Equilibrium Cookies & Cream Pop

I’ve been making my way through Equilibrium’s hazy IPAs and Pale Ales and I started to wonder why I hadn’t seen any stouts from them at the store. It turns out that they release their stouts, which are all bottled and limited, online through Eventbrite. On Tuesdays, they’ll announce what beer they will release the next morning at 9 a.m. Once I learned of this, I started keeping a close eye on the releases. I tried to get one beer – I signed on early and had the event up and ready so I could click the ‘Purchase’ button as soon as it opened up. I refreshed my screen over and over again once the time came, but unfortunately the stout sold out before I ever even saw the button show up to make my purchase.

After that experience, I didn’t think I had much of a chance when I saw Cookies & Cream Pop was going to be released. I did the same thing – signing on early, refreshing the page over and over – and I ended up getting lucky enough to get 2 bottles to try! It was a little expensive, so I don’t know how often I’ll be picking up their stouts, but it was certainly delicious and I’ll still be keeping an eye on their Wednesday morning events.

Brewery: Equilibrium Brewery (Middletown, NY)

Rating: 88/100

Comments: Cookies & Cream Pop is an imperial stout brewed with crushed Oreos, cake mix, cocoa nibs, Madagascar vanilla, and lactose. It pours an inky black with a good amount of light brown head. The cake mix, chocolate cookie, and vanilla all come through really well in the aroma. It’s super sweet, as I anticipated based on the ingredients. The flavor is reminiscent of vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge, and cake batter. It’s thick and sticky, coating the entire mouth with every sip. It’s heavy and incredibly delicious. It’s definitely too sweet to drink a lot of, but it’s perfect for an evening treat!