After having earlier subjected myself to a Bud Light, I needed to get back into the swing of things and drink some real beer. So off it was to Summit’s Wayside Tavern a few miles down I-285 for a pint or two with my Beloved Barbara™. Barbara loves a good brew as much as I do, and Summit’s is always a good place to find one.

Tonight was no exception. Among the various and sundry beers offered was the new Imperial Stout brewed up by Atlanta’s own Sweetwater Brewing Company. Called Happy Ending, this big, bold, and beautiful brew is a limited-time, draft-only offering specially created to celebrate the new Georgia law passed last July that raised the maximum legal alcohol content for beer from 6% to 14%.

I had figured it was only a matter of time before Sweetwater produced a high-gravity beer. The now-defunct Dogwood Brewery was first out the door with their Imperial Porter, at least as far as bottling microbreweries here in Georgia are concerned. The much larger Sweetwater Brewery released their celebratory offering just a bit later.

Sweetwater has enjoyed much success with its beers, winning awards at the Great American Beer Festival and recently expanding production to a spanking-new brewhouse with an annual capacity of 30,000 barrels. Distribution of Sweetwater beer has now been expanded, as well, to Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina.

Hopes were that Happy Ending Stout will eventually be distributed in bottles, too, and as of February of 2007 that became a reality. The brewery’s colorful advertising table tents feature a smiling Geisha girl with a suggestive wink and the invocation to Put a Smile on Your Face. The suggestive banter goes further, describing the beer as A huge, dry hopped stiffy, for a full figured beer, resulting in an explosive finish!

I’m not sure what that’s all about, but at 9% alcohol by volume, Happy Ending does indeed have an explosive finish. Not to mention that your head might be exploding the next day if you drink too many of these, but that’s another matter entirely.

Happy Ending Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a medium-sized creamy tan head formation and an intensely roasty nose. The palate is immediately roasty with a rich, luxurious mouthfeel that glides softly across the tongue. There are huge notes of licorice here, along with a big dry-cocoa chocolate flavor and hints of soft fruit and espresso.

In the finish, a generous dose of very minty hops add to the roasty bitterness with one of their own and leave a vigorous lingering buzz on the tongue. There’s a good amount of warming alcohol notes, too. Overall, this is an excellent Imperial stout, and an impressive first foray into the world of high-gravity brews for Sweetwater.

 

 

 

Update, 3/2/2012: Browsing through the beer menu at my local Taco Mac as I am always wont to do, I noticed that I hadn't yet added Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout to my Brewniversity list. I had seen a few choices that interested me, but as they were all short pours I went for a Happy Ending instead. $5.75 for a full 20 ounce pour of a 9% ABV imperial stout? Can't argue with that. The beer was rich and chocolaty, roasty and packed with licorice as always. Those minty grassy hops and the warming alcohol finish made this an excellent choice, perfect match to blackened salmon over broccoli in a light cream sauce. Blackened beer with blackened seafood? Why not? A bargain at $8.99 a six-pack in bottles, too.

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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