I can keep this one short and sweet before the alcohol kicks in... maybe.... I intended on watching this alongside Pie Hard...I mean...Die Hard...(I did enjoy it alongside Pie Hard), but I wasn't about to pay to watch Die Hard on Amazon (I'm cheap and I make no apologies for that).
Pie Hard With A Vengeance from Fallen Acorn is an 11% Apple Pie Imperial Stout that I purchased last year but never had a sharing moment to crack open as it's a 750ml bottle that is far more ideal for sharing than taking to the face like I'm doing now. Buuuut my ear is still blocked after 2 weeks, my glands are seemingly ballooning again after going down for a few days, I've half-successfully cooked a belated Thanksgiving feast today, and it's my birthday on Monday sooo...Yep. This one poured jet black and let neither light nor any hints of highlights shine through. An enticing mocha-coloured head adorned the top of the liquid and the aromas of cacao, spices, nuttiness, and obvious booziness with a light fruity / apple touch (which may be more detectable because I'm expecting it due to the description) pulled through. Even though it's not barrel aged , it certainly smells (and tastes) like it could be - more specifically, bourbon barrel aged . At first sip, this is THICK. Like.... milkshake thick. Thick with 3 C's at least. T H I C C C C C. All the creamy mouthfeels. The spiciness and bittersweet caco are the most dominant flavours - more so than any apple or fruitiness. There's also a strong nutty taste which could possibly be hazelnut .. or maybe walnut ? (I'm not a professional nut identifier). The more this warms and I keep sipping, the more "apple" comes through, but not in an acetal way and it slips in subtly underneath the intense booziness which was without any actual "warmth" or burn to it. For me, this actually borders on being vinous in taste and I can liken it to a chocolate wine - but maybe with more bitterness than sweetness. The milkshake thickness did lessen quite quickly, but it may just be that I've become used to it. TL;DR: Nutty cacao - yes. Apple pie - not so much. This was a definite sipper. Extra bonus points for the teeny tiny Santa hat dressing up the bottle.
