Year of New Beer: Chocolate Hazelnut Baba Yaga, Ethereal Brewing (Lexington)

Written By: Dion on 05/18/2018

So I missed the inaugural tapping of this last night, but I was not to be denied on my trip to Lexington tonight. While I've always enjoyed the Baba variants, I've continually held the original as far and away the best version. This is the first one to even make me consider that it has an equal. Rich chocolate on the nose gives it a brownie batter feel, while the hazelnut is prominent without being artificial or overpowering. On the tongue, dark fruits and roasted malts are softened by a silky smooth milk chocolate, with the hazelnut providing an earthy sweetness that has certainly found a home in the base beer. Hints of vanilla, oak, and caramel on a ridiculously smooth finish that hides its ABV remarkably well. If you are a fan of decadent imperial stouts, you don't want to miss this. Well done!