I want Samoa this! That’s what I exclaimed after my first sip of Southern Tier Samoa This Imperial Stout. This is the second beer I’ve tasted from Southern Tier that is modeled after a Girl Scout Cookie. The first, of course, was Thick Mint Imperial Stout. I love Thick Mint cookies, but I will confess I prefer Samoas. Would that hold true for the beery renditions of these cookies?

Southern Tier says:

We’re well known for our affection for decadent, flavorful, dessert-like beers, which has put us on an endless quest to brew the ultimate indulgence. Our dessert beers are a fusion of flavors, making each of them a perfect pairing when one craves an exceptional stout full of personality. With booming notes of chocolate, caramel, and coconut, Samoa This is our interpretation of the famous seasonal treat. We went to great lengths carefully crafting each flavor, right down to the savory shortbread-like cookie base.

Southern Tier Samoa This Imperial Stout has an alcohol content of 10% by volume and I paid $13.99 for a 4-pack at Sherlock’s in Kennesaw, Georgia. That’s a little high, but this is a specialty beer so I will cut them some slack on that.

Southern Tier Samoa This Imperial Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick and very creamy head formation with a nose so much like the cookie with chocolate and coconut its freaky. Taking a sip, you can’t help but exclaim “They nailed it!”. The beer has smooth dark chocolate, coconut, and caramel notes permeating a full, thick full mouthfeel. The salt is there too and accents all the flavors and draws them out. The flavors all merge just like in the cookie, though the beer finishes with alcohol warmth incongruous with that.

Wonderful, and just as with the cookies, I like it better than I did the Thick Mint, which is saying something indeed.

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