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22oz bottle thanks to the great Lum. Poured into a Terappin pint glass.

A: Pours a dark brown or is it black. Looks black but lets in some light that creates some really nice dark red hues that make this puppy look bark brown. A vigorous pour didn't amount to much in the head department. What little head came to the party showed up long after the pour and was a nice mocha brown. Not much lacing to talk about. Leaves a bark brown film on the glass due to the viscousity of the brew.

S: Smell is, for lack of better word, amazing. They nailed Creme Brulee in the aroma. Big time vanilla smell. Just amazing amounts of creamy vanilla. Smells a bit like the cream in an Oreo at times. Nice caramel that smells fresh as hell. Really nice, somewhat bitter chocolate and a freshly made mocha with whipped cream. Just smells awesome. Nailed it.

T: Nice. The heavy vanilla presence really hits the palate hard at first sip. Then a really nice mocha flavor kicks in to round it out with some coffee bitterness. This is a sweet beer but I don't believe it to be overly sweet considering what they were trying to create here, hence the name. Caramel is thick and creamy. Just a touch of chocolate and nougat? Alcohol tends to be in your face at times.

M: Full bodied, big time brew. Thick and coating. Really saturates the palate with some sweet flavors. Alcohol has a slight warming effect in the throat and tummy. Aftertaste is of some bitter chocolate.

D: This beer is sweet. Share. Its not as sweet as I was expecting from everyone's comments but it does get overwhelming after a bit. It is a nice after dinner beer when you have company. A few ounces with some cake or something would be perfect. The smell is the real show stopper here. Just shows you what brewers are capable of when they get an idea. Great effort at an extreme brew.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 09-27-2008 07:31:50

Served In: Pint Glass

A - Deep brown-black, opaque, with a finger-thick creamy tan head. Noticeable legs on the glass testify to the 10%ABV

S - Vanilla and burnt sugar dominate (creme brulee, duh!) with caramel/toffee/butterscotch notes as well. Little to no roast aroma, but this is based on a milk stout, so that's not entirely inappropriate. Still, a little roast/coffee to balance would be nice.

T - Better balance here, with noticeable roast bitterness cutting through the sweet vanilla/bourbon flavor. I don't believe there's any bourbon or barrel involved, just the impression given by the large amount of vanilla. Finish is pleasantly on the dry side, nice surprise.

M - Amost oily on the palate. Medium-low carbonation, and full-bodied. Moderate alcohol warmth. No astringency from roasted grains.

O - Really an outstanding beer. Aside from a bit more roast in the aroma, there's not much I'd change about it.

Served In: Pint Glass

Pours a deep black with a bit of foamy light tan head. The foam settles and leaves a decent bit of lacing on the walls of the glass while a small layer of foam sticks around to cover the top of the brew.

Big vanilla bean up front. Lots of sweetness coming through from the vanilla and a bit of cream. Hints of coffee and a touch of milk chocolate come through silky smooth. Smooth cream comes back along with more almost overpowering vanilla. Some creamy toffee making itself known too.

Creamy smooth and slightly overly-sweet malt body covers the tongue. Lots of milk chocolate and milk sugar. Toffee and creamy smooth caramel. Vanilla comes in but isn't as overly strong as it is in the nose. Touch more sweetness and sugar coming in at the end. Cream and light vanilla stick around for a bit on the aftertaste. Medium carbonation.

No sign of the 10% ABV in the nose or flavor. Easy to drink but the high level of sweetness makes it a bit hard to drink especially when it warms more.

Price: $6.99 Served In: Snifter

A- Deep dark cherry wood color. Plenty of light gets through the darkness and the red hue is there.

S- ####ing awesome. Vanilla/Irish Creme? Hazelnut? Smells like those pre-made coffees at a gas station. Light roast in it also. Thick caramel flavor coats as you put this down.

T- Also amazing. More of the vanilla here, and some really nice roast come through in the flavor. Sweet. There has to be some hazelnut in this. Very nice blend.

M- Very well balanced.

O- yet another top notch brew from ST. Awesomesauce.

Served In: Pint Glass

Ok, quite the range of opionions on this one so I can't wait to see for myself.

A - Pours produces a one inch head that is a dull medium brown. Loose head recedes, but leaves a nice skim on the surface and a thick bead around the edge. Body is dark brown and completely opaque.

S - I could smell the french vanilla as soon as I poured this, without even bringing it to my nose. Some hazelnut and light espresso. Caramel. Very different, but I really like it.

T - Oh my. Smell is followed up with almost the exact same flavor. Huge french vanilla just bursts on the tongue and doesn't let go. Hazelnut and light espresoo come in, bringing along a light roastiness. There is a light lactic note to this beer, but being so big and rich, it doesn't come through really big. Very light milk chocolate at the end, then more vanilla that makes it's way into the aftertaste with a very light bitterness.

M - Big and thick, super soft, smooth and creamy.

Overall - I am really surprised at how much I like this beer. If I like this maybe I could like coffee afterall. Go out and get this one, not sure what else you will find that tastes quite like it.

Served In: Tulip

Deepest of brown that casts black in most light and has one very nice capping of medium tanned frothy foam. Huge cob webbed lacing is stretched across the glass by the ton! One gorgeous looking glass of dark nectar.

Wow, what a huge aroma of French vanilla creamer with a large creamy coffee sense, hazelnut, caramel, and hints to some heat underneath. Its nice if ya like getting a slap in the face with vanilla creamer.

Taste is mostly vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut creamer with a slight coffee roast and milky chocolate. It tastes more like a Frappichnno then any beer. Pretty crazy stuff! Spiked iced coffee anyone! Yummy!

The body is creamy, no surprise there, milky, silky, nearly full in a few spots and definately filling as it goes. Has a big middle tinge of flavor and body with tangy rich vanilla torched with slight coffee roast, chocolate, both white and milk, then concerts some fluffy dryness with a warming tint as it finishes with left over creamy caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut hints. Delish!

Like I said...this is totally like some spiked iced coffee drink if there ever was one. Personally, I think this stuff rocked as I could drink those Starbucks Frappacchino things all day until wired with caffine. So goes with this, only I'd be wasted...But as a beer this was slightly, or I should say very slightly missing a partial dark fruity tang or addition to it that I think would've totally made this even more unwholey wowable! The 10% is concievable but hardly makes any real break through. As is though...WOW! Me likey and will want more!

Served In: Pint Glass

Thanks to Dyan for this beer, I’m a sucker for sweet stouts ;o) Shared this bomber with a friend since I had trouble finishing the last Imperial beer from Southern Tier (Choklat) because of the sweetness.

Poured uh, dark, with about two inches of foam, good retention.

The aroma was pure bliss, loads of vanilla. The first thing that came to my mind was vanilla wafers and cookies. Then the beer opens up to coffee, roasted malts, lactose, French vanilla crème and coffee beans. A decadent dessert beer! I wish I had some Häagen-Dazs ice-cream right now!!!

The taste is a rush of vanilla beans, lactose sugar, sweet milk chocolate, crème, roasted malts, and lightly roasted coffee. I also get some crusty, sugary, bread flavor and cookies with café au lait. Finishes with some French vanilla coffee beans.

Not too syrupy, very sweet but a pint can easily be finished. Hardly any alcohol detected, shocking that this is 10% It could use a tad more carbonation.

I need some more.

Served In: Pint Glass

A massive wall of vanilla cream hits my nose just after I vigorously pour this beer; smells more like desert than just about anything, it is actually more concentrated than an actual crème brûlèe. The head form an initially three-finger thick, frothy, lightly browned, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The vanilla is just so overwhelming and loud, you really can't smell much else; luckily the vanilla note itself is not overly one dimensional, it is full enough that I am sure the brewer used actual vanilla beans (and a ton of them at that). If you like sweet and vanilla then this aroma is good, luckily I was ready for desert so this beer is fulfilling that urge so far. After warming up a bit the aroma takes on a touch of nuttiness and a butterscotch note becomes a bit more prominent.

Thick and rich up front with enough of a viscous body to make this a sipping brew; to be honest though it is not quite as rich and full as the aroma led me to believe. The vanilla notes are definitely far and away the dominant note here in the flavor as well, but some other flavors manage to assert themselves just enough to be noticeable. This finishes with a touch of hot alcohol, that in combination with the vanilla makes me think of Bourbon. Sweet, in fact incredibly sweet, though again not quite as much as the aroma might have suggested. The vanilla flavors contribute or bring out notes of butterscotch, Bourbon, . Not overly roasted, but some roast malt flavors seem to add a touch to the finish with a bit of bitterness. As this beer warms there is a slight nuttiness to the flavor that is a bit like browned butter and the flavors definitely lean towards burnt as the beer rolls across the palate.

I knew this beer was going to be a sweet, sticky, incredibly vanilla laden beer coming into this. For that reason I waited until I was really wanting dessert to have it. The aroma definitely satisfied any dessert fix that I might have wanted, but "strangely" I find the flavors not quite rich enough as this could use more roast malt flavors and a thicker, more complex malt base. That strangely in that last sentence is important, because if I was not ready for the overbearing vanilla and sweetness here I likely would have found this beer a sickly sweet, train wreck of an Imperial Stout; properly forewarned & with the right occasion, this beer, while overly simplistic, is not quite half bad and is even enjoyable if had in small doses.

Served In: Tulip

Color is dark, black/brown. Very minimal foam. Smell is huge though. You can smell the vanilla and the sweet a mile away. Since I like creme crulee as a dessert, this is not a bad thing for me. But I can see some people getting an "off" feeling about the smell. It is sweet, no question. You also get a slight rum/raisin smell with it. Almost like bread pudding with raisins. Again, that's another favorite dessert, so I'm not put off by it. Very minimal alcohol and coffee smells, if any comes through the vanilla and sweetness. First taste is......wow.....smooth as heck. Outstanding. You get the vanilla and brandy tastes first. Then a very slight alcohol, and finishes with the burnt and toasted tastes of a normal stout. Also get some bitter chocolate and coffee in the end of the taste. But this is almost so smooth it seems they used oatmeal in the recipe. It resembles an oatmeal stout or porter. Feel is a bit thin for the style, like I said before almost like a porter. I knock it for that, but it actually goes well with the vanilla, sweet and slight burnt tastes.

Overall, this is a great bottle from Southern Tier. I well definitely pick up more next time I see it. The whole impact of the flavors works well if you like milk/sweet stouts. And if you like vanilla, you'll LOVE this one. I could swear they mixed in some vanilla bean ice cream in this one. I really like this bottle.

Served In: Pint Glass