Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout by Southern Tier

Each time I peer into my fridge, searching for the next beer to review, it's an exciting hunt.  Sometimes I grab one I've tasted before.  Sometimes I pick one that I've been wanting to try, that I bought specifically to review.  Other times, like tonight, I happen upon a beer I completely forgot I had bought.  Tonight's beer, to be enjoyed by yours truly for Stout Week, was brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company.  I'm not sure where I thought Southern Tier was from, but I certainly didn't think it was Lakewood, NY.  The Southern in the name threw me...but that's neither here nor there.  Anyway, if you've never had any of their beers, I highly recommend you check them out.  Southern Tier makes some seriously tasty beers of all kinds.  Not remembering when I bought this, I can't guarantee it's still in the stores, but if it isn't, peruse their other beers.

Tonight I have a stout for you coffee lovers out there, Southern Tier's Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout.  I don't know about you, but just the name makes my mouth water.  Imperial Stout AND coffee?  Excellent.  While many stouts have coffee flavors to them, which come from the types of malts used, there are ones such as this that are brewed with actual coffee beans.  The experience is completely different.

Jah*va pours with a beautiful frothy tan head, which lingers nicely.  One whiff tells you this is a coffee stout, and one sip confirms it.  This is a huge beer.  Alcohol tips the scales at 10.6% (though you don't taste it that much...it just hits you after awhile).  The flavors are intense (but wonderful).  And it is a seriously viscous elixir. 

It seems silly to describe the flavor more, but here it is...coffee coffee coffee...with a bit of dark chocolate thrown in for good measure.  There are hops in their, but they're completely overshadowed.  They no doubt take the edge off of some of the richness, but not by a lot.  But really...coffee.  I'm a huge fan of coffee and dark chocolate and beer, so a coffee stout is always a good thing in my book.  Obviously, if you're not a fan of coffee, this isn't for you...not that you would probably even give it a second glance in the store.

My final words are this:  If you like coffee, stouts, and beers which combine the two, this is definitely worth checking out.  Southern Tier's Jah*va Imperial Coffee Stout gets an A in my book.  Cheers!!!