This post is about a beer my parents gave me for my thirtieth birthday (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I didn't expect to be writing about it so soon--in fact, I have another beer keeping cool in my fridge that I was planning on giving this second Maple Month slot to. However this has been a pretty damn good weekend, one that warrants (what I'm sure will be) a pretty damn good beer.

All this to say that I'll be writing about New Holland's Poet's Brunch Stout on this unseasonably warm November day. Why am I sure that the beer'll be good? Its pedigree, of course. Let's see if that statement holds true.

New Holland Brewing was founded by Brett VanderKamp in Holland, MI back in 1997. The brewery makes beer for life's memorable moments. A company working to innovate and revolutionize both craft beer and the craft spirits, New Holland focuses on good product and a sizeable distribution footprint. More information about them can be found on their "About" page. 

The Poet's Brunch, found on New Holland's All Beer page, is a 9% ABV imperial stout that's brewed with maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. The inaugural release of the Brewer's Best series, this limited offering hit the market in February. The story on my can says the beer is "drizzled with real maple syrup." That's quite a claim, and one that's making me excited for the maple quality of the beer.

I find both strong maple and coffee notes on the stout's nose, very suitable for a brunch stout. There's also chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, and, inexplicably, a bacon-like aroma to be sussed out of the bouquet. It's sweet; it's warm; it's welcoming; it's, surprisingly, not really boozy. It's a big, hearty breakfast in a can and a top-notch nose. Lottie, who I woke from a nap for the purposes of snapping the following picture (so please excuse her bedhead), gave my can thirty-seven whiffs and an attempted lick or two. She's all about it.

The maple syrup is big in the flavor profile. I'd say the beer is downright drizzled with the stuff. Beyond that, I get Belgian waffle notes (thanks in no small part to the vanilla and cinnamon). The coffee and chocolate are both here, as is bacony quality I previously noted (I have no idea why this is here, but I'm not complaining!). Again, there's not much booze present, meaning that this is a very dangerous beer. I'll let you know what happens when I go to stand. The finish is earthy: the mild hops come into play here, as does the deep roasted malt. This is an exquisitely tasting affair.

The Poet's Brunch's mouthfeel is everything I want from an imperial stout featuring maple: thick and syrupy. It fits the rest of this beer perfectly.

Sure, it's fall now, even if it doesn't particularly feel like it. But consider, for the purposes of this post, a winter nap. 

I like napping on winter Sundays while the snow falls quietly outside and the world around me is muted. I lay on my couch and Amiina's Kurr comes through my speakers, enveloping me in a musical dream and lulling me to sleep. I pull my blanket to my chin and doze, waking whenever I happen to wake. Poet's Brunch is the beer equivalent of a winter nap.

New Holland brews beer of a consistently high quality. I went into this review expecting Poet's Brunch Stout to be of that same caliber and I can happily say that the beer didn't disappoint. It's a 10/10 brew, meaning it gets my highest recommendation. If you ever happen across a can, that means you've found one of the last ones in the wild. Grab it and drink it on an easy afternoon.