Whatever Floats Your Boat Stout

Style: Imperial toffee cola ice cream float stout
Brewery: Amundsen
Origin: Norway
Size: 44cl
Alcohol: 11.5%
Price: 80kr
Systembolaget: –

It feels like Amundsen are not too keen on sharing information about their beers, as this was another in their range with little to no information about. The only facts I found is that it is part of Amundsen’s famous pastry stout range and has been brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla, toffee and cola flavourings. I guess maybe Amundsen wants the beer to do the talking for them! I do love the fact that the term ”pastry stout” started out as an insult that then got claimed by the breweries. Around the mid-2010s, some beer writers and enthusiasts started using the term “pastry stout” to poke fun at the growing trend of super-sweet, dessert-like imperial stout. Instead of fading as a joke, the term stuck and drinkers embraced it, and breweries themselves began to proudly market beers as pastry stouts. Today, pastry stouts make up a big part of the imperial stout world, and I love to try them, so I was really looking forward to this!

There was a tar like body and practically zero carbonation, as you would expect with such a thick stout. When swirled, it left a lovely lacing around the inside of the glass. Milk chocolate, cookies and vanilla made up the aroma, with not a hint of the coffee tones that I had expected. The taste continued the bold aromas, making this taste like liquid chocolate cookie dough. The warmth from the high alcohol was noticeable, but not to an extent that it felt boozy. It left the palate sticky, with the sweetness lasting for a long time after swallowing.

This was thick, delicious and an exceptional stout. Every aspect was exaggerated, from the body to the taste, and it made the beer almost seem larger than life. If there was one negative, I would say that I’m not sure why it’s in such a big can though, as I think it would take quite some time to drink the whole thing. I am more than willing to give it a go, though! Amundsen makes amazing pastry stouts, and this was another winner.