Perennial Abraxas
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Tasting Notes
Abraxas leads with a dense, layered aroma of cinnamon, ancho chile, and raw cacao, backed by vanilla and dark roasted malt. On the palate it delivers waves of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and warming spice without the chile ever crossing into harsh heat — it integrates rather than dominates. The body is full and almost syrupy, with enough carbonation to keep it from feeling flat. The finish is long, bittersweet, and gently warming, with cinnamon and dark coffee lingering well after the sip.
About the Brewery
Perennial Artisan Ales is based in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 2011. They built their reputation on barrel-aged and specialty stouts, with Abraxas sitting at the center of that identity as one of the more sought-after adjunct imperial stouts in the Midwest. Their lineup also includes sour and mixed-fermentation beers, giving them range beyond the dark beer lane they're best known for.
Food Pairings
Mole-rubbed grilled pork works naturally here because the beer's ancho chile and chocolate mirror the sauce's own complexity. A wedge of aged Manchego or sharp cheddar provides a salty, fatty contrast that tames the sweetness. Dark chocolate brownies or a flourless chocolate cake echo the beer's cacao core without fighting it. Candied pecans or a pecan pie bring out the vanilla and warm spice notes in the beer. If you're going savory, slow-braised short ribs match the beer's weight and stand up to its intensity.
Style Guide
American Imperial Stouts are a domestic evolution of the English stout tradition, pushed to extremes in terms of malt depth, roast intensity, and alcohol. Defining characteristics include prominent roasted malt, dark fruit, chocolate, and coffee flavors, with a full, often viscous body and ABVs that typically run from 9% to over 13%. What separates the American iteration from its Russian Imperial ancestors is a tendency toward adjunct additions — vanilla, cacao, chiles, coffee, and barrel aging are all common — and a general willingness to lean into sweetness alongside bitterness. Adjacent styles like Foreign Extra Stouts are lighter and drier by comparison.