Upland Brewing Teddy Bear Kisses

What a name...you probably can't tell from my picture, but there is a creepy looking teddy bear, slightly illuminated by a distant open door, near the bottom right of the label...add in the font from The Godfather and you have a really interesting label. Anyway...Upland is another brewery (out of Indiana) that isn't distributed in Georgia, so this is another one from the huge stash that I picked up at Louisville Beer Store in December.

Luckily this brew from Upland doesn't taste creepy. This Russian Imperial Stout (aged over cocoa nibs) checks in at just over 10% ABV. As expected, it pours pitch black but has nearly perfect carbonation for a stout (or at least what I like in a stout)...that is to say, not out of control and not completely still. Although Teddy Bear Kisses (i just like typing that) has all the things i look for in an RIS (bold roasted malt flavor, coffee and chocolate notes, and the right amount of carbonation) it misses somewhere. I'm not sure if it is the lingering booziness on the finish, or the feeling that the "roast" is more "burnt"...but, it is what it is. Teddy Bear Kisses is so close to being great that its a damn shame.

ohtheguilt Ba score = 3.5 out of 5.0