Perennial Abraxas 750ML

Perennial Abraxas 750ML is a multi-adjunct imperial stout from St. Louis, Missouri, bottled at 10–11.5% ABV depending on vintage. Scoring a 99 on BeerAdvocate from over 3,100 ratings and a perfect 100 on RateBeer, Abraxas stands among the most celebrated American imperial stouts ever produced — built around ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks layered into a dense, dark base.

Quick Facts: ABV: 10–11.5%  |  IBU: 80  |  Origin: St. Louis, Missouri  |  Style: Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Perennial Artisan Ales

Production & Heritage

Perennial Artisan Ales operates out of St. Louis, Missouri, and has earned a devoted following for its boundary-pushing approach to craft brewing. Abraxas is brewed as an imperial stout base fortified with four distinct adjuncts — ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks — each contributing a separate layer rather than competing for dominance. The result is a beer designed to drink well fresh but also reward patience, as the brewery notes Abraxas can be aged in the bottle for evolving complexity over time.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Cinnamon and chili peppers lead immediately on the pour, giving way to dark cocoa and vanilla as the glass warms. There is an undercurrent of roasted malt that anchors the spice-forward aromatics.

Taste: The entry is smooth, with chocolate and pepper integration arriving in tandem before roasted malt and cinnamon build across the mid-palate. Sweetness from the vanilla beans balances the roasted bitterness, creating a layered progression that shifts with each sip. A warming heat from the ancho chilis emerges gradually rather than striking all at once.

Finish: Full-bodied and syrupy with low carbonation, the finish is chewy and lingering. Roasted cocoa bitterness and a gentle peppery warmth persist well after the swallow.

How to Drink Abraxas

Pour Abraxas into a tulip glass or snifter at cellar temperature — around 50–55°F — to let the aromatics open fully without muting the spice layers. This beer is built for slow, contemplative sipping, and its thick mouthfeel rewards patience. A Beer Float using a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream plays off the existing vanilla and cacao character beautifully. An Abraxas Michelada riff, while unconventional, leverages the chili pepper backbone with lime and salt. For dessert pairings, serve alongside Mexican Hot Chocolate for a complementary parallel of cinnamon, cocoa, and warmth.

Best For

• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who tracks whale releases and cellar-worthy bottles
• Side-by-side vintage tastings to explore how the adjuncts evolve with age
• Dessert course pairing at a multi-course dinner party
• Celebrating a milestone with a bottle that carries near-perfect critical consensus

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Abraxas taste like? Abraxas delivers a rich chocolate-forward imperial stout profile layered with cinnamon warmth, vanilla sweetness, roasted malt bitterness, and a slow-building ancho chili pepper heat. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, syrupy, and chewy with low carbonation.

How does Abraxas compare to Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout? Both are benchmark American imperial stouts, but Abraxas distinguishes itself with its four-adjunct flavor architecture — ancho chilis, cacao nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon — while Yeti leans into a more straightforward roasted malt and dark chocolate intensity without the spice complexity. Abraxas also tends to rate higher on major platforms, holding a 99 on BeerAdvocate versus Yeti's strong but more modest scores.

Is Abraxas good for sipping neat? Abraxas is best enjoyed on its own, poured into a snifter at cellar temperature — its layered spice and chocolate profile reward slow, undistracted sipping. The low carbonation and thick body make it feel more like a fine spirit than a typical beer.

Where is Abraxas made? Abraxas is brewed by Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery has become synonymous with ambitious, adjunct-driven stouts and sours within the American craft beer landscape.

What foods pair well with Abraxas? A slab of dark chocolate mole cake mirrors the beer's cacao and chili notes. Smoked beef short ribs stand up to the full body and roasted character. Churros with chocolate dipping sauce echo the cinnamon and cocoa. Aged Gouda complements the sweetness and malt depth. Vanilla bean crème brûlée plays directly off the vanilla and caramelized sugar tones.

What sizes does Abraxas come in? Abraxas is released in 750ml bottles, which is the standard format for this annual release.

Is Abraxas worth the price? Abraxas positions as a premium limited-release imperial stout, and its near-perfect scores on BeerAdvocate (99) and RateBeer (100) place it in rare company within the style. For collectors and serious stout drinkers, the quality and scarcity justify its premium tier pricing relative to everyday imperial stouts.

Why Abraxas?

A perfect 100 on RateBeer and a 99 on BeerAdvocate are not scores that accumulate by accident — they reflect thousands of independent assessments reaching near-unanimous consensus. What separates Abraxas from the crowded field of adjunct imperial stouts is the precision of its four-ingredient layering: ancho chili, cacao, vanilla, and cinnamon each occupy distinct moments on the palate rather than collapsing into a muddled sweetness. The beer's bottle-aging potential adds a dimension most adjunct stouts cannot claim, rewarding those who cellar a second bottle alongside the one they open. For drinkers who treat imperial stouts as a serious pursuit, Abraxas remains one of the essential American examples of the style.