even down to the carmalized sugar. It's almost unbelievable how great this aroma is.

The taste follows the nose and is a little over the top sweet... but I dont really think I can dock it for that considering it tastes exactly like creme brulee. Pretty boozy on the back end... but I'm not complaining.

Medium bodied with copious amounts of carbonation... Maybe a tad too much. Carmalized brown sugar aftertaste coasts the mouth.

Overall, I don't think that anyone could do a better job at pulling of a stout with the name Creme Brulee. I thought this beer was exceptional and really well done. A perfect dessert beer in my opinion.

I will note that I did not review this beer to style... I reviewed it based on the fact that it is named "Creme Brulee" and judged it based on how well it held up to its name.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2011 14:25:00 | More by dcloeren

eslemarc

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was surprised to find this on draft at a Mellow Mushroom in Dublin, Ohio.

Served in a 10oz glass, the beer maintained a decent 2-3mm head for nearly the duration of the beer, cappuccino colored head clings quickly to the entire glass as it drinks down. Very deep, dark brew, nearly black with some amber hues through the bottom of the glass.

The nose is action packed with sweetness, loaded with vanilla and sugar, smells super sweet and wonderfully roasted. It was difficult to pull other notes out of it because of the overpowering vanilla.

The beer tastes just how it smells, like a delicious creme brûlée. Obviously very strong with vanilla and even some hints of alcohol on the back end of the flavor. Certainly a novelty beer, but very delicious and I'm excited about it each year.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 22:55:50 | More by eslemarc

ThaCreep

Belgium

4.58/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Amaretto color, that is to say, dark caramel. On the nose, this is unquestionably a flavors of creme brulee high quality, like the one that could get out of a kitchen chef.

The mouth looks like that could give this dessert a liquor legend. There is a mix of burnt sugar, cream caramel and vanilla, all made ​​extremely palatable following the addition of milk (because it is a milk stout do not forget). Too bad the bitter end is not more true of stout and then maintained, and unfortunately, the beer a little too sweet.

But hey, it's still "outstanding" and unbelievable enough to be drunk - or rather, sipping - in the corner of a good fire.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2011 20:23:53 | More by ThaCreep