Dessert Drink


Brewery and Country of Origin: Southern Tier Brewing Company of 2072 Stoneman Circle, Lakewood, NY, 14750, USA

Date Reviewed: 3-31-14

Do not take the following dietary recommendations seriously. Seriously, don't.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 35% of American adults were obese in 2010. Since then, the number has only grown, and though there has been an increasing effort from all over to reverse this trend, more and more Americans, especially those under the age of 18, are becoming overweight or obese. But if even the arms of Michelle Obama can't help it, maybe beer is the only thing that can. Of course, no one drinks beer for health (outside of the occasional Guinness, with its moderate calorie count, antioxidants, and nutrients, obviously). But perhaps by combining meals, you can. Take Oyster Stouts, for example. This style was created when English fishermen enjoyed a pint of stout with their fresh oyster catch. And yes, Oyster Stouts are brewed with real oysters. And Guinness, already described by some as a "meal in a can," contains the 13 essential vitamins and minerals needed to sustain human life, just like every other beer. But maybe combining a full meal with beer is a bit extreme... or just unrealistic and completely unhealthy. What about combining dessert with beer? Dessert isn't necessarily healthy, so cutting it out by drinking a full on dessert beverage may just be the trick. And of course, we don't mean a port or white russian type libation. We mean a creme brulee beer that actually smells and tastes like creme brulee, to the point of near overpowering. If you were already planning on having dessert, and a big beer with that dessert, then combine them and cut the potential impact by the percentage derived from the dessert per se. Yes, it works, and yes, it's great... if you're the sort of individual who has to eat dessert and drink beer with it. Of course, with all of this calorie cutting, you might imagine that after only a few months of this, you'd receive a call to appear on the cover next year's SI swimsuit edition. And you'd be right, if you replace a phone call with an email, and a request to appear on the cover of SI's swimsuit edition, with an offer to sign up for a two year subscription to SI.
Date Sampled: 2-01-14 At: Mountain Edge Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort, Mount Sunapee, 1380 New Hampshire 103, Newbury, NH 03255, USA
Beer Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 9.60%
Serving Type: 22 oz Bottle, 16 oz Tumbler Glass
Rating: 3.63

Look

Southern Tier's dessert themed brew pours smoothly with a medium low amount of carbonation action and a low effervescent effect. This produces a three quarters inch tall foam head with a creamy texture, a medium density, a good retention, and a tan color. This beer has a nearly opaque dark, brown color with no glow and very little shine even in bright light with a dull dark brown clarity. There is no visible sediment and no settling of any kind and an average amount of lacing.

Aroma

If you've ever actually had Creme Brulee for dessert, then this beer's aroma should be very familiar to you. Yes, as implied by its name, this beer has a nearly identical smell to the dessert, with a good vanilla overtone accompanied with some caramel, hazelnut, and a good amount of roasted malty sweetness. This beer's aroma has a medium high strength with a subtle maple like secondary and some butterscotch mixed in. Though this is sweet overall with no alcohol and no real hoppiness, there are no fruity notes present. There are some sweet nutty and cookie like notes.

Feel

This is a medium full bodied brew with a good amount of smoothness and a somewhat creamy texture with a good amount of weight. This beer has an above average viscosity and a below average level of carbonation, making this a sipping beer with a heavier presence than most, which is expected of the style. This beer, despite an elevated alcohol strength, contains no alcohol warming at the fairly dry finish which lingers for a good amount.

Taste

As indicated by the aroma, this is a beer which only those looking for something sweet will be satisfied by. An overall sweet flavor with a good amount of caramel, this beers profile is augmented by its vanilla and malt dominated aroma, which helps enhance this beer's dessert like flavor. Rather unbalanced, this beer contains no real amount of hoppy bitterness or alcohol tinge despite a near 10% ABV. This beer has a slightly coffee like undertone and a sweet malty, yet dry finish and a somewhat lingering sweet aftertaste.

Our Take

While we do love creme brulee and beer, we would recommend you completely replace both with this beer in an effort to save the extra calories. What we would do actually, is simply tell you that this is a novel beer and if you're interested in a sweet, malty beer with a good overall presence, a fairly composed alcoholic strength, and a distinct, powerful aroma, here you go. This is a dessert lovers beer, bursting with sweet vanilla, hazelnut, and a good amount of creamy characteristics. And despite this being a strong beer with a near double digit ABV, this doesn't have the bite that would have you believe it, making it easier to handle, but still quite potent. That said, this is a big beer which can't and shouldn't be chugged easily, and has a presence only really suitable for colder weather. And as we said earlier, this wouldn't ideally replace any sort of dessert, but it would make a great pairing with mild cheeses, dark chocolate, and sweet desserts. If you do, however choose to substitute your dessert with this beer in the name of getting your body ready for the upcoming beach season, then by all means, burn away.