During the winter months, Union (Baltimore) makes Snow Pants, an amazing oatmeal stout that has a heavy, creamy texture (due to the oatmeal) and some mild hops flavor. The combination makes for a delicious, dark stout that'll warm you up on a cold day. And if that doesn't do it, the 8% alcohol content will make you feel nice and toasty in no time!
So when a friend handed me a can of Pajama Pants back in January, I got really excited. Why?
Because Pajama Pants, my friends, is Snow Pants on steroids, er, caffeine.
That's right - all the goodness of Snow Pants is enhanced with the addition of a medium-roast coffee known as, "Destroyer" from Ceremony Coffee Roasters (Annapolis, MD).
Pajama Pants retains the 8% ABV and mild carbonation (typical of a stout), and is completely opaque black.
You taste a bit of the malt, some mild bitter hops, and a very slight dark chocolate flavor with a mild, dry finish. The addition of coffee can sometimes overpower the other flavors of a beer, but I think it's the medium roast coffee that makes the other flavors stand out. In fact, you really only notice the coffee in the aftertaste, so you get this great beer up front, and are left with a toasty, warm coffee flavor once you swallow it.
Overall, this is a really good one, particularly for beer geeks. Casual beer fans may want to share this with a piece of chocolate cake - the flavors will complement each other nicely, especially if you're not much of a coffee fan.
All this, unfortunately, is a bit of a moot point. Being a seasonal beer, we're likely to not see Snow Pants for a few more months. And no word yet if Pajama Pants will be brewed again.
I, for one, hope it does. 😎
Cheers!
Christian & Eric
