Browsing my Beer Madness review history reveals that I have written about painfully few full bodied/dark beers during my tenure here. I actually love the taste of stouts and their ilk, but I also love to knock down 4+ beers in a sitting and doing that with a heavy bodied brew just doesn't sit well with my stomach. For lunch today I indulged a rare splurge on the Pig & Fig sandwich at hoity-toity Chicago food store Pastoral. While waiting for them to spread the black tea and fig chutney on my french bread I spotted this Lagunitas seasonal on the shelf and made an impulse buy.I now know that this impulse buy was actually a wise, considered investment. The Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout is one of the finest beers I've had the pleasure of tasting. Its coffee base ensures that it is both bright and bitter like a good cup should be. It gives off a sense of richness without tasting saccharine, like a good bar of dark chocolate, which by the way is another flavor this beer evokes. The texture is silky smooth without being overly heavy or syrupy. I didn't have great expectations when I purchased this because I've consumed some truly stank coffee flavored beers over the last couple of years. I should have known I could trust the curatorial tongues of Pastoral.
