Imperial Biscotti Break

Gargantuan and sweet, Imperial Biscotti Break is made by Danish brewer Evil Twin Brewing in Stratford, Connecticut. It’s a mighty 11.5% imperial stout brewed with coffee, vanilla, and almond. Sold in 1 pint cans, this is a beer not to be trifled with.

IBB is a black ale with a tan foam. It has an assertively sweet and strong nose, rich in vanilla and espresso notes. But the sweetness in the nose is nothing compared to the flavour—a syrupy, vanilla-soaked booze ball with notes of sweetened coffee and some warm amaretto drizzle.

I tend to be dubious of big, dessert flavoured ales. I find them too sweet and often a bit artificial. Evil Twin’s Imperial Biscotti Break lived up to half of that equation—it was certainly sweeter than I’d have liked, but there wasn’t a whiff of artificiality. The vanilla and almond flavours were nicely integrated, but I’d have liked a bit more java bitterness to provide a semblance of balance.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.