Prodromus

Prodromus is an ambitious entry from Omnipollo. Brewed by Omnipollo in Stockholm and Toronto, this high booze offering is billed as a “graham cracker chocolate chunk caramel bar stout”. So that’s a thing. At 10.5%, a 473mL can of this stuff is dangerous.

Prodromus is a tarry stout with a creamy tan head. It has a ridiculously sweet aroma with caramel and cocoa notes through the roof. It has a smooth, but very thick mouthfeel, and a flavour that rivals the nose in terms of ridiculous sweetness. The beer tastes almost exactly as advertised, with chocolate and caramel leading the way, and a sweet breadiness that lends the beer a convincing graham cracker base. The finish does have some dark chocolate bitterness, but nowhere near enough to cut through the syrupy sweetness.

This beer is basically obscene. It’s so sweet and so strong that it is really quite cloying. The flavours are deep and accurately described, and the beer is clearly well made, but it’s just too damn much. A digestif ale if ever there was one, this beer should be served with a rich chocolate dessert. I’ve no doubt that many people would enjoy this stuff—perhaps a single 473mL can shared among four people is the right approach—but as a solo drinker, I was left with a real risk of diabetic coma. This was a hard beer to review, because it did exactly what it set out to do, but the result verged on unfinishable.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.