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Top 100 Beers of 2021
The best of The Beer Connoisseur® magazine's Official Review in 2021, including a whopping 13 World Class rated beers as evaluated by our judges.
#4
97
Situational Ethics - Rye Barrel-Aged Rocky Road Imperial Stout
Monday Night Brewing
Brewmaster Peter Kiley Talks Situational Ethics Rye Barrel-Aged Rocky Road Imperial Stout
Who was responsible for this beer’s recipe?
I did along with Tim McDonnell, our wood cellar manager.
What sets this beer apart from other examples within the style?
What made this beer so exciting for us was how we accurately captured the flavors that makes rocky road ice cream so delicious. Adding scotch flavors to it only elevated it to the next level. We can only hope that ice cream companies follow suit and start putting spirits into their flavors!
What is your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, etc.)?
To be honest, it was the planning that went into making this beer. Tim and I did way too much R&D with rocky road ice cream. After learning about the history and the ways that people have made rocky road in the past, we took our expertise with beer production and brought those two together. Also, we used a ridiculously large torch to toast our marshmallows. It felt necessary at the time, and I stand by my decision.
How popular is this beer among your faithful fans?
For our last year of making the Situational Ethics series, this beer reminded our fans, as well as us, just how much we have loved making the beers in this series. It has been so much fun making extremely experimental beers that invoke memories of our pasts. The rocky road variant was a crowd favorite due to its decadence. Every once in a while it’s a lot of fun to make a beer that makes you think “how did they make this liquid taste like a food.”
Is this your “desert island beer?”
Dessert island beer, yes. Desert island beer, absolutely not.
Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
When Tim and I were designing this beer we collectively added a few inches to the waistline trying every brand of rocky road ice cream that we could find. R&D takes many different forms in the brewing industry, but this experience was easily one of the most wholesome and childish ones that we have ever done. It really was so much fun.
Judge’s Second Opinion
One of the more delectable treats I enjoyed as a kid was a rich bowl of rocky road ice cream. Now, as an adult, imagine combining something similar with a complex imperial stout and what do you get? A beer that makes you sit back on a cold, snowy night with an ear-to-ear smile and visions of toasted macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, Madagascar vanilla beans and Ghirardelli milk chocolate dancing through your head. Combine all of this with a subtle rye barrel-aged character and the smile grows even wider.
One of the danger zones in the brewing world is trying to combine a wide variety of other ingredients, known as adjuncts, into a beer without creating a hot mess. This can even be more challenging when you add them to an already rich and complex beer style such as an imperial stout. The brewer must take care not to allow one single adjunct to dominate the beer so that all aspects of the ingredients and base style are balanced and represented. This does not mean that perfect balance is required, just that they all play well together as they weave in and out of the aroma and flavor.
Unfortunately for me, this is my first and only encounter with Monday Night Brewing’s offerings. I can only imagine what the rest of the Situational Ethics series must offer, and I envy all of those who were able to enjoy them before they sunset the series. If you currently have this beer in your cellar, I highly encourage you to kick back, relax and spend an evening exploring the nuances of this incredibly well-crafted beer. – Randy Scorby