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

noser

Oregon

2.45/5  rDev -37%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

This beer poured a lovely dark brown, like black coffee. At first, I feared it was nearly still so I poured vigorously, leading to a thin but attractive head.

When I was hit by the aroma, any thoughts of bubbles vanished. This brew smells exactly like cheap, vanilla-flavored coffee. It's not reminiscent; it's an uncanny replica.

Taste-wise, if I could get past the fakey vanilla thing, I think it might be pretty good: a nice bitterness, roasty, malty grains, and a medium-long finish. Unfortunately, the rich mouthfeel, with what turned out to be a lovely, balancing carbonation were not enough to turn things around for me.

For me, the smell of this brew overwhelmed everything else, and not in a good way. This one's going down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 06:05:51 | More by noser

bguzz

New York

2.68/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Interesting nose, enticing and inviting.

I found that this is an excellent example of a beer with lots of vanilla extract in it. Too much for my taste. Right balance of hops with the sweetness and milk stout style.

Definitely a dessert beer, but not worth the effort.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 03:19:09 | More by bguzz

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

sislte

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Tastes a lot more of beer than I expected. everybody told me it's like drinking a liquidized crème brûlée but it's not. It's sweet and has a nice vanilla flavor but is quite well balanced compared to other milk stouts that I've had. Very tasty and special. However a bit too heavy on the alcohol. I like many 10% beers but this one tastes a bit of alcohol. Also, it's not pretty. Looks like water from a dead lake.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 18:04:06 | More by sislte

didgeridolphin

Northern Mariana Islands

4.73/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Your experience of this beer may depend considerably on context. Let me explain:

The first time I had this beer I was with 6 people and we were spending an evening tasting extreme beers and strong cheeses. We worked up to some very flavorful brews prior to opening the Creme Brulee Stout. I can't remember what cheese we happened to have at the time, but it was perfect. Honestly, I thought this was the best beer I had ever tasted.

Now fast forward a bit: I bought several bottles for friends, and more for myself. The next time I had it, my wife (who had also loved it on the "introductory night") and I opened a bottle to sip by itself as we planned to have a relaxed evening together. After our first sip, we both looked at each other and said "What were we thinking?!" It was hard to even swallow a few sips -- like trying to drink some type of super sweet syrup. Yeech!

We had already bought more bottles, so for the next one we decided to have some unique and very flavorful cheesecake. The first half of the bottle was again among the finest we had ever had. However, we could not finish the entire bottle (it kept quite well re-capped for a few days, however).

This is definitely an extreme beer, with intense flavor and considerable sweetness. If you attempt to drink it by itself, or if you are planning to drink much of it, I think you will be quite disappointed. However, if you either build up to it with other extreme beers prior to drinking it -- and / or if you pair it with extreme food (rich, cheesy, and sweet), you may just find that this beer gives you a totally resplendent and unforgettable evening. So, my rating is assuming that you follow the above precautions and don't plan to have more than about 1/6 of the bottle for yourself that night. Otherwise, you are likely to rate this beer a 2 or below...

I hope this helps you to enjoy one of the most unique and flavorful beers on the market. And I do believe that the quality of the ingredients used must be outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 11:53:52 | More by didgeridolphin

AWSBeerDude

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Tasted out of a 22oz bomber with several other people.
Combined notes.

A- Pitch black with little or no head (what head there was disappeared quickly).

S- Vanilla cake frosting, if you can believe that. It was definitely vanilla, but artificial. Certainly not Creme Brulee though.

T- Sweet, Sweet, Sweet. Tons of vanilla, chocolate and a hint ashtray (not as much as I would have expected from a milk stout). The 10.00% alcohol was disguised very well.

M- At first, well carbonated, maybe too much. Then it becomes very creamy ( and a little syrupy).

I can see what they were going for, and a lot of thought and work went into this beer, but it was not for me.
I have liked other Southern Tier brews (including other blackwater offerings), but in our opinions this one misses the mark.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2008 20:35:26 | More by AWSBeerDude

joeren

New York

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

First tried this at Sunset Grill in Allston, MA, Although my wife didn't care for it, my daughter and I thought it was a great desert beer. The color is deep waxy brown and the head is a beautiful dark froth. A 22 oz. bomber is just the right size to share with 3 to 4.
Joe

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 21:45:12 | More by joeren

IBUlover

Pennsylvania

1.15/5  rDev -70.4%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

My first review, unfortunately, is spurred by my feeling responsible for warning people to save their money.

Smells like cake batter that tried to drown itself in vanilla extract after downing a pint of vodka. Boozy and sickly sweet aroma can be smelled from across the bar, I actually said 'ugh" as the bottle passed by me on it's way to the poor person who actually had 22 oz of this to drink.

I generally agree that a beer can't be properly reviewed based on 1 sip, but that's literally all you need. Unless you posses a 5 year old's sweet tooth and an alcoholic's liver I'd suggest avoiding this beer.

* Would be interested to try this beer with 1-2 years of aging, but I won't go near it again in the interim.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 23:35:35 | More by IBUlover

ljette

Massachusetts

2.33/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

Let me preface this by saying I don't often review, despite drinking a lot of beer. I do feel it necessary to review this brew due to my sheer dissapointment.

I have been looking forward to this beer for some time (favorite dessert+beer=heaven?)

It pours a beautiful dark dark brown/black color with great head and good lacing.

The smell was exactly what I was looking for in this beer, vanilla and caramel.

Unfortunately the taste and drinkability are pretty inexcusable in my opinion. It is an unbelievably sweet beer, which also has some hoppy bitterness to it. Unfortunately the bitterness doesn't really balance the sweetness as much as confuse the senses. This beer has a bit of an identity crisis I suppose (I know, I should have seen it coming). The sweetness gave this simply no drinkability, I had to drain pour the majority of this brew. A sad day for stouts.

Having said that. I still commend Southern Tier for trying something different. It was certainly...different.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2008 03:14:56 | More by ljette

scott27

Maryland

4.58/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

This is my first review here so here goes....

Served in a Dogfish Head 22 oz snifter glass. Slow pour yielded very little head, save a nice velvet lacing around the top of the glass. Appearance was jet black. Smelled of vanilla beans, birthday cake, and obviously of creme brulee. Southern Tier does a great job with using great aroma type hops in combination with unique add ins, which in this case saw Columbus hops paired with vanilla beans. Taste was candy sweet with a delicious vanilla and fudge after taste which seemed to linger on the taste buds. Detected a nice hidden bitterness, undoubtedly from the Horizon hops used. Mouthfeel was in the medium range. With sweet stouts, I would say that the mouthfeel was not quite as thick and creamy as Youngs Double Chocolate, but not as thin as Mackeson or Lancaster Milk Stout. In regards to drinkability, I would not have anymore than one of the 650 ml bottles that Southern Tier puts this in for several reasons. First of all, not only is this stuff 10 percent, but as with many other Southern Tier stouts (Oatmeal and Choklat) the alcohol is very well hidden beneath the sweet, candy like flavor. In short, this stuff will knock you on your butt if you are not careful. Secondly, one would probably not want to drink too much of this because of the intense sweetness. Being a stout drinker, I generally have one of these and follow up with a nice hoppy stout or porter like Guiness or Victory Storm King. Overall, the more and more I drink Souther Tier beers, the more I appreciate their craftsmanship and orginiality. It is a shame that this is a seasonal as I just happened to luck out and find a bottle at a local liquor outfit. The new batch comes out in June and I plan stockpile!!! I may even try and save a Choklat and mix the two together! A great sweet stout...highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2009 04:05:51 | More by scott27

matthewjk

Ohio

2.55/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

No...no...no. This stout is way too sweet for consumption. The syrupy-sweet, vanilla flavor is too overwhelming for me, but I can at least say I appreciate the effort from Southern Tier to try something different.

Feel jipped out of $9 for the 220z bomber, but that is how it goes sometimes.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2009 03:30:39 | More by matthewjk

Jdog66

Minnesota

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

It's called Creme Brulee. It's sweet. Guess what it tastes like? You'll never guess. OK, I'll tell ya. It tastes like Creme Brulee. If you like Creme Brulee, you will likely dig this beer. Pay attention to serving temperature as, with most good beers, the flavors really come out in the low to mid forties.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 23:42:10 | More by Jdog66

brian252

Virginia

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

An amazing beer. It's better to have a Souther Tier Creme Brulee instead of desert after dinner.

(A) It's jet black with a frothy head which is light brown.

(S) It smells like burnt sugar and caramel.

(T) It's taste is very sweet.

(M) It's thick.

(D) I had to take my time with wtih beer. It's pretty strong. After having, i would not suggest you get another one (until the next day)

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2009 01:54:43 | More by brian252

Chugg

Pennsylvania

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

I purchased a growler at the Brass Rail, Campbeltown. The sweet smell of Creme Brulee filled the air as I popped open the top of the growler. As I poured the hazy dark red/brown brew into the glass a finger width carmel head appeared. As the head dissipated and laced its way around the glass, I noticed that light barely penetrated through the ruby red haze. The smell was intoxicating. The Aroma of Creme Brulee dominated along with a hint of caramel. The taste of caramel sweetness hits the pallet along with a heavy dose of malts followed by pronounced hop bitterness. The taste of alcohol is present as all the flavors blended together like Creme Brulee mixed with rum! The unique style, American Double/Imperial Stout has been brought to fruition! The mouthfeel was rich, heavy and sticky. The thickness of the beer adds to the dessert like experience. The dessert, Creme Brulee is never served in great quantities due to its richness. Just like this beer, rich in character, is meant to be savored in small quantities. Drinking this beer was a great experience, one that I would highly recommend. A case of the Southern Tier Creme Brulee is one you should lay away only to be awaken on winter nights.

Serving type: growler

08-07-2010 03:28:55 | More by Chugg

captj

Pennsylvania

2.28/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

My first review, so go easy on me!

A: It looks good, looks like a stout. Black, pours a nice tan-ish/light-brown head, with a bit of thickness to it.

S: WOOOAH! As soon as you pop the cap you get knocked five feet backwards by the smell! I have it in a snifter (as the bottle suggests) about a foot and a half away and it is powerful! You really can only taste the creme brulee aspect, there isn't much else nose wise unless you have a good nose and can realllly get through the caramel/vanilla smells. It's nice, but overpowering.

T: This is a super super super sweet and flavor-packed beer. By "flavor-packed" I mean a strong and loud flavor, not a highly complex flavor. It's hard to get much besides the vanilla, caramel, and some slight coffee taste. There is a bit of creaminess to it, and little bit of coffee, but wow is it sweet. The coffee and cream flavors come out on the aftertaste more than the immediate sip. I get a liiittle bit of maltiness, but maybe it's just me, but it's hard to pull much else besides the creme brulee from this beer. Also, even at 10%, the alcohol stands out a little too much for me. I like my high ABV beers, but this one doesn't really mesh well and doesn't feel well balanced.

M: It has a nice, smooth, creamy mouthfeel, and that's all I can really say about that.

D: Veryyy difficult for the flavor reasons I mentioned earlier. Way too sweet, way too much of the "creme brulee" flavor. We can put it like this: This goes over and above on creme brulee flavor than PumKing does on pumpkin flavor.

So there's my review, I don't know what my actual letter rating would be, but I'd say C to D+. Just not my bag. But I would definitely pass on this one again...I don't know if I'll even be able to finish this glass.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 01:22:42 | More by captj

PeaDiddy

Pennsylvania

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

This is the beer that changed everything for me. The smell, and taste opened my mind (and mouth) to the wonderful world of finer drinking.

I've gone back for this beer on many occasions, and that trend will likely continue.

I don't consider myself as being able to explain everything I taste and smell when I drink a beer, but I would recommend any beer drinker give this one a go.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 22:12:39 | More by PeaDiddy

BigJimSlade

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured into a regular pint glass.

A: Almost completely black. A faint rim of beige head

S: Dear Lord, the best part of this beer. Smells of butterscotch and tiramisu from a foot away.

T: Sweet, I don't want want to know the calorie count on this fine brew. Probably just had the equivalent of a steak dinner after a bomber. More butterscotch and tiramisu. Can hardly detect the 9.6% ABV at all.

M: Creamy, light carbonation. Pleasant.

O: One of the best of the style I've had. I've sampled (far too many) beers, and this one is the first to prompt me to submit a review. You should try this at least once if you aren't averse to very sweet stouts. I'll probably try it several more times.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:14:49 | More by BigJimSlade

Frankthetank67

Georgia

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

A: Jet black, good foaming head with a slight caramel colored ring.

S: Strong & sweet from the bottle, once poured a thick caramel and vanilla scent fills the air. Several at the table said they could smell the sweetness from accross the table. This will be sweet.

T: Big vanilla and caramel flavor, some lingering bitterness to round it out. Sweetness lingers for a longtime.

M: Heavy and slightly chewy creating a thick mouthful.

O: An overall tasty beer. I would say this would be a great dessert beer to be split with someone else. 22oz is a heavy dose of Sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 19:37:22 | More by Frankthetank67

BrutusOrca

South Carolina

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

Appearance - thick, black with no head after inital pour.

Smell - smelled great as labeled. Just like creme brulee.

Taste - good flavor at first, little too sweet for me, then a bitterness follows.

Mouthfeel - too heavy almost syrupy for me, would have liked a smoother finish.

Overall - not bad a good winter beer for sitting in front of a fire to enjoy. Wouldnt drink more than one in a sitting due to the heaviness associated with the beer. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 01:07:48 | More by BrutusOrca

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

anhigdon

Kentucky

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - deep chocolate brown color with minimal head.

Smell - unmistakable aroma of creme brulee, with sweetness overtly apparent and a hint of background stout flavor.

Taste - as far as stouts go, this one is a bit thin. I tend to expect a thicker, heavier beer with these. That being said, the aftertaste is a distinct blend of the coffee beans with the sweetness, leaving you wanting another taste.

Mouthfeel - a bit thin and still leaving something to be desired.

Overall - well-done beer. Worth the purchase and recommend to anyone that is curious.

Comments: I consider this a novelty beer. Quite tasty for what it is, but I'm not sure I'd want to drink more than a single bottle of this. I will, however, applaud Southern Tier on their ability to capture the creme brulee flavor in this stout this accurately. It takes an above average stout (though not top notch stout) and is able to successfully meld the sweetness from the well-known dessert.

Take home message: If you're curious, it's worth giving it a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 23:00:06 | More by anhigdon

Dressage74

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

This beer is great, really smells like creme brulee, its has a sweet taste but then it doesn't, the smell is sweet but the beer has a nice stout taste and feel. I put some in a snifter then put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it,and it was great a must try.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 02:45:18 | More by Dressage74