Ok, ok.. this isn't a stash brew of mine.. Only got this one a few weeks back (I've got some I've been holding onto for well over a year now). Clown Shoes - Chocolate Sombrero a 9.0% Imperial Mexican Stout brewed with vanilla extract, cinnamon and Ancho chile powder. A gorgeous roasted black pour and huge mocha head.. yet subtle nose. From previous beers by them, this was a bit of a surprise.. but the aromas follow the extras they've thrown in.. hints of a cinnamon spice, vanilla sweetness and the faintest of chili heat. More prominent is the chocolate notes, but even those are fairly subdued. Rich roasted malts, bitter chocolate and come burnt coffee hit the tongue first, then about halfway through the brew, a mild heat comes through.. a nice touch from the Ancho chilies. Smoother, but light finish with some sweetness, touches of vanilla and that unique twang from cinnamon. A nice brew, but I feel it fell a bit short of it's potential..
Next up, Sam Adams - Griffin's Bow. I wanted to keep with the local MA beers to send good vibes down to DC, help the B's kick a little Cap ass! An Oak-Aged Blonde Barleywine at 11.5% ABV and 45 IBUs.. A unique take on a Barleywine that was aged on toasted oak chips.. a lovely golden amber pour and giant head for such a big beer. Bold sticky hoppy nose -grapefruit and piney- with crazy sweet malts, honey, brown sugar, caramel and some tropical fruits.. not much by the way of the oak here. DAMN, this is a thick sweet brew. Unfermented grapes, apple, pear.. honey and caramel, hints of the earthy oak here finally. Big boozy bite that chewy hops can't seem to help cover up. Vanilla and some tropical fruits on the finish with a warming, sweet bite. Complex, but not overly so.. but hugely sweet. Without that, the booze would've taken it over fully. Not for the first-time barleywine drinker, for sure.
Finally, Sam Adams - Third Voyage. An 8.0% ABV 80 IBU dIPA featuring hops grown in the regions that Captain James Cook visited on his 3rd trip to discover the Northwest Passage.. hooray, history! Typical dIPA nose, malty, nutty, caramel with a citrusy and grapefruit hop aroma, not a ton of depth here, sadly. Pretty standard taste for this style as well. Musty, piney hop taste dominates here, hugely hoppy actually, but fairly dry. Some nice nutty toasted malts try to balance this out, but fail miserably at it. It warms rather quickly and a huge alcohol bite emerges. A straight-forward double IPA here.. little bit disappointed as this series was supposed to be unique brews. Would be a great high-volume beer, but doesn't fit the one-off mold.
No comments:
Post a Comment