Beer of the Week: Eleventh Hour's Cinnamon Vanilla Bourbon

While some people’s basic fall go-to might be a hard cider or a pumpkin spice latte, give me a nice, rich stout the second the weather turns. We’re going to ignore for a minute that it was 83 degrees over the weekend, and just appreciate that Stout Season has started. And what better way to initiate it than with Eleventh Hour’s anniversary stout, Burn Your Suit: Cinnamon Vanilla Bourbon.

Everything about the Lawrenceville brewery’s fourth anniversary celebration on Saturday felt like a much-needed warm welcome. A happy group of people lining up for a beer release, the first I’ve experienced in nearly two years. Great beer and fantastic wood-fired pizza being served by Alberta’s food truck. Oh, and even the brewery’s house dog, Archer, became my new best friend, mainly due to the aforementioned pizza.

The crown jewel of the anniversary was Eleventh Hour’s latest iteration of their Burn Your Suit series. Barrel-aged stouts with a variety of different subtleties, these are an immensely popular series within Pittsburgh, and for good reason. On Saturday, the brewery released their 2021 variants including a 4 Roses Bourbon barrel, a Woodford Reserve Barrel, and a Vanilla variant. However, to me, the winner was the Cinnamon Vanilla Bourbon.

Maybe the only thing I like more in beer than a good fall stout is a well-used vanilla, and Eleventh Hour kills it in this department. The vanilla makes a strong stout feel smooth and sweet, without being too thick. Add in the perfect fall element of cinnamon, and you’re checking a lot of boxes. The cinnamon gives the beer a certain heat, making it a rich choice to enjoy around a fall fire. The whole thing gives off an air of a late September night, sipping a beer that tastes like a dessert, similar to a roasted s’mores.

On the bottle, they recommend you enjoy the beer around 50 degrees, or a little warm, and I’d tend to agree. Cold, you get a very boozy experience, every aspect of the bourbon barrel hitting you in the face at full force. But let it sit for a bit, and the full complement of flavors will come out and really shine. It’s a great beer, brewed for a great event. Congratulations to Eleventh Hour on four years, now may I please take Archer home with me?