brew dog blog

Southern Tier is one of my favorite breweries. Pretty much everything they put out (so long as it’s not a Belgian style) is top notch. What they are best at though is their Black Water Series which has been going on for at least three years. It started with the Jah-va which was an incredibly bitter (two years ago it was 112 IBUs I believe) coffee stout. The next year saw the Oat, which was a silky oat meal stout, and last year we got the Choklat which I’m sure you can figure out. We’ve all been waiting for this years addition to the line, the Creme Brulee. I was expecting a lacto-sweet stout to round out the four main varieties and flavor profiles of the stout and I was not disappointed.

The brewery is kind enough on their bombers to include a copious amount of information about the ingredients on the label. The Creme Brulee has two malts. Pale malt and dark caramel malt. A lot of dark caramel malt. In fact Black Water is a bit of a misnomer as this beer does allow a bit of light to pass through. It also features lactose and vanilla beans as adjuncts. When you crack open a bottle of this you are overwhelmed by the scent of vanilla. After you pour it out you can smell this brew about three feet away.

If the Choklat was 10% abv Bosco, the Creme Brulee is liquid 10% abv My-T-Fine Butterscotch Pudding. This is the beverage I had been waiting my entire life for, but didn’t know. Buy this one immediately. Possibly my top pick for the year. Can’t wait to blend it with one of last year’s (or hopefully this year’s) Choklats. In fact this more than makes up for the failings of the mediocre Cherry Saison. Grip as many of these as you can and enjoy them as often as you can.