It’s been a pretty stout night tonight, as I not only had my first sample of Anheuser Busch’s Bare Knuckle Stout but also a taste of a far more hearty and robust stout from Georgia’s Terrapin Brewing Company, Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. Why, just the name alone is enough to get you out of bed in the morning (or perhaps put you there at night).

Rest assured that as stouts go, the latter is far more satisfying than the the former. David still has it all over Goliath it would seem, and as a nasty little ice storm settles over north and central Georgia as I type, a warming chocolaty stout is still the perfect remedy for a cold winter’s night.

I’ve always found Imperial stouts to be just the beer for this time of year, though they can certainly be enjoyed year round. This one is a little different from the rest. It’s not quite as strong as far as alcohol is concerned, with only about 7.5% alcohol by volume.

Wake-n-Bake is part of Terrapin’s Monster Beer Tour series of high gravity (read alcohol) brews. Details from the brewery:

This is a full bodied imperial stout with flavorful coffee taste and aroma. Black as night, this coffee stout is thick, rich and full of flavor. It includes Costa Rican Coffee roasted by J. Martinez coffee roasters in Atlanta.

Malt: 2 Row Pale Malt, Flaked Oats, Flaked Barley, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt & Roasted Barley
Hops: Columbus & Northern Brewer
Original Gravity: 20.3 *P, Final Gravity: 6.8 *P, ABV: 7.5%

This stuff doesn’t officially hit the streets until January 31st, but I got a preview this weekend at Five Season’s Brewing Company. Draft only for now, I’m hoping it is eventually bottled (Terrapin Rye Pale Ale went from draft only to bottles, after all).

Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a creamy tan head and a divinely roasted barley nose. The palate is oh so smooth, with smooth and silky oatmeal notes that make the beer eminently drinkable.

But what do you drink with your oatmeal in the morning? Why coffee, of course, and that’s here too, not the suggestions of coffee that roasted malts and barley often imply but far more genuine notes from the stuff itself.

There’s chocolate, too, and just a hint of licorice. In the finish, just enough roasty bitterness to balance, but not overpower. Yowza, this is good stuff.

Get your oatmeal and coffee all in one glass. While it lasts. And tell them the Bruguru sent you.