One of the most consistent breweries I can think of is Southern Tier Brewing Co. This Lakewood, NY brewery has a huge line up of year-round beers, tons of seasonals, is always adding in new options, and boast one of my favorite series: the Blackwater Series. No matter the time of year or the package you’re looking for, Southern Tier will have a quality option to get your fix. Side note, if you’re looking for a solid 15-pack, which everyone apparently is these days, theirs has 5 different beers in it. Cool right?!?! But today I’m going to be sampling the only Blackwater Series beer I’ve never had the pleasure of pouring into my face hole, Thick Mint. Every Blackwater Series beer is available in either a 12 oz or 22 oz bottle, but, free lesson here, more actually means better when it comes to beer. Most of the time. So I’m going to give this dessert beer a shot and see if stacks up to the likes of its fellow Blackwater brothers like Salted Caramel and Choklat. The mint makes me a tad skeptical, but there’s only one way to find out, let’s get to slurpin.
Appearance: Mud. Doesn’t get much darker than this. When I was pouring the beer into my low budget Budweiser glass, I noticed it didn’t necessary pour like how I would assume a dessert beer would pour. The body appeared average upon first sight, but there is absolutely no visibility coming through this one.
Aroma: This one is bold and bossy and potentially carrying a weapon. I’m getting lots of dark chocolate notes, like a Toblerone sprinkled with Hershey’s cocoa powder. And yep, there’s that mint. It’s a little harsh on the nose… like someone grounded up that Tolberone, threw in a cup of cocoa powder, and added a few shots of Rumple Minze before grounding it all up and beer-sticking it up your nostril. Yum?
Taste: I had to take a bunch of sips before being sure how to explain this. It’s not quite as offensive as the smell might lead you to think, but this beer is a total beast. It’s got a thick mouthfeel (contrary to my appearance assessment… whatever sue me. Via our Contact page!) and the chocolate notes dominate the first half of this taste wave. But after the initial chocolate, get ready for a mint-fueled alcohol kick that seriously reminds me of a couple rough tussles I’ve had with Rumple Minze that kind of bum me out. Once the alcohol bite relaxes, you’re left with that Hershey’s cocoa powder taste along with mild confusion and potential male pattern baldness. What I was hoping for was a York Peppermint Patty in a bottle turns out to be a little more than I think most drinkers are bargaining for.
Crushability: One of the least crushable beers ever. I have 22 oz here and I’m not sure what to do. It’s still like not THAT bad, so draining it is a no-go, but I’m also not nice enough to share with anyone. This is an absolute sipper. I think Thick Mint could fit in that niche market of after-dinner 8 oz sippers that you absolutely take your time with.
Booziness: It’s so boozy… in the way I probably like the least. Some sort of Vick’s Vapor Rub on the back of the tongue with a lot of mint on full blast, it’s a lot to handle. I taste every bit of the 10% ABV of this one. I can’t get this out of my head.
Rating: New releases of Blackwater beers are some of my favorite beers to go after. Southern Tier has chosen this current seasonal to make the rotation many times before, but for me drinking this was a battle. Maybe it’s because the Eagles won this weekend and my body hasn’t recouped enough to accept a 10%er right away, or maybe it’s because the alcohol rears its head in such a weirdo mint blast fashion that my palette rejects it. Either way, this falls to the bottom of the list of my favorite Blackwater beers, but if you’re unfamiliar with the series keep your eye out later on this year as more are released. So many are delicious and expertly-crafted beers that deserve a taste, so when you see one pick it up. My final take on Thick Mint is that this beer is well-made. It’s not some sloppy undrinkable mess, it’s just a tough combination to really nail down in a beer. So for me I skip this one, but I won’t demolish it completely because one of you jokers might find it interesting. This is Kinda Bullshit.
“Kinda Bullshit”
