Otherwise Brewing Hella Nibs Dessert Stout

Hella Nibs Dessert Stout by Otherwise

Gluten Free Dessert Stout

I hope you’re done with dinner, because it’s dessert time!

I am very excited to bring you a gluten free dessert stout brewed by Otherwise Brewing in San Francisco, California. I reviewed several other beers from their lineup earlier this year (links at the end of this review!) but I have to say…this is the one I was most excited for. I am a big stout fan, and anytime I see #glutenfree in front of the words “dessert stout”, I am 100% in.

Otherwise brews their beers with completely gluten free ingredients. They opened a year or two ago, and so far I have been loving their beer! Let’s see how this stout stands up to the rest of the lineup. Hella Nibs Dessert Stout has an 8% ABV and is brewed on millet, rice and buckwheat. This recipe is dressed with glacier hops, cacao, and vanilla bean, promising lots of chocolate and vanilla flavors. The Hella Nibs Dessert Stout is packaged in a 16 ounce can.

Below you will find the beer pour video for this gluten free stout. If you scroll down to the end of the article, you’ll find review links for the Otherwise Brewing 30,000 Feet IPA, the Calrose Crisp Rice Lager, and the Western Addition Pale Ale. Cheers!

The Taste Test

Hella Nibs Dessert Stout

The Hella Nibs Dessert Stout pours with a dark chocolate color with zero clarity and a dramatically rocky head. The head doesn’t last forever, but it did form a very large one when I poured originally. There is so much chocolate on the nose it kind of knocks you back a bit! This beer smells like a brownie. Lucky me…I get to review a brownie beer!

Upon first sip, this cacao nibbed stout presents very strongly with chocolate and alcohol (hel-lo 8%!) and if I’m being honest, I think I notice the alcohol first. It drinks like an imperial. The body is thick and smooth–despite the heat, and is incredibly rich with chocolatey vanilla bean flavors. Carbonation is mellow, which lends to the emphasis of the alcohol, and the hops are supportive throughout. The Glacier hop character reminds me a little of Fuggle hops.

The Hella Nibs Dessert Stout finishes moderately bitter, but it hits harder on the back taste buds than the front. The front of the palate feels silky after swallow, the beer’s texture coating the tongue and the roof of the mouth. It is certainly a BIG beer. Super rich, super thick. Liquid dessert vibes are strong. Otherwise Brewing is not messin’ around with this one.

I haven’t reviewed all that many dessert stouts over the years. I’m not used to seeing them in flagship lineups. They’re usually brewed as limited releases and experimentals in the gluten free world. I’m excited to share that central California dessert stout lovers have a regular (year-round) option now.

If you’re interested in reading up on more Otherwise Brewing beers, here’s the reviews I released this past season (all fresh on the blog!) if you’re reading this in 2022. If you’ve had the chance to taste Otherwise Brewing beers, let me know which one you like the best!

• Otherwise Brewing 30,000 Feet IPA
• Otherwise Brewing Calrose Crisp Rice Lager
• Otherwise Brewing Western Addition Pale Ale

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)