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Where Spotted: D’Vines, 3103 14th St. NW
Price: $11.90/22oz bottle
Mellow Belly: Last week, I challenged myself (and my readers) to find me a big, bold, and beautiful beer to knock me off my current obsession with the low-alcohol varieties. I went the stout route, and piled on the flavors by buying the bottle with the most descriptors. I’m usually turned off by coffee-infused beers, and a wanton oak-aging process is a surefire way to turn your brew into varnish—but this imperial stout uses a light hand on both, making for a rich, warming snifter beer with no rough edges.
Warning Joe: One note of caution: Even splitting this stout three ways, all the booze in the city couldn’t get me to bed last night. My fellow tasters and I were all wired by the coffee, which is brewed and then blended into the beer. When the Four Loko craze was driving Congress crazy, I never thought the concerns over high-octane hooch would affect me. But, after a sleepless night, I now concede that some labeling about caffeine content would be helpful for the strange people like me who drink their beer in the evenings.