Gnarly Barley scores 91 for stout

Pastry stout news is niche, but the stakes are simple — a strong score can push a small brewery’s bottle-shop buzz well beyond its home market. That is basically what happened with Gnarly Barley Brewing’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout. Beer Connoisseur’s review puts the beer at 91 points, which lands it in the publication’s “exceptional” range. ### What beer are we talking about? This is Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout from Gnarly Barley Brewing in Hammond, Louisiana. Gnarly Barley describes it as a variant of its imperial stout, conditioned on whole chocolate chip cookies from a local bakery, then layered with extra cocoa nibs and vanilla. The brewery lists it at 9.1% ABV and tags it as a past release rather than a year-round beer. (beerconnoisseur.com) ### What did the review actually say? The Beer Connoisseur entry gives the beer a 91 rating and frames it as a spice, herb, or vegetable beer under BJCP category 30A — basically a stout with special ingredients doing real flavor work. The review notes bakery-like character and positions the beer as more balanced than the gimmick-heavy name might suggest. That matters, because dessert stouts often get attention first and skepticism second. (gnarlybeer.com) ### Why does 91 matter? On Beer Connoisseur’s scale, 95 to 91 is “exceptional.” So this is not a polite participation score. It is a signal that the beer cleared the line from novelty into something judges think is genuinely well executed. For a regional brewery, that kind of score can travel farther than the beer itself — especially when the style is already built for word of mouth. (beerconnoisseur.com) ### Is this a one-off for Gnarly Barley? Not really. Gnarly Barley has shown up repeatedly in Beer Connoisseur’s rankings before. Its Campfire Coffee Stout scored 95 in the same issue grouping, and the brewery has also appeared in broader year-end lists with other beers. So the 91 for Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout looks less like a random spike and more like another example of the brewery being taken seriously in dark, adjunct-heavy styles. (beerconnoisseur.com) ### Why do pastry stouts get this much attention? Because they are easy to understand in one sentence. “Imperial stout brewed with cookies, cocoa nibs, and vanilla” is the beer equivalent of a movie trailer — you know the vibe immediately. Beer Connoisseur even grouped Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout into its pastry stout coverage a few years back, which shows how firmly this beer fits the dessert-beer lane. (beerconnoisseur.com) ### So can people actually buy it now? That is the catch. Gnarly Barley’s own beer page labels Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout a past release, not a current flagship. There are still traces of it on beer-listing platforms and ratings apps, but those pages do not prove fresh inventory. So the likely effect here is more curiosity than immediate wide availability — unless the brewery decides to bring it back. (beerconnoisseur.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one review? For a local brewery, a 91 on a recognizable beer-rating platform is a credibility shortcut. It tells drinkers outside Louisiana that this is not just a funny label or a sugar bomb. It is also useful for the brewery’s brand story — Gnarly Barley can point to a judged score that says its experimental stout program holds up. (gnarlybeer.com) ### Bottom line? The news is not that Gnarly Barley made a weird stout. It has been doing that for years. The news is that Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout earned an “exceptional” 91, which gives the beer fresh relevance — even if finding an actual pour may be harder than finding the review. (beerconnoisseur.com)