Aug

14

Southern Tier Mokah Imperial Stout

By Andy Murphy

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I’m not the sort of person who skips to the end of a book when he can’t bear the suspense. And yet, here I am, hastily thumbing ahead.

Perhaps you remember my brief but torrid love affair with Choklat back on February 14th? That sweet, chocolaty stout from Southern Tier Brewing Company is part of the Blackwater Series of Imperial Stouts — and it set my chocolaty beer standard for many months to come. I knew the Blackwater Series boasted a creation called Jahva — a coffee stout brewed with Jamaican roasted coffee — but I simply never got around to grabbing a bottle. Instead, I picked up Mokah.

Mokah combines the tastes and ingredients of Choklat and Jahva to create a beer that, in the words of its label, is “an inimitable expression of two of the world’s most sought after flavors.” I may be committing a cardinal sin by tasting Mokah without first trying Jahva — but hey, the heart wants what the heart wants!

I should point out that Mokah is 11% ABV and comes in a 22 oz bottle. This is most definitely a beer that should be split with a partner and savored slowly from a snifter. But if you want to keep the whole bottle for yourself — as I did — I can certainly forgive you for pulling out a large tulip glass and indulging.

The stout poured dark brown, but pooled blackly in the glass. The pour created a boisterous tan head packed with khaki bubbles. The creamy head slowly condenses to rich crema.

But it’s the aroma that is most striking. Mokah is redolent of sweet milk chocolate and vanilla-scented oatmeal, with echoes of roasted espresso. It’s a compelling, enticing scent. The rich sweetness reigns supreme, but bitter espresso adds balance and sophistication. Still, just beneath the surface lurks the piercing scent of alcohol. It flashes a warning no more likely to be heeded than a sailor’s momentary trepidation as the Sirens start to sing.

My first sip of Mokah resulted in a two-pronged flavor assault. Sweet oats and syrupy chocolate sizzled against the front of my tongue while bitter roasted malt flanked my back taste buds. While there was also a pleasing herbal bitterness from the stout’s hops, but I was most impressed by how well the chocolate and espresso flavors balanced out.

For all the genuine milk chocolate taste and oatmeal sweetness that makes up the flavor’s initial and middle impressions, it’s the roasted malt bitterness and astringent alcohol that dominate the aftertaste. The elixir is extremely potent — and since I drank the entire bottle, Mokah knocked me back on my heels!

Nonetheless, sipping Mokah is quite a treat. It’s like slipping into a warm mud bath — simultaneously relaxing and thrilling.

(And now, press play below for completely uncalled for drinking music!)

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Categories : Beer a Day