Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb! Review

Name: Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 13%
IBUs: 65

Remember when I did my review of Phantasmagoria and mentioned that Prairie Artisan Ales' most well-known beer was an Imperial Stout by the name of Bomb(!)? Well, as I was out and about earlier this week when I happened to come across Bomb! and decided to get it. Bomb! is one of those beers that I always see up for trade on the Beer Trade Sub-Reddit, which means now I have more beers worth trading should the need ever arise.

So what makes Bomb! so special? Well, according to the label, it's aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and......chili peppers? I'm not sure if they meant to say that or made with but interesting to say the least. And in case you were wondering, the exclamation point at the end of the word Bomb! is intentional and part of the name itself. Just.......don't scream it when you're at an airport.

Appearnace - Pitch black color with an initially thin dark brown head that fades away to nothing after a few minutes. Needless to say, there's no lacing left behind along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Right away I'm getting some chocolate & vanilla notes with even some of that chili pepper zing and bitter hoppiness present, though I'm not getting any of that coffee smell that's supposed to be here.

Taste - Right off the bat, I'm getting some fairly hefty chocolate maltiness with some vanilla sweetness. Towards the middle is where that chili pepper zing and heat starts to take hold but is kept at bay by the bitter hops and coffee ground notes. In the back is where we start to see a bit more of that vanilla sweetness while still maintaining that light pepper heat and chocolate roastiness. The aftertaste is mainly chocolate malts and light coffee roastiness.

Bomb! is one of those beers that, based on the hype you've heard about it, you can see why people are willing to go the extra mile to try it out. With that said, it isn't anything I haven't already seen and it doesn't so much blow me away as it does make me take a couple steps back. With that said, this is an excellent Imperial Stout and there's really no reason why you shouldn't try it out, permitting it's available in your area of course!

Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb - 9 /10