After three weeks of bottle conditioning, it was time to taste Winter Solstice. I chilled a couple of bottles in the fridge for a couple of hours, then poured into mugs.
Poured a velvety black with a moderate amount of off-white foam. Good head retention. Excellent coffee and chocolate aroma, both subtle but unmistakable.
Between the huge hop additions, the roasted barley, and the coffee and cocoa flavors, the taste is very bitter, but with a rich mouthfeel and malty sweetness to balance it out. Expected notes of dark chocolate and coffee -- it's rich and earthy. I don't detect the vanilla bean so much, but it could be the sort of thing that mostly serves to underline the predominant flavors. Despite the high ABV, it goes down smooth.
This came out great. I'm thrilled with it. I had bought some Founder's Breakfast Stout a week or so before trying Winter Solstice, and I honestly think they're comparable. I'll be proud to give some of it away as Christmas gifts... but I did end up buying four-pack holders this time.
Sorry, suckers!
