Beer Review: Great Notion Double Stack Imperial Stout
The Beer: Double Stack (11.0% ABV)
Brewery: Great Notion Brewing (Portland, Oregon)
Style: Imperial Stout / Pastry Stout
Key Adjuncts: Maple Syrup, Whole Bean Coffee
The Concept
Great Notion‘s Double Stack is the definitive “Imperial Breakfast Stout,” brewed to mimic the indulgent experience of a giant stack of buttery pancakes, drenched in maple syrup, and served alongside a strong, dark cup of coffee. As a foundational pastry stout in the modern craft beer scene, it carries a lot of hype, and for good reason—it’s designed to be an unapologetically decadent, dessert-like experience.
Appearance: Poured from the can into a snifter, the beer is viscous and obsidian black. It looks like melted dark chocolate or motor oil—zero light passes through. It develops a thick, foamy, mocha-colored head that persists for several minutes before settling into a permanent collar. The lacing is sticky and substantial, a true indicator of its heavy body and high adjunct load.
Aroma: The aroma is where the beer truly earns its name. It is an enormous, overwhelming blast of pure maple syrup—sweet, caramelized, and almost sticky to the nose. This immediately gives way to a secondary layer of bold, roasty coffee and hints of vanilla. You could close your eyes and genuinely mistake the smell for a kitchen on a Sunday morning. The 11% ABV is surprisingly well-hidden on the nose, intensifying rather than dominating the other flavors.
Taste: The flavor follows the nose exactly, with a beautiful, complex interplay between sweetness and roast. The initial sip is all maple sweetness and dark caramel, tasting like a pancake soaked in the best syrup. However, the mid-palate introduces a welcome bitterness and structure, provided by the whole-bean coffee and deep-roasted malts.
Notes of dark cocoa, toffee, and burnt sugar emerge, cutting through the maple and preventing it from becoming cloying. It finishes sweet, but the assertive coffee roast and a slight alcoholic warmth provide a necessary, dry balance that makes the next sip inviting. This is a sweet beer, make no mistake, but it avoids the tooth-numbing sugary profile of lesser pastry stouts.
Mouthfeel: Spot-on for the style. It is incredibly thick, velvety, and chewy, coating the entire palate with a silky richness. It is low on carbonation, allowing the adjuncts and body to do the heavy lifting. This beer truly feels substantial, cementing its reputation as a “liquid meal.”
Double Stack is a legendary pastry stout for a reason. It delivers precisely what it promises – a hyper-realistic, yet expertly crafted, Imperial Coffee Maple Pancake Stout. It’s a beer to be savored slowly, shared, and treated as a dessert. If you are a fan of sweet, big, boozy stouts that push the boundaries of flavor, this is a must-try. It is dangerously drinkable for its high ABV and richness.
Highly Recommended.
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