Southern Grist Brewing Company | Tuxedos and Top Hats

I keep a fair number of dark and sweet beers around as the Mrs enjoys them. Further, it’s kinda nice to be able to split a beer with her in the evenings when I don’t want to commit to a full beer before heading off to bed. Cedar Bluff Wine and Spirits posted on Instagram that they had Tuxedos and Top Hats in stock and, I have to admit, Southern Grist Brewing Company out of Nashville has been growing on me recently – they are making some stellar beer. I’ve mostly had their IPAs so this intrigued me. I grabbed a four pack and I have not been disappointed.

First of all, this beer is inspired by turtle candy – need I say more? When I think about turtle candy I think about caramel, pecans and chocolate. The base of this beer is a milk stout, so it’s already got a nice sweet flavor to it off the bat. Add in some sea salt and caramel then let it hang out on chocolate and pecans and you get this. Let’s check it out.

This beer pours dark with a tan head that hangs out across the surface of the beer. On the nose this beer checks all the boxes – chocolate, caramel, a nut character, maybe a light roast note and that sweet lactose aroma that I was expecting. It is certainly sweet more than anything else. As this beer hits the palate, all the same flavor sensations carry forward on the palate. The roast character picks up a bit but overall I find all the sweet chocolate and caramel notes with a slight nuttiness that I would expect given the description. The body of this beer is medium, with a moderate level of carbonation. It coats the palate very well and leaves just a slight bitterness on the tip of the tongue that acts as a signal for the next sip.

Final snobs: Well done Southern Grist! This is a great beer and it is definitely well balanced between the base beer and the adjuncts. It isn’t overpowering and is very enjoyable. This is turtle candy in a beer all day long! While I split the first one with the Mrs, this can is mine.

Prost!