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

tviz33

New York

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle in to a pint glass

A- Black as the night with hardly a half finger tan head

S- Oh god, this smells awesome. Lots of vanilla and caramel. Reminds me of a gas station cappuccino a little bit, but I don't mean this as an insult as I think this smells great.

T- Starting with sweet vanilla with some roastiness following. Packed with lots of flavor and a subtle warming from the alcohol. This one will hit you quick at almost 10% ABV

M- Full-bodied in the mouth at first but seems to finish rather thin for some reason. Moderate carbonation.

O- Another solid stout from Southern Tier, but I'd take a Mokah or Java before this one. It's still a good one to sit down, sip, and just relax to. I think the vanilla intensity might be just a bit much for me, but it's still worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 03:09:48 | More by tviz33

jsulko

Illinois

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

Bottle poured into a snifter

Pours a dark black color with off white head with brown hints in it.

Smell is sweet with carmel and vanilla in the forefront.

Taste is sweet with vanilla and carmel and a candy like taste almost butterscotch.

Finish is a bit thin and bitter almost off-putting. Takes away from the experience.

A very interesting take on a milk stout. Could see having this as a dessert beer with sweets.

Something I would try again.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 02:49:23 | More by jsulko

dorianmarley

Ohio

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

Appearance is rich black, with a brown head and light lacing.

Nose is very sweet, with cream, vanilla, and fresh caramel. Excellent.

Taste is toasted malt, sweet vanilla cream, and toasted coconut. The flavors are strong and sweet, and stay that way.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, with light carbonation.

Overall, it is decadently rich. And for the most part, it pulls it off. I would label this as a dessert beer. It starts off great, but the sweetness and richness become tiring before a full glass is finished if you don't have a dessert to pair with it.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 23:26:34 | More by dorianmarley

Justin_Neff

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: dark colored with a thin-ish, but fluffy head that disappears rather quickly, however it does leave a good, long-lasting, sticky residue on the side of the glass throughout the drink. Wish the head stuck around more.

S: Strong caramel smells complimented with an overwhelming vanilla aroma. I actually really like the aromas.

T: This starts with a sweet vanilla taste, and finishes with a roasted caramel flavor. The sweetness from the lactose is a great compliment to the vanilla, but overall tastes a bit too artificial for my liking.

M: medium-heavy body. Could stand to be a but thicker, but does have a good creaminess.

O: This is a good dessert beer. Would be a good one for a 8-10oz pour. A bomber by yourself is just too much though.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 02:11:54 | More by Justin_Neff

SGDJosh

4.65/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

From notes taken on 8/12:

The nose really is Crème Brûlée. I've honestly never had a beer that expresses a certain aroma so well. I mean, I can't really describe the aroma in any other terms than Crème brûlée.

Creamy vanilla and dark caramel notes cover the palate. It's sweet but that is to be expected of this style, definitely one packing such amazing flavors. Just like the aromas it truly delivers the flavor! Amazing dessert beer!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 13:45:39 | More by SGDJosh

mattbk

New York

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

A - Jet black, maybe passes only the slightest amount of light. Nice head, doesn't stick around all that long. Poured nice and thick.
S - Super caramel, maybe some vanilla and light chocolate. But mostly caramel, never smelled a beer that smelled more like caramel. Anticipating a very high amount of sweetness.
T - Yes, very, very sweet, mostly caramel, more vanilla flavor, here comes the high level of milk sugar, and finally a fairly boozy finish. A very sweet and filling beer. Alcohol is present enough to make it fairly rough and not at all sessionable. Yet - I can't say I don't like this, at least for the over the top attempt.
M - Full bodied in the beginning of the sip, but goes down fast, probably from the high alcohol. Medium carbonation.
O - Not at all drinkable, but this is a very good dessert beer, and this would be a very difficult beer to replicate. I give STBC credit for this beer. Don't start off with the beer though - it will likely ruin your experience with all other beers. This is something to sip at the end of your night.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 00:49:09 | More by mattbk

RyanLigeia

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in 22oz mug.

Pours a completely opaque black with highlights, that could easily go unnoticed, of brown showing at the edges. 1 inch head that condenses to a thin layer of thick foam over the top that lasts for a while. Like a cappuccino. Leaves thick lacing on the mug.

Smells VERY SWEET. Might turn some off but I don't dislike it. I mean what else would one expect from a southern tier imperial milk stout? Vanilla, caramel, mocha, a hint of alcohol but the sweetness definitely masks the actual abv. Almost reminds me of the way baileys smells, or some kind of french vanilla coffee/mocha adult milkshake. Or, well, creme brûlée beer.

Tastes the same as everything listed above basically except for the fact that the 9.6% abv definitely shines through here. The intense burnt caramel, malty, brown sugary, mocha milkshake sweetness still makes it hard to tell the beer is almost at 10% but there is definitely a slight boozy burn that fights its way to the front. I think with some aging this beer would be 5 in the taste category.

The mouthfeel is very syrupy, sticky, smooth. Warming on its way down. Fits the beer well but if anything Id say I wish the body was a little more full to make up for the intense flavors/alcohol.

Overall I would recommend trying this beer for the simple reason that its pretty over the top in flavor. Awesome idea for an imperial milk stout for sure! I do think the abv stuck out a little too much though and at $9 a bomber I doubt I'll be buying it again. Unless i buy it to age it which seems like it'd be a great idea. Id imagine a lot of "veterans" have been/will be bashing this beer because of the overly sugary syrupy boozy flavor but hey, thats what you get for buying an "Imperial Milk Stout". I try to rate the beers according to which category they fall under and for an imperial milk stout I'd say Southern Tier did a great job on this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:34:57 | More by RyanLigeia

quikxsxilver

New York

4.3/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(my first review!)
Poured from 22oz bomber

A - Deep dark brown with minimal macchiato-looking head

S - Very pleasant but strong and sweet. Reminds me of creme brulee, coffee, caramel., butterscotch.. if Butterbeer from the Harry Potter series was an actual beer it would probably smell like this

T - I would drink this after dinner as a coffee-dessert drink. Very sweet vanilla, sugary taste rounded out with roasted syrupy coffee flavor

M - Medium/low carbonation, not too hefty on the body... lingers after drinking in a pleasant way

O - Pretty delicious if you're looking for a sugary sweet dessert beer! Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 02:26:00 | More by quikxsxilver

yamar68

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark, almost black brown. A healthy light brown head fills the glass and the aromas are already taking over...

MASSIVE butterscotch. I don't use caps lock very often but it was more than appropriate there. Salty sweet caramelized cavity aromas. Would inspire an erection for any lover of sweets. I, unfortunately, don't like candy very much but I still can appreciate the home run aroma that I'm experiencing.

The taste (thankfully) isn't quite as pungent but it is still unforgivably intense. Caramel macchiato with layers of cream and brown ale characteristics.

Like most of the bomber stouts from Southern Tier, it's exploding with adjunct flavors - which is never a bad thing!

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 02:33:03 | More by yamar68

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber.

Not that impressive to look at. Poured into a standard pint glass. Black as night with a small head that didn't last long and little in the way of lacing. Second half of the bomber looked a little better, but the head still didn't last very long and didn't leave that much lacing.

Smells awesome! Although not especially beer-like, more of a dessert like smell. Sweet and vanilla aromas dominate, with some roasty dark notes. You can instantly smell it the moment you open up the bottle, and it only smells better and better in the glass as you drink it.

Taste is heavily sweet with tons of vanilla, gobs of brown sugar, almost like drinking a dessert. There's some dark, roasty notes and some vanilla cappuccino, but nothing in the way of hops.

Body is pretty full and very sticky from the sweetness. Carbonation isn't bad, light but ample, despite the lackluster appearance.

Overall it's very interesting stuff, a bit oddball but certainly worth trying. I'll certainly buy this one again.

Prepare to drink a lot of sweet beer when you open a bomber, or else plan to share this one with a friend.

Note that this year's batch (2012) had a bit better appearance and a longer lasting/bigger head. Appearance bumped half a point.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 23:55:35 | More by AlCaponeJunior

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

tlazaroff

Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Incredible! I don't know how they did it, but it smells exactly like Creme Brûlée. Big vanilla and even bigger maple syrup, right up front and sticks to your nose for a while. Just a wonderful smell.

Jet black with subtle brown highlights and fairly viscous looking. The head is a medium tan, thin, but provides attractive lacing.

Tastes just like creme brûlée, too. Maple syrup, & vanilla dominate. Its very sweet right up front and through the finish. It almost tastes a bit doughy, and is thick, too. Lower end of carbonation but a full body make this beer a true desert beer when you combine that with it's other qualities. I like it, a lot.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 00:37:51 | More by tlazaroff

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

deg

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer is quite dark. I poured it into a pint glass. The head was tan. I could smell vanilla. It was quite a strong smell. First taste: Vanilla, cream. Some roasted malt and coffee for an aftertaste. A little sweetness. The beer feels like I'm drinking a creme brulee. I have a sweet tooth, so I could drink a lot of this. Other people might not be able to drink as much in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 00:35:32 | More by deg

Greywulfken

New York

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: dark brown pour yielded a black beer with very little head - some bubbles around the edges, a mote or two of lace

S: vanilla (creme brulee), maple syrup, cocoa

T: vanilla bean alcohol mellowed out into mild coffee and chocolate with a maple syrup sweetness; vanilla throughout

M: the alcohol and vanilla were evaporating right into the roof of my mouth; fairly lightweight for an imperial stout; sticky caramel sweet

O: I'll go with this being a bit sweeter than I'd like - the vanilla vapors lent it some dryness on the finish, but it was very richly filling (i.e., I only wanted a little after I'd had some). Southern Tier has a talent for making strong, sweet, flavor-driven beers - this is a beer for someone who wants to be drenched in vanilla rather than, say, hinted at.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 23:19:42 | More by Greywulfken

ksimons

New York

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-almost black with some dark chestnut ruby highlights. Not much head on this one, just some lacing around the top

S-rich malt, vanilla bean, mocha, coffee. Definitely smells like dessert.

T-taste matches the smell almost exactly, coffee gives off a nice roasted flavor to help balance the sweetness. I can see why you either love it or hate it. Is is very sweet.

M-medium to full body, good carbonation, leaves a sweet milk like coating in the mouth

Overall I think Choklat and Mokah are better but this one comes pretty close, just too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:10:07 | More by ksimons

hagbergl

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Ah, Southern Tier Crème Brûlée. Glad to finally get around to reviewing this excellent beer. Review is from notes. Poured this from the standard 22 oz. bomber into a pint glass and shared it with my girlfriend, who absolutely loves this beer.

Appearance (4.5/5): Crème Brûlée pours a motor oil black body and is topped by a rather minimal one finger beige head that bubbles up from the depths before settling down and reducing to a small beige/tan ring. The black ale appears calm and completely opaque. This is a beautiful imperial stout.

Smell (4.5/5): Crème Brûlée smells like...crème brûlée! It's simply amazing how wel it mimics the smell of sweet custard and caramel. I detect notes of vanilla (this baby is aged on vanilla beans), condensed milk, butterscotch, dark chocolate, some coffee bean roastiness, and a slightly sweet hint of booze. Now THIS is how an imperial milk stout should smell.

Taste (5/5): The flavor follows the nose: vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, and a hint of coffee bean-like bitterness in the finish. Some alcohol presence throughout, but that's to be expected and is never off-putting; rather, it beefs up the flavor profile. The flavor components in this beer compliment each other well and combine to produce a wonderful synergy. This beer's taste is very bold–the usual reaction from someone who's trying it for the first time is "whoa!!!" Very flavorful and potent stuff, indeed.

Mouthfeel (4.5/5): Crème Brûlée is mildly creamy, smooth, and full-bodied. It is lightly carbonated and isn't very "active". This "stillness" lets the beautiful, creamy smoothness of the beer shine. For being such a heavy and sweet beer, it's very drinkable, though most people (read: non-stout heads) will find it to be a little too big and bold to drink the whole 22 oz. bottle. So share with friends.

Overall (5/5): Oddly, this has been one of the favorite beers of the summer, and has found its way into my fridge and glass more often than any other. And while the warm months aren't the typical time one gets a hankering for a big, roasty black ale, the number of times I've had Southern Tier Crème Brûlée this summer is a testament to its greatness. I recommend this beer highly. It makes a great dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 17:20:52 | More by hagbergl

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

julian89

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle into snifter.

Appearance: A glorious dark opaque brown pour with a 1 inch caramel brown head. Low level retention but excellent carbonation.

Smell: So much butterscotch, caramel, vanilla and dark sugars it's Creme brulee magic!

Taste: Too too sweet, it's too much. I can only take about 4 ounces of this stuff at a time. It seems like it would be excellent to try poured over some vanilla ice cream. I'm quite surprised that there is no chocolate malt in this.

Mouthfeel: A medium to thick body with excellent carbonation.

Drinkability : It's just two sweet for me to drink much of it. I think Southern Tier got exactly what they wanted for this and I agree it's a great beer, I suppose I'm just not as big of a sweet tooth as I thought I was.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 17:20:18 | More by julian89

Casedogg43

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big fan of this Dessert!
Wow, taste just like it's supposed to!

A - nearly black with a big chocolate milk colored head. Looks appetizing

S - vanilla and coffee aromas with butterscotch

T - Huge vanilla, caramel, and hop bitterness in the finish. Hints of maple syrup and coffee are also present.

M - smooth and creamy, pretty damn thick

O - Awesome stout that is a perfect example of a dessert beer. one bottle am I'm ready formthe recliner!

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 00:41:07 | More by Casedogg43

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

4.48/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: deep dark brown with some light shining through tan around the edges.
smell: Creme Brulee! vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. There is no subtlety to this...truth in advertising.
taste: More of the same. No mistaking this for anything other than what it is...Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout.
overall: This is sure a love it or hate it beer if ever there was one and i loves it. Awesome.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 22:41:03 | More by cindyjeffsmith

Danny1217

Florida

3.99/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black with a brown head that recedes and leaves behind some nice lacing. The smell is potent. I can smell this thing without even moving towards my glass (as a matter of fact, the smell was still there after I finished this one and poured my next beer.) It indeed does smell like creme brulee. It doesn't smell like beer. The smell on this one could range from a 1 to a 5, depending on how you like the smell of creme brulee. I happen to love the smell. The taste is strong too. This has less in common with your average russian imperial stout than it does with any dessert. This beer is a dessert. It is very sweet. Tastes of caramel and vanilla, with a hint of chocolate. The roasty flavors from the typical imperial stout are very subdued. The taste of this beer will spoil your dinner. Make sure to have it after. The feel is very thick with somewhat light carbonation.

Do you like your beer to taste like beer or like dessert? That will decide how much you enjoy this beer. I quite like it just for being so interesting.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:38:03 | More by Danny1217

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark brown-black color with a thin layer of chocolate colored head. The fades away very quickly leaving behind a touch of lace.

S - Aroma is full of burnt caramel, with lots of vanilla and lactose, a bit of dark fruit and some booze.

T - Starts off with rich burnt caramel sweetness with lots of vanilla and a bit of dark fruit. Through the middle, the lactose sweetness comes through with a bit of roastiness. The finish is a mix of rich burnt caramel, vanilla bean, lactose, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth and syrupy with a super sweet and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Very much a dessert beer. Super bold but also very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 04:15:14 | More by ngeunit1

Abrengle

Arizona

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