Hypnopompa Beer Review
This stylish bottle holds a delicious secret
Brewery: Omnipollo
Style: American Imperial Stout
ABV: 11% IBU: N/A
While enjoying a delicious dinner at Mugshot Tavern, one of our many local options, I noticed an interesting name at the bottom of the bottles list:
omni pollo hypno pompa
At $15 for a 330mL bottle of 11% imperial stout, we decided to share it and our expectations were understandably high.
And not disappointed.
The one caveat I will add to is that we should have ordered it earlier in the evening so it could sit and warm up a bit. In the end we spent awhile sitting with the brandy snifters between our palms waiting for the beer to reach the right temperature. It was certainly worth the wait.
Hypnopompa
Hypnopompa is our imperial stout brewed with almost 100 kilos of marshmallows and Tahitian vanilla beans (the size of cigars).
Pouring a deep black colour, this imperial stout has a thin, dark tan head. It’s likely it would have poured with a bigger head if it had more time to warm up but as it was there was little more than a ring of small bubbles around the edge by the time we started drinking. It leaves a sticky, stringy lacing behind on the glass.
Featuring a huge bourbon-soaked nose of barrels and vanilla, Hypnopompa has a touch of licorice to it with notes of roasted coffee beans and a hint of raisin. Dark chocolate and powdered sugar tempts while a faint booziness warns of the high alcohol content.
Smooth and chocolaty up front, this stout has a pleasant spiciness beneath it’s somewhat tart flavour of orchard fruits and bourbon barrel notes. The vanilla and marshmallow presence add a nice creaminess to the otherwise bold brew while the alcohol remains subdued.
Somewhat sticky with a smooth body, this brew is a touch prickly with the high alcohol content. A long, lingering bourbon barrel aftertaste stays behind after each sip as the spice continues to build.