Pipeworks Imperial End of Days (65.1cl, 10.5%)

A 10.5% ABV imperial milk stout from Pipeworks Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois, sold in a 651ml bottle. It builds on the brewery's original End of Days milk stout with a heavier malt bill and increased quantities of cacao nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, and ancho and guajillo chile peppers. Lactose contributes body and residual sweetness, counterbalancing heat from the peppers and roasty bitterness from the dark malts. The result is a thick, adjunct-loaded stout at 10.5% ABV. The aroma leads with roasted malt and ground coffee, followed by warm cinnamon and dried chile pepper, with dark chocolate and vanilla underneath. The palate is rich and full-bodied, driven by dark chocolate and creamy lactose sweetness, with cinnamon, vanilla bean and controlled pepper warmth. The finish is dry and lingering, with cocoa powder, cinnamon bark and a gentle chili tingle.