Greetings From Belsnickel
Jester King Brewery in Austin, Texas, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Rotating|
Score
6.67
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Imperial Stout with Madagascar vanilla.
Greetings from Belsnickel, a.k.a. Switch-Nicholas, a.k.a. Winter’s Mischief, a.k.a. The Ragged Judge is a Vanilla Imperial Stout brewed for frozen nights, warm fires, and that well-earned after-dinner sweet tooth — new for 2025 and tuned to the frequency of our flagship Black Metal Russian Imperial Stout. Like the old doorstep judge, Belsnickel arrives to see whether you’ve earned a sweet or a switch — so we brewed the sweet: a pitch-black stout built on English Maris Otter with English caramel and chocolate malts, then conditioned on about a pound of Madagascar vanilla per barrel. It pours with a rich tan cap and balances notes of espresso crema, dark fudge, vanilla custard, toffee, and a flicker of burnt sugar over dense, roasty grain.
Greetings from Belsnickel, a.k.a. Switch-Nicholas, a.k.a. Winter’s Mischief, a.k.a. The Ragged Judge is a Vanilla Imperial Stout brewed for frozen nights, warm fires, and that well-earned after-dinner sweet tooth — new for 2025 and tuned to the frequency of our flagship Black Metal Russian Imperial Stout. Like the old doorstep judge, Belsnickel arrives to see whether you’ve earned a sweet or a switch — so we brewed the sweet: a pitch-black stout built on English Maris Otter with English caramel and chocolate malts, then conditioned on about a pound of Madagascar vanilla per barrel. It pours with a rich tan cap and balances notes of espresso crema, dark fudge, vanilla custard, toffee, and a flicker of burnt sugar over dense, roasty grain.
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6.8/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 6.5
Texture 7
Overall 6.5
16 ounce can from Tavour. Dark brown pour. Rocky tan head. Dark roasted malt aroma hints at chocolate. Big roasted malt flavor has notes of dark chocolate, vanilla and treacle. Lots of warming alcohol in middle. Finishes dark, strong and bittersweet. A big stout that’s a bit rough around the edges.
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 06 Jun 2026
at 02:41
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Pint can - near black, very carbonated, with a thick, fizzy tan head - vanilla is very heavy in this, as is a very strong boozy alcohol that burns in the finish - that is a shame because underneath all that is a really nice showcase of earth British maltiness and subtle layers of smoke - it’s just hard to enjoy that stuff because of how hot the beer is.
Tried
from Can
from
Mr. B's Wine & Spirits at Stanley Marketplace
on 18 Dec 2025
at 23:15