7venth Sun Root Down Stout

Brewery: 7venth Sun Brewing Co.
Location: Dunedin, FL
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.3%

7venth Sun is a young brewery that held its grand opening less than two years ago. However, with the owners having past experience working for breweries like Anheuser-Busch, Sweetwater, and Cigar City, there's no shortage of beer knowledge and brewing credentials. Oh yeah, and to up the ante, all their servers are certified cicerones! 

I visited 7venth Sun over the Thanksgiving Holiday for their bottle release of Root Down Stout. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a good friend, Alan (@SuwanneeRefugee) who was the one who originally tipped me off about the release. I've said it before, but if there's one thing I love about the craft beer culture more than the beer, it's the people. Good beer is almost always accompanied by good people. Now back to the beer...

This particular bottle is labeled no. 289/500. Root Down Stout is an Imperial Stout brewed with sweet potato and spices aged on vanilla bean. The label is simple, but appealing. There's an "indie" vibe about the design that screams "Drink Local." I appreciate that.

The pour is black with a tan head that keeps its retention.

The aroma is strong coffee, caramel, and allspice.

The taste is full of coffee--bold and dark roasted. The coffee is followed by a creamy sweetness (possibly from the sweet potatoes) and a spicy finish. The more I sipped on this beer to find the sweet potato and vanilla, the more I got lost in the roastiness of the coffee. There's a slight acidic aftertaste (probably from the coffee) and a mild kick from the booze. But as much as I tried, I couldn't taste the sweet potatoes or vanilla.

This is a full bodied beer. No doubt about it. The mouthfeel is very creamy, almost frothy, at times. This is your thickest, darkest, boldest latte at its best.

Overall: I think this would do well to sit for a year in the cellar. The flavor profile is nice as it is, but I would like to see the various layers become more apparent on the palate. I really didn't detect the sweet potato because the coffee and spices are so overpowering at this point. Cellaring would do this beer good.

Cheers!