Let's say you told me that there was a beer out there brewed with doughnuts. Lots of them. My first inclination would be the word "Yes." But then, if you gave me a second to think about it, you'd notice my expression change a bit as I slowly and painfully recalled my last experience with the words "beer" and "doughnut" together- Rogue's Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. That monster of a beer briefly had me contemplating quitting beer altogether. So I'd probably turn down your doughnut beer offer and possibly run the other direction. "But wait," you'd say, "This isn't any doughnut beer and it's DEFINITELY not a Rogue beer. It's from Evil Twin. You know, those crazy Danish guys who made that Imperial Biscotti Break beer you liked so much. They made another like that one. But this time, they added over 1,000 doughnuts to the beer." "Fine," I'd say. "But if this is anything like the Rogue one, I'm not talking to you for a while." And then I'd take a sip.
Imperial Doughnut Break pours a rich black color with a light brown head. At 11%, I expected it to look a tad thicker, but it looked pretty tasty, nonetheless. The smell brings together a nice blend of dark chocolate and espresso notes. There are freshly ground coffee notes here, galore, with some almond meal and just a touch of doughnut cake. There's an overlying sweet aroma that definitely smelled like doughnut glaze. I could tell right away, fortunately, that this was going to be nothing like that horrid Rogue beer.
Similar to the smell, the first things you taste here are dark chocolate and espresso. There's some nuttiness in the middle, coupled with some chocolate cake and roasted malt notes. The doughnuts are surprisingly absent here, just barely creeping into the finish alongside some day old coffee notes and a light touch of char. Overall, this was a pretty nice beer, and far less diabetes-inducing than the name makes it sound. The espresso and roast notes here shine way more than the doughnuts do. And it tastes absolutely nothing like Rogue's Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. So it's got that going for it. Which is nice.
Final Grade: B+
Top 250 Beers Tasted: 129
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