Ambiente
(has 3 batches)
Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, Missouri, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Rotating|
Score
7.81
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Today we share with you a stout which started in our kitchen with buckets of adjunct testing, an overflowing blowoff buckets and subsequently beer running under our stove, through a crack, and into the basement of our rental house more than 15 years ago - Ambiente!
Ambiente's roots are still steadfast in that recipe brewed so long ago, but over time and with our understanding of these large stouts, we have continued to refine and experiment with every detail. As some beers come and go, these flavors of Mexican Chocolate continue to excite us and it is a beer we will continue to brew from time to time.
For this release of Ambiente, we blended Mexican Vanilla Beans, Cocoa Nibs from Ghana, Fresh Ground Cinnamon and Mulato Chiles into our Vibes recipe of a Missouri Imperial Stout. We bottled this in late 2025 and have allowed it some time to meld and mellow before sharing with you.
Ambiente's roots are still steadfast in that recipe brewed so long ago, but over time and with our understanding of these large stouts, we have continued to refine and experiment with every detail. As some beers come and go, these flavors of Mexican Chocolate continue to excite us and it is a beer we will continue to brew from time to time.
For this release of Ambiente, we blended Mexican Vanilla Beans, Cocoa Nibs from Ghana, Fresh Ground Cinnamon and Mulato Chiles into our Vibes recipe of a Missouri Imperial Stout. We bottled this in late 2025 and have allowed it some time to meld and mellow before sharing with you.
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8.4/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottled 750ml. -from the Side Projekt Cellar. Black coloured, small brownish head that went away fast, strong tonka in the nose. Roasted malt, tonka, light vanilla, notes of alcohol and cocoa with sweetish spicy finish. Enjoyable, tasty, some alcohol but whooaa..
Tried
from Bottle
at
Side Project Brewing
on 27 Jun 2026
at 03:51
8/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Bottle.
A- Black color, black liquid, minimal brown head.
A- Chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, slightly roasty.
F- Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, faint chilies, mild bitterness, charred.
T- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, roasty finish.
O- Hard not to compare this to Perennial Abraxas just down the road. In that case, I prefer the Abraxas. This was solid, but for $48 for a 750, far too expensive. I wanted this to be more complex for Side Project. Barrel aging I suspect would do it well. All flavors were there, the cinnamon was perhaps a bit stronger and more forward than everything else. More roasty than sweet for sure. Solid beer but not quite the world class brew I envisioned.
A- Black color, black liquid, minimal brown head.
A- Chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, slightly roasty.
F- Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, faint chilies, mild bitterness, charred.
T- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, roasty finish.
O- Hard not to compare this to Perennial Abraxas just down the road. In that case, I prefer the Abraxas. This was solid, but for $48 for a 750, far too expensive. I wanted this to be more complex for Side Project. Barrel aging I suspect would do it well. All flavors were there, the cinnamon was perhaps a bit stronger and more forward than everything else. More roasty than sweet for sure. Solid beer but not quite the world class brew I envisioned.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Mar 2026
at 01:48
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Sample (thanks fonefan!). Pitch black colour with a small brown head and a rather oily consistency. Aroma is nutty, some liquorice, alcohol, cereals and some honey tones too. Flavour is liquorice, some roasted malts, some nutty tones, amaretto, alcohol, some honey and mild smoked wet wooden elements. Rather sweet, but still highly drinkable.
Tried
on 05 Jun 2024
at 19:18
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Poured from 750ml bottle @ Black Xmas. Black with small beige head. Cinnamon, ancho chilli, chocolate, decent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2023
at 03:15
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
750ml (thx, Brent L.!) @ Black Christmas 2023 at Heritage Hall. Vintage 2021. Appearance: dark brown with a dark beige head. Aroma: nice cinnamon, some chocolate. Taste: along the same lines, loads of chocolate with nicely integrated cinnamon. Overall: what a nice surprise in terms of balance, good one.
Tried
on 16 Dec 2023
at 02:50
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
750mL bottle, pours black a tiny beige head. Aroma is full of cinnamon upfront, followed by cocoa, a touch of chilis, and a touch of vanilla. Flavour is full of spicy cinnamon sticks, light chilis, deep cocoa, and a touch of vanilla. Tons of cinnamon. Pretty good but a bit too sludgy on the palate.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2023
at 02:48
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Flaska från Shared, vintage 2021. Svart med brun tunn krona. Doftar och smakar fruktigt och kryddigt; mild chilifrukt, banankaka, massor av kanel, russin, lätt kaffeton. Någorlunda stor kropp. En gnutta överslag på kanel möjligen, men annars kalas.
Tried
on 06 Feb 2022
at 20:57
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle 750ml. @ [ Missing Zwanze Day Tasting ] - fonefan & Brugmansia House. 🏡🇩🇰
[ As Shared Ambiente ].
ABV: 13.0%. Clear dark black colour with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, chocolate, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, roasted, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, vanilla, spicy, spicy bitter - spicy warm, chili warm finish. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is warming. [20210925]
8-4-8-4-15
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Sep 2021
at 08:37
7/10
Tried
on 25 Sep 2021
at 17:19
6.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Sort skum brun tæt Kakao vanijle kaffe alc kanel alc Bitter lidt sød modrate Oile flad
Tried
on 25 Sep 2021
at 17:15