It’s always nice to walk into the local liquor store and browse the shelves of big bottle beers, especially when there are some limited-edition brews. Of course, since I rarely drink at home anymore, these beers tend to sit in my fridge for quite a long time.
A couple weeks ago I picked up a bottle of Elysian Brewing’s 12 Beers of the Apocalypse series–a one-time release. It was Peste Chocolate Chili Ale, and it was surprisingly good and much darker than one would expect from an ale. I was told by the liquor store employee that this beer was actually spicy, and that was definitely true. At 7.5% abv, this dark brew has a lot flavor. The chocolate was not overpowering, in fact it was rather subtle–it helped even out the chili. The chili was indeed spicy, and the beer grew spicier as I drank more. If the apocalypse is coming, this would be one crazy beer to have while watching it all end.
The second big bottle of beer was Stone’s Espresso Imperial Russian Stout. I should’ve checked the bottle before cracking it open–I had this 11% abv brew before heading out on a Saturday night. It was a little sweeter than I expected, but I attribute that to the high alcohol content. It had a light coffee aroma and subtle flavor hidden by the sweetness. For such a strong beer, it was smooth and tasted a bit lighter–a dangerous combination when you’d rather drink it slowly.
