Dark Beer collectors have been emailing us night and day trying to pre-order bottles of River North’s Mr. Sandman Imperial Stout. With only 125 cases in existence and a mere 155 cases of its Whiskey Barrel-Aged counterpart, devotees are praying they’re not stuck in a board meeting on release day. Because missing the announcement means they’ll have to spend the rest of the winter scouring trade forums for a chance to taste this #1 Imperial Stout in the World.

You see, last year Mr. Sandman beat out Surly, Perennial, and even Founders in a Paste Mag Imperial Stout blind tasting! The judges swooned over its notes of raspberry and cherry that intermingled gently with flavors of dark, bittersweet baker’s chocolate. They loved its velvety mouthfeel and bold 11.9% ABV. And after fans tasted the drying roastiness and molasses-like caramelization in this Imperial Stout, they started scrutinizing every other Dark Beer to see if any could stack up against this one. No other even came close.

River North decided to take this champion further with their Barrel-Aged Mr. Sandman -- after aging for a full 12 months in Colorado whiskey barrels, it brims with layers of sweet caramel-vanilla notes and a warming 13.2% ABV. Last year, the Tavour community rated this bad boy a 4.27 for its decadent depth.

Don’t snooze on this year’s Mr. Sandman release or you’ll be one of the many Dark Beer fans that almost got ahold of the country’s top-rated Imperial Stout. Don’t be in the failed collectors camp. You know better.

Mr. Sandman (2018 vintage): 4.27 on Untappd from early ratings

Barrel-Aged Mr. Sandman (2018 vintage): 4.13 on Untappd from early ratings