Perennial Artisan Ales - Abraxas

Abraxas pours a deep brown, approaching black, beneath a substantial head of foam. This imperial stout brings together ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans, creating a layered combination of chocolate, roasted malt, and warming spice. The brewery’s distributor describes a chocolate-focused base with lingering roastiness, while published tasting notes suggest the richness of spiced drinking chocolate. Rather than allowing one ingredient to define the entire experience, Abraxas combines its additions into a particularly indulgent interpretation of the imperial stout.

On the palate, expect a full-bodied presentation of dark chocolate, caramel-like sweetness, roasted grain, and cinnamon, with vanilla rounding out the richer flavors. The ancho peppers contribute another dimension of spice, complementing the beer’s substantial malt character. At the featured 11.5% ABV, Abraxas is well suited to slow sipping, allowing its chocolate and spice character to unfold gradually. Its rich, warming profile makes it an inviting fall and winter selection, the seasons in which Perennial lists its availability. The brewery also specifies that Abraxas contains lactose.

Perennial’s published description allows for enjoying Abraxas immediately or aging it in the bottle, although it does not establish a specific ideal cellaring period. For a first bottle, we’d suggest enjoying it now to become familiar with the interplay of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and chile. Additional bottles could provide an interesting comparison over time, without assuming that more age will necessarily produce a better beer.

For food pairings, we’d consider braised beef, mole dishes, or slow-cooked pork with a dark, mildly spicy sauce. Those combinations should provide a savory counterpart to the beer’s chocolate and roasted malt character. For dessert, try flourless chocolate cake, cinnamon bread pudding, or a dark chocolate tart. Vanilla ice cream would offer a simpler contrast, allowing the beer’s layered spice character to remain the focus.

Perennial Artisan Ales opened its doors in September 2011, bringing Phil and Emily Wymore’s vision for an adventurous, small-batch brewery to St. Louis. Before establishing Perennial, Phil developed his brewing skills in Chicago, working at Goose Island and eventually overseeing its fermentation processes and barrel-aging program as cellar manager. He later became head brewer at Half Acre Beer Company, gaining experience with a young, growing brewery before returning to Missouri in 2010 to begin building his own operation. Those experiences helped shape Perennial’s emphasis on thoughtful experimentation and distinctive specialty beers.

From the beginning, Perennial drew inspiration from both Belgian brewing traditions and American craft beer, incorporating ingredients such as fruit, spices, and wild yeast into beers that sometimes defied conventional style categories. The brewery emphasized local, seasonal, and organic ingredients whenever practical, while developing a barrel-aging program encompassing both wine and spirits barrels. This approach provided room for everything from delicate, yeast-driven ales to substantial imperial stouts.

That range remains evident in Perennial’s portfolio, which includes the chamomile-accented Saison de Lis, Belgian-style Hommelbier, Sump Coffee Stout, and Abraxas. Alongside its brewery and tasting room on Michigan Avenue in St. Louis, Perennial also maintains a brewpub presence in nearby Webster Groves. Together, these locations offer a window into a brewery whose identity extends well beyond any single beer, even as its richly flavored stouts remain an important part of the lineup.