Night Mist Imperial Stout

At 8.5% alcohol, Night Mist Imperial Stout is certainly strong, but it isn't as bonkers as some of the other big stouts out there--as a result, I found that a 500mL bottle of the stuff was manageable on a weeknight. From Toronto's Bandit Brewery, Night Mist was onyx, opaque, and covered with a slim disc of tan head--in fact, considerably less head that I was expecting.

Night Mist had a comforting malt aroma blessed with mocha notes and the suggestion of some dank hops. The flavour veers from well roasted malts to a modestly bitter finish in the space of a few beats. Along the way, there are some dark chocolate notes and a thin wisp of pipe smoke. However, the chief note to me seemed to be dark, dried fruit.

According to Bandit's website, this little number has 60 IBUs, which seems about right--really a respectable bitterness packed into this dark beer. However, I'd have liked it to be featured a bit more assertively. Overall, the flavour was agreeable and had few faults to pick at. Like everything I've tasted from the Bandit repertoire, Night Mist Imperial Stout was nicely made and genuinely good, if not elite.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.