around the block
Finally! I’ve been hoping to have a black beer pop up, you just can’t have a selection of wintery beers without stouts and porters! Now, most people like to bring out their ales and pilsners and sours for a little brightness, but good Bacchus, alcohol should be fitting with the season. I have had this particular beer before, La Pirata’s Vanilla Black Block, and I know I won’t be disappointed.
Very fluffy dark beige head, and the color, while dark, doesn’t quite seem perfectly black. A little more like dark roasted vanilla. The aroma also hits on the toasty side, with hints of leafy vegetation. The vanilla does come out in the flavor, along with warm smoke and fresh bread, giving a feeling of a powerful stout. It starts out a bit light, but develops more heft over time, adding both sweet and bitter notes. There’s even a kind of fiery smoke trail in the aftertaste, and some kind of sour fruit preserve that bites as it goes down. It’s a fine and fitting part of an Advent calendar, not excessively spiced and pastried, but in tune with the atmosphere of ever darker days and with just enough of a surprise to be gift-worthy.
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