Spectrum of Desire
Modern Times Beer in San Diego, California, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: Cellarmaker Brewing CompanyStout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Regular
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Score
7.57
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8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Solodoming big boys... It's the cause of, but also the solution to, regrets :)
Been looking forward to this one, and needed a good one. So, here we go !
Pours black, small tanned head fades fast. Scent is coffee, chocolate, vanilla. All the great things you'd hope to get in a stout. Not unique, but definately in that top-tier range few breweries ever achieve.
Taste is quite roasty, smooth and thick (I expected even thicker, but let that not be the reason to think this is not thick) . Quite bitter, but it suits, never to much. A more coffee-roasty bitterness rather than roasted malts (or hops, for that matter). Quite a nice coffee aroma. Vanilla is smooth, really woven in, not being a front player, really. ALcohol shows, but again, really really well woven into. What clearly sounds like a pastry stout, has surprisingly much aspects from those 'good old days' stout we all loved 10-15 years ago. This takes me back to Speedway Stout highlights, for instance, rather than the current super thick and ultra sweet bombs. It's nostalgic, and I love it. Obviously, this is thicker than Speedway probably was, more adjunct focussed, but in today's market of pastry? This is actually quite balanced and basebeer-minded.
Not one to particularly point out, perhaps, it's one of those '13 in a dozen' sounding imperial stouts, but given the quality, refinement, balance, and intensity this combines, this places itself amongst those very few that CAN achieve this type of quality in imperial (pastry) stout. And if you can, there's no need to hide behind a massacre of adjuncts.
Been looking forward to this one, and needed a good one. So, here we go !
Pours black, small tanned head fades fast. Scent is coffee, chocolate, vanilla. All the great things you'd hope to get in a stout. Not unique, but definately in that top-tier range few breweries ever achieve.
Taste is quite roasty, smooth and thick (I expected even thicker, but let that not be the reason to think this is not thick) . Quite bitter, but it suits, never to much. A more coffee-roasty bitterness rather than roasted malts (or hops, for that matter). Quite a nice coffee aroma. Vanilla is smooth, really woven in, not being a front player, really. ALcohol shows, but again, really really well woven into. What clearly sounds like a pastry stout, has surprisingly much aspects from those 'good old days' stout we all loved 10-15 years ago. This takes me back to Speedway Stout highlights, for instance, rather than the current super thick and ultra sweet bombs. It's nostalgic, and I love it. Obviously, this is thicker than Speedway probably was, more adjunct focussed, but in today's market of pastry? This is actually quite balanced and basebeer-minded.
Not one to particularly point out, perhaps, it's one of those '13 in a dozen' sounding imperial stouts, but given the quality, refinement, balance, and intensity this combines, this places itself amongst those very few that CAN achieve this type of quality in imperial (pastry) stout. And if you can, there's no need to hide behind a massacre of adjuncts.
Tried
on 31 Aug 2025
at 18:38
8/10
Goed, thanks Erwin N.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Nov 2024
at 23:25
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Poured from 650mL bottle @ Black Valentines. Black with small tan head. Very coffee forward with underlying vanilla, mild bourbon.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Feb 2022
at 00:05
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
650ml bottle. Sweetish and heavy with some green peppery coffee notes, vanilla, coffee and syrup, hints of bourbon. Okay, a bit sweet and perhaps the coffee notes were better fresh.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Apr 2021
at 14:13
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
22oz bottle pours out thick black topped with a small tan head. Nose is nice sweet chocolate roast coffee rich vanilla and bourbon goodness. Taste is more of the nice sweet chocolate vanilla roast and bourbon barrel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Oct 2020
at 21:00
8/10
Last of the FedEx booboo bottles, nice mellow coffee with tons of chocolate and vanilla and barrel booze.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Jul 2020
at 19:29