About This Beer
Northern Monk Heaven Chocolate & Maple Imperial Stout 44cl is an 8.4% Imperial Stout brewed in Leeds by Northern Monk. Rich, sweet and unapologetically indulgent, Heaven combines the depth of a strong dark beer with chocolate and maple flavours to create what Northern Monk describes as a piece of “liquid decadence”.
Chocolate and maple are the defining flavours, but the recipe underneath them is equally important. Northern Monk brews Heaven with malted barley and wheat, alongside lactose, cacao emulsion, hops, yeast and natural flavouring. The inclusion of lactose adds sweetness and contributes to the beer's creamy texture, while cacao reinforces the chocolate character.
The maple character brings another layer of sweetness, complementing rather than replacing the roasted and chocolate flavours of the underlying Imperial Stout. The result sits comfortably within the modern dessert-inspired or pastry-stout tradition: substantial, flavour-led and designed to be slowly enjoyed rather than treated as an everyday session beer.
At 8.4% ABV, Heaven has the strength and body expected from an Imperial Stout, while remaining below the double-digit strengths found in many examples of the style. For drinkers exploring richer Stout & Porter, it provides a distinctly modern contrast to dry stout and traditional porter.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Deep black with a dark tan head.
- Aroma: Rich chocolate and sweet maple over roasted dark malt.
- Taste: Chocolate leads the palate, followed by sweet maple, roasted malt and a caramelised richness.
- Mouthfeel: Full and smooth with a creamy texture enhanced by the addition of lactose.
- Finish: Rich and lingering, with chocolate, maple sweetness and roasted malt remaining after each sip.
About the Brewery
Northern Monk is an independent brewery based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Its home is The Old Flax Store, a Grade II-listed former mill building in Holbeck that has become closely associated with the brewery and its northern English identity.
Northern Monk produces beers across a wide spectrum of styles, from approachable pale ales and IPAs to considerably bigger Imperial Stouts and experimental releases. The brewery describes its approach as combining traditional monastic brewing values with progressive ingredients and techniques.
Heaven falls firmly into the latter camp. Rather than presenting Imperial Stout purely through roasted grain, bitterness and alcohol, Northern Monk uses cacao, lactose and maple flavour to push the beer towards a richer, dessert-inspired profile.
That makes Heaven an interesting example of contemporary British craft beer, where traditional beer styles are frequently used as the foundation for more experimental flavour combinations.
Food Pairings
Heaven works particularly well as an after-dinner beer, where its chocolate, maple and roasted flavours can either complement a dessert or effectively take its place.
Chocolate desserts are the most obvious pairing. Try it with a dark chocolate brownie, chocolate fudge cake or chocolate tart. The cacao character in the beer echoes the dessert, while the roasted malt provides enough bitterness to prevent the combination becoming entirely sweet.
Maple also makes Heaven particularly well suited to caramel and toffee desserts. Sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel cheesecake or pecan pie can all complement its sweet, caramelised character.
For something more contrasting, try it with a strong blue cheese. The combination of salty, savoury cheese and sweet Imperial Stout can work exceptionally well, with the beer's 8.4% strength providing enough intensity to stand up to a powerful cheese.
Serve Heaven cool rather than extremely cold and allow it to warm gradually in the glass. The chocolate, maple and roasted malt character should become increasingly expressive as the temperature rises.
Try More Like This
If you enjoy Heaven's combination of chocolate, maple and rich dark malt, explore our Stout & Porter collection for more Imperial Stouts, pastry stouts, coffee stouts and traditional dark beers.
For more from independent breweries in Britain, Ireland and around the world, browse the complete Craft Beer & Craft Cider range at TheCru.ie.
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