Rocky Road Ice Cream Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co. is an Imperial Stout with spices and is being evaluated as a Spiced, Herb, or Vegetable Beer (category 30A in the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Spiced, Herb, or Vegetable (SHV) Beers are beers brewed with spices, herbs and/or vegetables. The resulting beer should have the added SHV balanced and complementing the base style. Rocky Road Ice Cream Stout was brewed with cocoa, vanilla bean, almond, marshmallow and lactose and weighs in at 10.5% ABV.

Rocky Road pours black in color, is opaque, and sports a small brown head. The aroma is of moderate-strong chocolate and roasted malts with lighter nutty malt and vanilla. The body is medium-full, creamy and smooth with a light warmth (but never hot). The flavor is of moderate-strong chocolate and roasted malt with lighter coffee, vanilla and nuttiness; a light lactose sweetness tempers the dark malts but does not make this stout overly sweet. The finish is moderate bitterness with moderate chocolate and roasted malts with a light vanilla and a light lactose sweetness.

I will admit that upon hearing the description of this beer that I was doubtful that I would enjoy this offering (I am not a fan of excessively full and sweet dessert beers and this stout was definitely not excessively full and sweet). I was pleasantly surprised that the execution of this difficult style was very well done with a delicate complement of a number of different flavors. The result is a rich, flavorful beer that is not too over-the-top. Definitely seek this one out and do not be afraid of the description.