Beer – #1,108 – Emporium – Imperial Apfelstrudel 

Imperial Apfelstrudel – A beer I’m still quite excited about – kviek, Coffee, Apple Strudel. A beer I had last in December 2021. This is beer Brewed in May 2020 and bottled in May 2022.

Emporium Brewing are based in Kaikoura, Canterbury, 🇳🇿 and the Imperial Apfelstrudel is a 9.2% ABV Pastry Stout in a 375ml Bottle – which is 2.72 standard drink units in NZ

We ramped up the ABV on our house favourite Apfelstrudel.

The base stout is a kviek fermented Imperial stout that had local coffee added to the boil, and was then aged in bourbon barrels for a year before we added all the fun ingredients of Apple strudel.

I was quite excited when I saw this on release again that I had no hesitation in picking it up to enjoy.

I re-read the last time I drank it and I think that this is an around big beer, and that, once again, I might have this in the wrong order or the day.

So, What could possibly go wrong?

My special Op-Shop Glass with the gold rim, seemed liked a good time to get it out for another whirl, you can’t get stuck drinking from the “wrong glass” all the time can you?

You’ll be indifferent to know that the cheese and crackers did arrive, I feel they might about to be monstered for taste.

Crikey, the aroma leaps from the bottle like a caged Tiger sensing freedom, it’s very much of fruit, and cinnamon and vanilla.

The label lists: Cinnamon, Star Anise, Vanilla and a touch of apple and rum. Aged in a Bourbon Barrel. It is all of that.

The pour is deep dark and settles with a a creamy mocha colour head that seems to want to sit for a while. The aroma is so many things, but it is cinnamon and Vanilla.

It is really fullon, the mouth, there’s an immediate assault of tastes and flavours that I might have to take a few sips to get right, but it’s a full on party party. They retreat however and it’ just flavour shock.

Nothing is sharp, nothing is sour, there’s no burn from alcohol, it’s just a sweet spice mix of things that really are like an apple strudel that you might have for dessert.

The vanilla is the thing that for me holds this, and everything plays off that, the bourbon vanilla and the added vanilla.

The spices seem to be careful and are added to made this otherwise outrageous and improbable beer quite exciting, accessible and drinkable. I didn’t feel worn down by wave after wave of relentless spicing.

As it warms to the room temperature it also warms to the alcohol heat, and despite my obvious and blatant lie about this not wearing you out I’m afraid that at 9.2 with that many flavours this is for supping not supping.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. What a beer, it’s not like they’ve gone out on a limb, or added weird or challenging things, they’ve chosen something normal and made it into a stout. Yes it is both weird and wonderful at the same time, but it is lovely, measured, and quite mellow to drink, not difficult or demanding, nor will it drain you and wear you with relentless flavour assault. Brilliant.

The double dip review

• Where did I get it? The local Liquorland of course.
• Am I enjoying it? It is outrageously brilliant
• Would I have another? Yes, as often as I can see them
• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This is exactly the beer that you need to share and show off about, haggle and press on discovering the layers and flavours, rather then bicker over the merits of pop/rock music.

Music for this:  Fall Out Boy – So Much (for) Stardust) It’s quite rock/pop isn’t it. What’s with the voice over thing that I’ve noticed on a few tracks recently, is that the new thing.

Stout – Flavored / Pastry

The “Flavored Stout” is a full-bodied black beer with a pronounced roasted flavor, often similar to coffee and dark chocolate with some malty complexity and some variations can be quite hoppy. The beer also contain a clear flavoring element. The balance can range from moderately bittersweet to bitter, with the more balanced versions having up to moderate malty richness and the bitter versions being quite dry. It also feature an harmonious marriage of the additive and beer, but still recognizable as a beer. The additive character should be evident but in balance with the beer. (For example: fruits, spices, herbs, vegetables, coffee, honey, chocolate, maple sirup, chilies, nuts, vanilla, liquor – BUT not including Smoked malt, barrel-aging or a Sour element resulting from the brewing process). In the case of over-the-top, highly sweet, adjunct-heavy stouts reminiscent of a liquid version of cake or pastry, the name “Dessert Stout” or “Pastry Stout” if often used.