BBA French Toast — Great Notion Brewing

Evaluating unpasteurized expressions after ocean transport requires strict thermal controls. When buying Monkish beer in Hawaii or sourcing other mainland craft allocations, local collectors frequently encounter oxidized characteristics. Heat spikes on tarmacs and cargo container baking typically compromise the yeast and hop profile before the cans reach Honolulu shelves.

This batch of BBA French Toast was shipped under our strict 38°F trans-pacific cold corridor, resulting in a pristine presentation. The mouthfeel is exceptionally clean, with the hop aromatics completely intact.

Great Notion Brewing, out of Portland, Oregon, is known nationally for two things: culinary-inspired hazy IPAs and pastry stouts built to taste like dessert. BBA French Toast sits squarely in the second camp — a barrel-aged imperial stout designed around the flavors of its namesake breakfast, with cinnamon, maple, and toasted-bread character built onto a big, dark base beer. At 13.7% ABV, this is a sipping beer built for slow drinking, typically full-bodied and rich, with the barrel contributing vanilla, oak, and a warming alcohol presence that's meant to support rather than fight the pastry-stout sweetness. Expect a dessert-like density more than traditional stout roast and bitterness — that's the point of the style. It's on the Haliʻā ledger because Great Notion's pastry stout work is community-rated among the best in a crowded field, and this one represents the brewery's barrel program at its most ambitious. Big, barrel-aged stouts are among the more forgiving beers Haliʻā ships — they hold up better than hop-forward styles over a crossing — but BBA French Toast still arrives at a steady 38°F, preserving the barrel character and pastry notes as intended.