Hunahpu's Imperial Stout
I got 2 of these bottles, so I'm not sure which one I brought to the tasting, but thanks to DosBeerigos and HeyOhhh for each hooking up some Hunahpu! And thanks to DVelcich for hosting a killer tasting with fellow BA stoutfest. I poured this into my Duvel tulip-- This is black and inky, dark and viscous, motor oil looking beer. Even on the pour you can't see through it at all. This is the only substance Superman can't see through! This is dark dark dark. On a good swirl you see the tannish legs with slightly redish hues just coat the sides of the glass so thick that when it cascades gently back into the body of the beer, it looks like sand running down an hour glass. Great streaks of reddish brown lace from a nice 1 finger head of the same color. The bubbles are small and fine, very tight. Amazing retention, and though the head isn't huge, it remains for most of the drink. Nose is pretty well balanced with some roasted chocolate and some sweeter vanilla notes. I do pick up some of the spiciness-- cinamon is there along with dried and seeded peppers-- not really spicy smelling, but the flavor seems to be there. The flavor of the chiles translates to the taste too, not so much the spicy heat of peppers, but the actual earthy flavor. This reminds me a little of a homemade chili recipe-- just toss everything in and see how it comes out. I can imagine this took quite a few batches before they found the right recipe on this, but they nailed it here. Such a great balance. The first sip was big cinamon, which mellowed out to some sweet vanilla for just a second before the hefty cocoa and a little alcohol sting come into play. That boozy sting is where the chile peppers really ride in too. The finish is sweet and spicy, but in nice harmony. I still can't get over how well balanced this beer is! Huge roasted malt bill is great! The body is one of the thickest stouts I've had. Huge. The carbonation level is perfect. Nice and creamy feel that is very easy to drink. This beer deserves to be hunted down and traded for. If you get a chance to try it, by all means, pick it up.