Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": New Holland's "Night Tripper" Imperial Stout

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Mar 19, 2008 6:41PM

Sometimes we come across a beer that not only puts hair on our chest, it removes said curlicues. Such is the case with this week's "BotW" selection.

Night Tripper is the latest entry to New Holland Brewing's "high gravity" series, and it is a monster. This imperial stout is one viscous mother, with the carbonation forcing its way to the surface (head: nonexistent). It teems with the flavor of roasted barley malt and dark sugars. We also picked up a serious alcohol burn on the nose and back of the palate. High gravity beers produce thick dry mouthfeels, and Night Tripper was no different. It almost reminded us of warm gelatin at points during our tasting session. If we still smoked, we could completely see ourselves enjoying this with a robust cigar in cool rainy weather, like our recent spate of spring.