The Beeronaut

Regional Beer Review: Saugatuck Imperial BBA Neapolitan Milk Stout

Here’s another review of a beer that I was able to find during our current self-isolation. These are regional beers that can be readily purchased at a decent price.

Tonight, from Michigan’s Saugatuck Brewing, I have their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout (yes, that name is a mouthful). Saugatuck, like many brewers, has done quite a few imperial stouts, many of which have chocolate or fruit flavors added. The Neapolitan seems to be their whale: they have a regular Neapolitan at 6.0% abv, a barrel aged version, an Imperial Neapolitan, and this barrel-aged bottle at 10.5% abv. Yes, it’s brewed with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, promising “3 bites in every sip!” And I found this bottle at $4.99 from Prestige Liquors in Westmont. It was packaged last October 30.

The beer pours out a black body with a slight brown highlight. There’s a stiff tan head that takes a while to dwindle away. The smell is dominated, only slightly, by sweet chocolate, with a bit of strawberry at the side.

The taste is mostly on the sweet chocolate side, too. Cocoa can tend to overwhelm other flavors at first. Strawberry taste does show up after a little while. The vanilla taste can get lost in the char of a bourbon barrel, though it finally suggests a bit of unsweetened vanilla bitterness. There’s also some malt roast bitterness., but it’s not in the way.

The alcohol is a welcome warmer, without the bourbon character in some BA stouts. t about six months old, this is a beer that’s ready for prime time. I regret not having another to put away and see what happens to it.

Well, I lost the last two paragraphs of this article when the power went out, so I had to re-enter part of the review from memory.

Filed under:
Beer Review

Tags:
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, Saugatuck Brewing