Mikerphone Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit Special Roast
What the brewers say
Vermont maple syrup and Tugboat Coffee’s Sumatra Lintong Blue Batik beans.
What our panel thought
Overtly coffee- and maple syrup–forward in aroma, this beer looks thick and viscous in the glass. It delivers on the promise of its aroma with distinct notes of bitter coffee balanced by maple syrup sweetness within a roasted malt and chocolate backbone. The mouthfeel also delivers on its appearance with its thickness and body along with a noticeable alcoholic warmth. Breakfast in a glass, as long as you don’t have plans to leave the couch.
What our editors thought
Maple wafts from the glass over a bed of sweet coffee roast while the legs of the pour slowly, slowly recede down the glass. It’s decadent, for sure, but an extra dose of dark roast coffee gives the sip all the bitter bal-ance it needs to stand up to the intense maple sweetness. Utterly fantastic.
