Serpent's Stout

I have been in one of my too frequent IPA ruts and tonight I decided to break the routine.  I reached to the back of the beer fridge and grabbed a bottle of The Lost Abbey's Serpent's Stout.   I received it as one of a four bottle birthday present last summer.  As soon as I popped the cork, Serpent's roasted aroma leaped out of the bottle.  It poured near pitch black and had almost no foam.  What little foam there was gathered around the walls of my chalice and was dark brown. 

The initial taste was sweet with a large dose of dark dried fruit, like raisins and plums.  Flavors of roasted, dark, bittersweet chocolate were also prominent.  There is a faint, but noticeable earthiness in the taste.  Serpent's initial sweetness gives way to a long bitter finish.  Serpent had an intense effervescence, despite having no foam.  This is a big beer.  It has an 11% abv, and as it warmed the alcohol came forward with a burn, but strangely, it never took over the beer.

I don't drink too many imperial stouts.  I like them, but they're just too rich and complex for my simple beer mind, and they usually take to long to drink.  That being said, I know a good beer when I drink one and Serpent's Stout is a good beer.  It's massive, full of flavor and keeps your attention.