Southern Star Brewing Co – Conroe, TX
Imperial Stout – 8.25% ABV

Tears welled in my eyes as I opened the last can of Buried Hatchet…just kidding. I love this beer, but I’m not that dramatic. As Southern Star is still a rather small brewery now located over 1,000 miles away from me, I won’t be drinking anything by them again for a while. But I’ve been holding on to this Buried Hatchet for too long already. It was time…

From the label: ”You hold in your hand a stout for stout lovers. Buried Hatchet is brewed with a large quantity of brown malt reminiscent of a traditional pre-Industrial Revolution malt profile. This stout is full of robust, roasted flavors which intermingle with a bittersweet creaminess that concludes to a perfect, warming finish.”

Buried Hatchet pours dark brown with a frothy mocha head.

The smell hits hard with roasted coffee grounds. There’s a great milky sweetness in there, with lots of milk chocolate and hints of dark chocolate and vanilla. A light hop presence is noticeable, but the roasted scents really dominate. I’ve gotta say, I’m in love with the nose, especially as it warms. So creamy and full of roasted chocolate notes. It’s not big and bold as is typical of the style, but soothing and still full of life.

The taste is full of roasted notes. Chocolate, both dark and milk, and coffee dominate. It definitely has a light sweetness to it, caramel or milk. The bitterness is minimal, although it’s there for a second near the back of the throat and along the tongue. Everything here makes me think milk stout.

The mouthfeel is creamy and coats the mouth, but not quite heavy. On the high side of medium body, but still pretty light. Decent carbonation, dry finish.

Overall: 4.5/5. Buried Hatchet may not measure up to some of the big and beastly imperial stouts out there, but it’s damn good. Ridiculously easy drinking, yet still full of flavor.