Winter cold and delicious beers

It is so darn cold out here, I think that's why I love my tasty dark beers all the better. The best time for stouts, in my opinion, is the heart of winter, where it fills your stomach and warms you from the inside out.

I've certainly been in colder places, but winter in Maryland is still cold enough to make a ten minute walk without gloves or a hat seem like a really bad idea.

Luckily, this evening I joined some family for the beer release of DuClaw's Black Jack Russian Imperial Stout. This is a winter seasonal, and a fairly dark stout, to compliment their all-season round alchemy and their spring Irish stout, "Celtic Fury".

I didn't get a lot of smell off it, which was worrisome, but all my fears were dispelled with that first sip. Dark and rich, like a stout should be, the flavors of dark chocolate and espresso exploded. I also got some flavors of roasted malt, but predominantly this is a dark chocolate stout.

The alcohol was palpable, hence the imperial moniker, but luckily the beer avoided being too bitter, and was actually quite mellow. The beer itself was very dark, and was delicious by itself and with the buffalo dip we ordered. The spicy food actually served to compliment and contrast the dark, cool, chocolate flavors.

Overall, a delicious beer. Certainly not for a first timer, but I'd recommend this to anyone who likes stout as much as I do.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet