S.W.A.K. Stout

Willibrew S.W.A.K. Stout
1 pint, 5..5% ABV

Purchased at Willibrew, Willimantic

swakAww, how cute! Like, OMG! GTFO! SWAK Stout?! All the puppies!

First of all, let me put it out there that my hatred for the “new” way of speaking/tweeting/blogging – the whole “All the” thing. As in, “Hey man, I’m heading up to Willibrew this weekend.”

“All the beer!”

GOMI.

Oddly, I don’t hate the “because” thing. As in, , “Hey man, I’m heading up to Willibrew this weekend.”

“Because, beer.”

I should hate it. I really should, and many of my learned friends hate it. Writers hate it, but I kind of think it works – at least in Twitterverse shorthand. All the Twitters!

GOMI again.

Now that that’s off my chest, let’s get to why we’re here: another wonderful stout from the fine folks up at Willimantic Brewpub. I recently made the bold statement that at the end of 2013, my favorite 5 beer makers in Connecticut are NEBCO, Willibrew, Beer’d, Lasting Brass and Thimble Island. That’s a solid, solid list.

And it may or may not change a bit in 2014, with apparently, like six new breweries opening up (Black Pond, Stubborn Beautry, Kent Falls, These Guys… No Worries? Overshores? Others?) but here’s the thing. Excluding NEBCO from the mix, because really, no one’s touching them, the others bang out top quality IPA’s, DIPA’s and stouts. And you intrepid writer loves those three styles above all else. So while I do add that caveat, I still say you are wrong if you have a different list.

Haha, not really. Well, maybe. Because experience. All the experience.

Willibrew says:
“An unfiltered black ale brewed with 7 malts including Crystal, Maris Otter, Chocolate, and Black. We then Sealed With A Kiss of vanilla for that irresistable flavor.”

lipsSee, I told you this was cute. What’s even cuter about this is that when I go over to Willimantic (admittedly far more infrequently than I’d like), I almost always stop in at Munson’s in Bolton on the way to or fro. At their headquarters, right on Route 6, they often have “seconds” of their candies and barks and stuff.

Which means they are cheaper, if a little broken up. Who cares if it’s a little broken up? I don’t. I’ve been married almost 11 years now, to an avowed chocolate lover – and she doesn’t care if it’s a little broken up.

So yeah, “SWAK” stands for “Sealed with a Kiss” of vanilla. This is a wonderful winter stout, fulfilling the “great stout bingo” card: roasty, chocolatey, creamy, warm and rich with the wildcard of the vanilla. But it’s not too sweet at all (or my grade would drop precipitously). And it’s fairly low in alcohol. In other words, it’s perfect.

Just like my marriage of nearly 11 years.

Because, love. All the broken up chocolates. All the cute. All the great Willbrew.

STFU.

Overall Rating: A
Rating vs. Similar style: A

Willibrew
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