13 Days of Festivus: Day 3 Southern Tier Creme Brulee

My sincerest apologies. I know I'm a day late on this, but I was enjoying a particular dark, wintry beer at the Copper Mine Pub on Ridge Road in North Arlington for this post and had not gotten a chance to share my opinion until now. Better late than never!

Southern Tier Creme Brulee was as it sounds, a dessert-like beer. It is described on Beer Advocate as an American Double / Imperial Stout and weighs in at a whopping 10% alcohol. It poured very dark and dense with a nice creamy white head that actually dissipated rather quickly. Despite the quickness that the head disappeared, it left rather nice lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma was very sweet, a promise of what was to come. I caught hints of caramel and chocolate as typical for a stout, particularly one appropriate for dessert such as this one. Upon tasting, it reminded me of the dessert for which the beer is named. It was sweet with a quick hit of caramel with some bitter chocolate notes hiding behind the sweetness. Creme Brulee was very enjoyable, though the high alcohol content catches up quickly and the sweetness attained a cloying aspect further into the session. Just like any good stout, it was on the thicker side while still remaining drinkable. The sweetness is prevalent without being overpowering though be wary that it may become too much after the first glass. I am a big fan of a lot of Southern Tier beers and this one did not disappoint. I rate their Creme Brulee 3.75 pints out of 5, the cloying nature later in the session preventing it from getting a full 4. I highly recommend buying a 750ml where available and splitting with a friend or significant other over dessert.