In my journey for supreme imperial stout enlightenment the next stop was Moylan’s Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout. Clocking in at 10% ABV this stout should hang in with some of the heavier stouts I have been sampling recently. The label mentioned this was a “cigar stout” so I figured I would put that to the test as well. Imperial Stout and a cigar, that sounds like enlightenment to me.
The Moylan’s poured dark as night with a nice tan head. There was decent carbonation but the head receded fairly quickly. The nose was full of booze giving way to more delicate chocolate aromas. The mouthfeel turned out to be nice and thick with a sticky character coating the mouth. This is definitely a sweeter imperial stout with awesome chocolate notes on the palate with some roasted malt bitterness to balance it all out. The malt bitterness proceeds to the finish where it starts to evolve into a coffee-like bitterness which lingers slightly. The malt complexity in this brew is exceptional and one word I used to describe this brew is decadent.
Of course if the label suggests this being a cigar stout, I would be breaking the law if I didn’t follow up on that. The brew stands up to the cigar nicely. With the cigar the chocolate notes deepen and the mouthfeel seemed a bit thicker. The finished dried out a bit more but overall I enjoyed the pair. Even though this brew turned out to be a great cigar accompaniment, I would rather save this brew to consume on its own. I felt like the cigar eventually wore out my palate and dulled the brew towards the end.
I’m super impressed with this offering from Moylan’s. Even with being spoiled by some big imperial stouts lately, this brew more than holds it’s own. I believe the price tag on this is around $6.00 which makes this an even more attractive package. I would put this one up close to my beloved Czar. Awesome!
I like a good cigar and a stout, but you are right about cigars destroying your palate. If I really want to taste a beer, it needs to be on its own.
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