Ask anyone what the favorite movies are among Chicago’s beer crowd, maybe any town’s beer crowd, and they’d probably come up with “The Big Lebowski.” Any bar with a “Brew & View” night will have it on at least once a year. Many weekends will see some kind of celebration of “The Dude” and his carefree, though sometimes dangerous, lifestyle. While the Dude’s choice of beer has seemed to revolve around the usual unremarkable bowling alley fare, it’s his favorite mixed drink, the White Russian.

A quick scan of beer review sites shows several beers with “Dude” or “Lebowski” in their names, the legality of which may be dubious, but they’re usually taproom only distribution. Less than half the beers seem to try to create a White Russian taste experience, more of them are the same old Double-Dry-Hopped IPAs.

But I had heard about Pipeworks’ White Russian-themed beer, so I snagged a can when I saw it at my local bottle shop, Orange & Brew. Once I cleared a weekend on my schedule, I shot one of my review videos and present the tasting notes below:

Pipeworks describes the beer as a White Stout, brewed with unfermentable lactose, to give it some sweetness, and some oats in the grist. There’s also cacao, vanilla, and cold-pressed coffee. 10.5% abv.

The beer pours a dark amber color, more like a Newcastle Brown than a stout. And perhaps that’s the point of the style. Only a thin fizzy head that doesn’t want to hang around.

The smell is slightly sweet, and kind of light, with just a thin nod of vanilla. Taste is also kind of sweet. Lay that down to the lactose, and perhaps some oat in the mash. Alcohol creeps up nice and strong here, aided by that sweetness. Vanilla note remains strong, with a side of chocolate. Coffee is harder to pick out, perhaps because the usual bitterness of a cold-pressed coffee blend has been smoothed out. But I also pick up a thread of coconut which I’m sure is not one of the ingredients.

There’s very little bitterness here, not from coffee, not from roast malt. Just a thick mouthfeel and sweetness that continues to impress.