So, beer is being made with just about any seasoning you can imagine these days. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, but for my part I’ll place Ballast Point Cinnamon Raisin Commodore American Stout in the former category. This one definitely works for me. The key in any of these beers is to make the signature ingredients sing in conjunction with the featured base beer. Cinnamon Raisin Commodore manages to do that, and in a big way.

Ballast Point does a great job pulling off these “gimmick” beers as my good buddy Tom Mulvihill calls them. Tom is the one and only Beer Whisperer-accept no substitutes-and he knows these things! I recently enjoyed Ballast Point Red Velvet Golden Oatmeal Stout and darned if that wasn’t tasting just like a slice of Red Velvet Cake, complete with frosting.

From the brewery website:

Our Cinnamon Raisin Commodore is truly a story of experimentation. Originally a gold-medal winning American stout first born in our R&D program, our brewers developed a new variation, adding cinnamon and raisins to this dark, bittersweet brew. The result is just the right amount of sweet and spice, with roasty maltiness at the helm. 

Ballast Point Cinnamon Raisin Commodore American Stout has an alcohol content of 6.5% by volume with 62 IBUs. It will run you $10.99 for a six-pack here in the Atlanta area.

Ballast Point Cinnamon Raisin Commodore American Stout pours to a jet-black color with a towering heard of rocky tan foam and a lightly roasty nose laced with hints of raisin. If you didn’t get enough cinnamon and raisin in the nose, don’t worry. It makes its appearance in the palate, and with gusto. The beer is lightly roasty up front but the cinnamon really pops and swirls around the dark fruity raisin notes just as it would in a slice of tasty raisin bread. And indeed, that’s what it tastes like, but with Chocolate and suggestions of molasses. As it warms more chocolate cinnamon and raisin come out in the nose.

What a delicious beer, as I sip it reminds me of the dark brown B & M raisin bread in a can from New England. Ballast Point suggests it paired with an oatmeal cookie; I might add try it with cinnamon raisin rice pudding as well. Or just enjoy it as dessert. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this wonderful treat.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 

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