Adroit Theory Brewing Company's eggnog cream stout is, by the brewery's own account, one of its most popular variants. Sticky Elf is what happens when that recipe is pushed further rather than simply repeated.
The additions are coconut and maple syrup, layered onto the eggnog base along with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. The brewery calls the result a decadent twist on a classic.
Coconut and maple make an interesting pair to reach for, because they work on different parts of the beer. Coconut brings fat, which coats the palate and holds onto aromatic compounds that would otherwise fade quickly - useful in a beer carrying four separate baking spices that each need to stay legible. Maple contributes a sweetness that is not interchangeable with sugar. It carries a woody, faintly mineral edge that reads as distinctly maple even in small amounts.
Between them, the two additions move the beer away from a straight holiday impression and toward something closer to a breakfast one. Maple and coconut are not eggnog flavors. They are what you get when someone keeps going past the point where the recipe was already finished.
This is the second eggnog-derived cream stout on Adroit Theory's crowler list this month. A pumpkin spice eggnog released the previous week is still in inventory alongside it, which puts the base recipe in the position of a platform the brewery returns to rather than a single seasonal release.
Sticky Elf is available now at the Purcellville taproom in pours and crowlers, with 19 crowlers filled.
Source & Editorial
JollyPint independently prepares release articles using information published by breweries through newsletters, websites, and other official public communications. Brewery-supplied descriptions and tasting notes are reported as provided, while editorial context is added by JollyPint.