Name: Infinite Sequence: Cinnamocha
Brewers: New Image Brewing
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (Base Style: Imperial Stout)
ABV: 12.5%
Review Year: 2020
Infinite Sequence: Cinnamocha is an Imperial Stout brewed the Colorado-based, New Image Brewing. This Imperial Stout features cinnamon, cacao, and coffee roasted by Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters Arvada– ingredients inspired by the head brewer’s trip to Ecuador.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (30A) with the Imperial Stout (20C) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Cinnamocha is a black beer with a brown head. The head does not last long a settles to flat. The aroma gives it away– it is a deadly delicious drink. Champorado (chocolate-flavored rice porridge) made with Toberlone chocolate and a dash of cinnamon compose the aroma profile. Full-bodied, low-carbonated, and has a mouthfeel that is close to syrup. Cacao maltiness is prominent but this is combined with sweet Toberlone chocolate and light coffee. Cinnamon and hints of black peppers add to the balance. Interestingly, all the advertised ingredients– cinnamon, coffee, and cacao– cut through the sweetness and make their presence felt. And for a beer that has 12.5% ABV, the alcohol character is well-integrated. Light fruity lychees and the familiar cacao maltiness surface in the aftertaste and leaves the palate very dry and sticky.
THE VERDICT
Amazing. For us, a well-made dessert-inspired stout would be a beer that showcases the adjunct ingredients declared in a balanced manner through the aroma and/or flavor, and ultimately not come out as a dark beer that will give its drinkers diabetes. New Image’s Infinite Sequence: Cinnamocha demonstrated that. It is a proper Imperial Stout at its core, but it is also a liquid dessert in a can. Yes, it is still sweet, but unlike other dessert-inspired dark beers, the sweetness is sufficient for the other ingredients, particularly the featured adjuncts, to shine and be appreciated.
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