Door #23

 The season is full of treats, although this year it's harder than usual to find some of them.  I think transportation just isn't what it normally is, either because a lot more people or shipping things or because some products aren't being made in their normal quantities.  Hardly any marzipan!  Unbelievable.  I would say it's good there are plenty of good beers made right around the metaphorical corner because it's true, but it's also true that some imports are making their way to us.  Hungarian imports, of all things.  Candy Man Imperial Stout looks the part for the holiday feast.  Cthulu's wearing his suit and everything.

Off to the Weihnachtsmarkt, I guess

The look is perfect, all super chocolatey dark brown, and just a thin cap of dark beige head.  Although fine in texture, it seems pretty resistant.  It's not as strongly sweet smelling as you might fear, although that little cloud of candy is there.  The candy flavor is, to my misfortune, more licorice than anything else.  There's a dark chocolate whisper that comes towards the end, but otherwise it's just licorice.  I think there might be some coffee candy lurking here and there, but the overpowering sweetness of cotton candy or marshmallows themselves is not thundering through.  Eventually the almost bitter of the dark chocolate overcomes the licorice, and leaves a pretty nice stout for a chilly almost Christmas evening.