Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

Beer: Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock
Brewery Location: Kelheim, Germany
Beer Style: Eisbock
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 12.0%

What better way to celebrate when the temperature outside is 15 degrees than with a beer that translates to ice beer!

This style of beer is famous in a district of Bavaria named Kulmbach. An eisbock is made by freezing off a part of the water (distilling of sorts) and creating a more concentrated and flavorful beer. Almost all eisbocks are high in alcohol content, and are usually in the 10% ABV and above range. This is also only the third eisbock that I've ever had. I've had two eisbocks from the Kulmbacher Brauerei, and I was hooked on the style ever since then, but this is my first beer from Aventinus. I need to pick up their more famous Aventinus Weizenbock and try it as well.

This beer pours a very deep, dark, and dirty brown color with a minimal head. I was expecting that with as high an ABV as this beer has. I get big scents of dark fruit, heavy malt, banana, and alcohol. After my first sip I am thinking malt, malt, and more malt. There is a syrupy sweetness in the flavor profile with hints of banana and clove. The wheat flavor makes an appearance as well, but it isn't very pronounced. This beer is medium bodied with a subtle and welcomed alcohol warmth to it. I am surprised how well the alcohol is hidden on this beer. The drinkability is a nice surprise on this beer and went along perfect with cold night outside.

This is a big and malty palate pleaser. I've really enjoyed the three eisbocks I've tried. This beer has a much more pronounced dark fruit flavor and is a bit more syrupy than the others I've tried, but it was in no way cloying at all. Overall it was a pleasure to drink, and I will purchase again.

Cheers!
Matt

Terminal Gravity Brewing IPA

Beer: Terminal Gravity Brewing IPA
Brewery Location: Enterprise, OR
Beer Style: IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.7%


I got this beer as an extra in a trade a couple months back. I've been on a such a stout kick lately that after I had Hopslam I am beginning to gravitate back to the IPA and DIPA style. I really like seeing regional takes on the IPA style, and I also like tasting each brewers take on this style. I think there is more variation (good and bad) in this style than other styles being brewed by craft brewers.

This beer pours a cloudy rustic bronze color that is very murky. A small one finger head sits on top on this murky beer, but it disappeared very quickly. The smell is of citrus fruit leaning towards red grapefruit as the most dominate scent. As the beer warmed a bit I got more bready malt coming through as the hops died down a bit. The taste is very sweet upon first taste, but the hops come through very quickly with citrus and pine making their appearance known on my palate. This has medium hop bitterness with slight caramel undertones from the malt. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation that left a rather dry finish. The drinkability is very good on this beer and would go well about anytime.

Overall this is a good IPA. I wouldn't go that far out of my way to get more of this beer, but if it were ever available in Indiana I would order it while I was out or pick up some from the store. If you are interested in ordering this beer you can get this beer here: Liquid Solutions.

Cheers!
Matt

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Beer: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Brewery Location: Chicago, IL
Beer Style: American Imperial Stout
Serving Style: bottle
ABV: 11%


I always associate Goose Island with the Chicago Cubs. When I go to games at Wrigley Field I usually stop by Goose Island before the game for a pint or two (it helps with what I know will happen at the end of the season). I've never had this beer before, but have heard so many good things about it. I have not tried this yet though because I am cheap. I have no problem dropping ten or more dollars on a bomber of beer, but I won't pay half of that for a 12 oz beer for some reason. This is five bucks per bottle. There is no reason to be like that, but in my mind I can somehow justify spending more on a bomber.

Pours an opaque black with no highlights around the edges. A small swirl of mocha colored head dissipated right before my eyes immediately after the pour, and it left minimal lacing on the walls of my glass. I can smell this as I pour it. The bottle states this beer was aged for 100 days in whiskey barrels, and that fact isn't missed getting my nose into this. My first smell is bourbon and charred wood. I also get huge scents of roasted barley, burnt caramel, and sweet vanilla. Glorious! I could keep my nose in this beer for another hour, but I can't wait to taste this beer. The flavor profile on this beer is so amazingly complex. Bourbon tends to be quite harsh, but the bourbon flavor on this beer is in no way harsh. It is as smooth as some of the finer triple distilled Irish whiskeys, but with the bolder American bourbon flavor. Dark cherries and rum soaked plums mingle with chocolate, sorghum, and bitter coffee. All of the flavors coexist extremely well and no one flavor dominates any other. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, but there is a good shot of warming alcohol on the mouth as well. The ABV is a high on this, so the drinkability is more of a sipper and would be most enjoyed in moderation.

I really loved this beer. I haven't been this happy with a beer since I last had some Yulesmith. I am going to need to pick up some more of this and put some age on this beer, but the way this tasted I don't know if I will be able to let this age very long before I will want to drink it. I will warm you though that if you don't like the smell or flavor of bourbon I would suggest not trying this beer, but if you like those scents and flavors this is well worth the five dollars a bottle.

Cheers!
Matt

Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter

Beer: Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
Brewery Location: Farmville, NC
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 9.0%


I've written about this beer a couple of times, but I have never actually reviewed it. I reviewed another offering from Duck-Rabbit a few months back, and this is the beer that I recommended for Winston Churchill in a dinner and beer pairing.

I enjoyed this so much the last time that I had it I wanted to trade for some. The great thing about being in Indiana is that there are many local breweries that people from around the country want and are ready to trade for them.

Despite being called a Baltic porter this beer style is an English creation. It was originally an ale, but the Baltic states and Scandinavian countries that brewed this started using lager yeast, and from what I understand most Baltic porters are brewed using bottom fermenting lager yeast.

This beer pours a nearly black hue with brown highlights when held up to the light. A very small light mocha head quickly dissipated and left a small blanket of head. The scent is big and malty with highlights of brown sugar, dark chocolate, and rum soaked dark fruits (plums and raisins). I think this smells more like a Russian Imperial stout than a porter, but that doesn't bother me at all. The taste is heavy on roasted grain and bitter chocolate. Secondary in the flavor profile are tastes of coffee, toffee, and dark fruits. This is a damn well crafted beer. The mouthfeel is so very smooth and full bodied with the alcohol very well hidden. The drink ability is very good on this for several beers.

This is one of my favorite Baltic porters. I wish I had more access to this beer instead of always trading for it, but I will take what I can get. There is a big influence from Russian Imperial stouts on this beer, but it comes in a little smoother and a little less heavy than its big brother. Fantastic beer if you get your hands on this one.

Cheers!
Matt

Bell's Hopslam

Beers: Bell's Hopslam
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: Double Imperial Pale Ale
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 10%


I've been waiting for a year to have some more Hopslam. I won't make the same mistake next year. I've got enough to get me through for a while (at least so I thought!). I actually forgot how good this beer is. Bell's has built quite the buzz around this beer each year, but I really see no reason why they don't produce this beer all year long. Most major craft brewers produce a DIPA all year long. Right now I don't care, but I am just happy to be having some of this right now. I've been really heavy with the stouts and porters right now, but this brought me back around to my favorite style of beer: the well made double imperial pale ale.

Pours a hazy orange color with a tight bright white one finger cap on it. The head fades fairly quickly, but leaves decent spotty lacing on my imperial pint glass. I poured rather aggressively, and I have several spent yeast floaters in my glass. It is actually a little clearer than Two-Hearted which I find a little surprising. I can smell this beer as I pour it. It smells like I have hop cones under my nose. Pink grapefruit and resinous pine hit my nose with the power of a Roy Jones Jr. punch. There is a decent smell of pineapple coming though as well. Fresh citrus fruit and a deep pine flavor hit your palate up-front with a dry sweetness finishing off the beer on the back of the mouth. There is some slight sweet malt coming to the palate, but is pushed around by the heavy hop flavors and takes a back seat in the flavor profile. The mouthfeel is very smooth and medium bodied. The high carbonation leaves a very dry sensation on your tongue. The drinkability is a little hampered by the high ABV and dry sensation, but is very high for just a beer or two.

This is a fantastic DIPA. I still don't quite see why Bell's makes this is a seasonal beer. It's a good piece of marketing for the buzz it creates, but I honestly think this would be one of their best sellers if offered all year long. It is a little pricey at fifteen bucks a sixer, but this is a truly unique and excellent DIPA, and if you factor in what some of the best DIPA's cost in a bomber this is a great price. I've got my fill that will probably last for a few months, but I am sure I will be jonesin' for this beer as soon as it is warm outside. Go out and get yourself some of this while you can still find it.

Cheers!
Matt

Surly Brewing - Furious

Beer: Surly Brewing's Furious
Brewery Location: Brooklyn Center, MN
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Can
ABV: 6.20%


Beer for a glass, from a can. That is quite the mantra that Surly has come up with. It has been a struggle for many micro brewers to convert the masses over to cans. Several companies like Oskar Blues Brewing company, makers of Dale's Pale Ale, have successfully served their beers in cans to the public. Many craft beer enthusiasts are still very reluctant though to drink beer out of a can, but canned beer has a longer shelf life, better protection from UV light, and is usually cheaper to manufacture, and new technology lines the can with plastic to protect from any metallic taste.

I've been trying to get this beer for over a year, and I was finally lucky enough to trade for it. Surly is a small regional brewer in Minnesota. I am pretty sure Surly is only available in Minnesota. They have made a name for themselves with this beer gaining national fame among hopheads, and another beer called "Darkness" (a Russian imperial stout) is rated as one of the top beers in the world according to BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer.

The beer pours a rustic brown with light tan highlights when held up to the light. A one finger head caps this beer off, but the head quickly dissipated and was almost gone by the time I was ready to take a picture of it. It left patchy lacing on the sides of the imperial pint glass. You can smell the aromatics coming off of this as you pour the beer. Huge wafts of fresh grapefruit, pine, ripe citrus fruit, toffee and caramel malt scent try to even things out. The first sip brings on huge flavors of fresh grapefruit, fruity esters, and a very dominant malt base. According to the can the malt is direct from Scotland. This beer has a bite on it that is approaching double IPA proportions. The hop flavor is in your face, but the biscuity malt reigns it in just right. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied. Drinkability is very good on this beer. It isn't the most well balanced IPA, but I like the different take Furious brought to the table.

I enjoyed this beer a great deal. I will trade for it every opportunity that I can. It isn't my favorite IPA, but if I had better access to this it would go into my regular rotation most likely. A nice treat if you can get your hands on this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout

Beer: Bell's Kalamazoo Stout
Brewery Location: Comstock, MI
Beer Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.5%


I've had this beer waiting in the wings for a little while to try. I've had plenty of beers from Bells, but this is the first time I've had the Kalamazoo stout. I've really been hitting up the darker beers lately huh? As soon as it warms up a bit outside I tend to stay away from these beer though, so I guess I am tasting them while I still want to taste them.

The beer pours a very deep black with no highlights when held up to the light. I was a little disappointed on the head on this. A small swirl of tan head dissipated quite quickly, but did leave solid lacing on the glass. The nose is fairly classic for a sweet stout. Chocolate and coffee make way for molasses and roasted grain. The flavor profile's two strongest flavors are roasted coffee and bitter chocolate, but it also has a nice medium sweetness as well. Side flavor characteristics include black liquorice and toasted grain on my palate. The mouthfeel is full bodied and very creamy. An easy drinking stout that I would gladly have again.

Overall, this is a very good stout. Its got a slight sweetness that helps make an good entry level stout for new stout drinkers. I would drink this again, but this costs more than an expedition stout at Party Pak. I would most likely reach for the expedition stout from Bells before I reach for this one again. Those are two very different beers, but I enjoy the expedition much more for a better price tag.

Edit: Upon further review I just got a deal at Party Pak. They have this beer mis marked in the system and I paid to much for this and didn't pay enough for the Expedition stout. Since I bought both at the same time I don't really feel all that bad about it since I would have paid the same price regardless. This will not be cheaper than expedition stout when you are out looking for it. Thanks Chris and Joe for clearing that up.

Cheers!
Matt

Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Beer: Deschutes Obsidian Stout
Brewery Location: Bend, OR
Beer Style: American Stout
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.4%



This is my second review of a Deschutes beer. I would really like to see their product line come further east because both beers have been a real pleasure to drink. Their world famous "The Abyss" comes out this week, and I would like to try that as well, but I think this is as lucky as I am going to get.

This pours a deep black with slight ruby highlights when held up to the light. A thin tan head sits on top of this beer that didn't hold very well and collapsed quickly, but did leave decent lacing on the glass. Smells like a great stout should with heavy scents of roasted barley and a touch of coffee in the nose. The taste is a real treat with a solid combination of bittersweet chocolate, coffee, and a touch of hops are well balanced in the flavor profile. The mouthfeel is a little thin for a stout, but is still quite creamy with low carbonation. Drinkability is very good on this. It's a well balanced and well made stout that I wish I would have more access to.

This is right in the middle of a traditional stout and an imperial stout. Someone just getting into the style I think would really enjoy this offering. It's a big stout, but not so big that your average stout drinker would not enjoy it. As Deschutes grows let us hope that coming to Indiana is on their radar.

Cheers!
Matt

Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Beer: Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Brewery Location: Athens, GA
Beer Style: Imperial Stout
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 8.10%


I received this in a trade a few weeks ago. The Terrapin brewery isn't that old, but they are making quite the name for themselves. I started hearing about them when they came out with their "Monster Beer" series. I've been trying to get my hands on some of this since it came out, and I am glad that I was able to try some.

This beer is brewed with coffee from Jittery Joe's. Its got a clever name, but how does the beer stack up?

It pours a deep brown with a very thin swirl of head that dissipated quite quickly. The nose is packed with coffee aroma. It smells like I have a cup of espresso at my nose. There is also some bittersweet chocolate coming to the nose as the beer warms as well as some burnt brown sugar smell. The taste of coffee is very dominate on the palate and almost overwhelms everything, but it isn't just plain coffee flavor. The flavor profile tastes as if you mixed a cup of espresso with a shot of regular coffee and melted some sweet chocolate and finally some toasted malt in the mix. The mouthfeel is very smooth from the oatmeal flakes in the brewing process. Slight alcohol warmth to this with medium carbonation. You need to be in the mood to drink this, but when you are it is a real treat to drink. This is my idea of a beer that would go well with breakfast. This is a very solid sipper.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this offering. The label shows a turtle in a pair of sunglasses baking cookies. I saw that and for some reason thought more effort probably went into the label art than the beer, but I was dead wrong. If the Hoosier Beer Geeks put on that beer breakfast I am bringing this. This was delicious.

If you find yourself in the Carolinas, Georgia, or Florida bring some of this back for yourself. If you are a coffee drinker and a beer drinker then this is a beverage for you.

Cheers!
Matt

Sinebrychoff Porter

Beer: Sinebrychoff Porter
Brewery Location: Kerava, Finland
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 7.2%

I've been looking forward to drinking this for a while. Kahn's has two varieties of this on their shelves. The one that I am reviewing I am assuming is from their latest shipment. They also have another variety on this that was brewed back in 2000. It was two dollars more, so I just went with this instead. After looking at the company's product line in America, this may the first and only beer that I have from them.

Pours a deep black with slight ruby highlights when held up to the light. A non-aggressive pour reveals a huge frothy tan head that held tight for about half the beer and left good lacing on the walls of my pint glass. A nice caramel scent first hits my nose, but when I really got a good smell I got complex notes of dark fruits (raisins and plums) with some bitter chocolate and coffee. A very nice nose on this. The flavor profile takes the nose even further. The first sip is rich in complexity with toffee, sweet malt, bitter chocolate, and coffee sharing the workload perfectly on my palate. The mouthfeel is full bodied, but is about as smooth as you are going to find in a porter with medium carbonation and just a slight touch of warming alcohol. I would gladly drink this again, and now I wish I would have bought the 2000 version for a taste as well.

This is my favorite porter of the year thus far. The taste and mouthfeel are just so comforting on this like you were having a bowl of your grandmother's chicken noodle soup. It provides that kind of comfort for me here. I know that Party Pak and Kahns both carry this.

Cheers!
Matt

Budweisers New Commercial

If you have been watching any of the bowl games this year, and in particularly twice last night during the national championship game, you have probably seen Budweisers newest commercial. Normally, Budweiser tends to runs ads that are humorous and have never really talked a great deal about the brewing process. The new ad uses one of the commentators (Rob Riggle) from the Daily Show as it's spokesman. In the commercial he states that lighter beers are less forgiving than darker beers, more difficult to make, and are so clean that they have "nothing to hide behind." The commercial also shows actual people with tin buckets full of hops running around a brew room like that is actually how they brew the beer instead of a huge ultra-modern brewing facility.

I am not going to bash AB in this, but several things come to light here for me. It is true that the lager style that is brewed by AB is very difficult to brew. All mistakes are out there for God and everyone to see and taste, but that is because the style has very little flavor. It's also why AB has very successfully convinced Americans that beer needs to be consumed near freezing. This helps hide any off flavors and colder temperatures suppress flavors on your palate.

What bothers me most here is that AB is trying to associate flavor with color. I really get a good laugh out this. Basically they are stating that they have no flavor to hide behind because their product cannot have any flavor because it is so crisp, clean, and light colored. The ad is stating that if you are drinking darker beer, and not their beer, then you must be hiding behind flavor. Also, by this line of thinking that must mean that Russian Imperial Stouts, porters, barleywines, and double IPA's must be easier to brew than their beer. I took it quite far there, but you get the picture.

From a brewing standing AB is correct. They pump out so much consistent beer year after year that is an amazing technical accomplishment. I can understand that AB is feeling a bit threatened by the craft beer movement, but attack ads against craft beer are not going to work.

I couldn't find the ad anywhere , but if I find it I will post it.

Cheers!
Matt

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Beer: Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Brewery Location: Aying, Germany
Beer Style: Doppelbock
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.7%


Bocks have a rather interesting story in Germany. The bock style gained popularity in Germany with the Roman Catholic Church. Monks were required to fast during lent, and this beer being higher in gravity than regular lagers provided more sustenance during the fasting periods. The word "bock" in German means goat, and you will often see billy-goats on the bottles and advertisements of bocks, and this bottle also has two billy-goats on the front of it.

The doppelbock style is from southern Bavaria. Something I didn't know about the history of the doppelbock style is why so many of the beers always end in "-ator." According to Wikipedia it is because the monks that first brewed this style named the beer "Salvator." In homage to that name most doppelbocks will end in "-ator."

This beer pours a deep mahogany with a very thin head that left just a swirl of itself for most of the beer. Malt is the strongest scent coming through, but there are scents of bread and brown sugar coming to life. The taste is packed with the malt showing flavors of coffee and dark chocolates. Possibly some dark fruits (raisins?) in there as well, but they are not very pronounced. It has a really nice smooth and creamy mouthfeel that is full bodied with low carbonation. This beer goes down quite easily and has very good drinkability with its moderate alcohol content.

I can recognize this beer for what it is. It really is outstanding for the style and a real pleasure to drink. I wouldn't reach for this that often though. The flavor is good on this beer, but just doesn't deliver on the amount of flavor I am looking for. Again, it is fantastic for the style, but I am just a little ho-hum over it.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyds Alpha King

Beer: Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.0%


There are three beers that I almost always have on hand in my house. Bell's Two-Hearted, Stone IPA, and this beer. These three make up my go-to beers. This is the very first beer I ever had from Three Floyds. I have enjoyed most of their lineup with the exception of a couple beers, and several of their brews are in my top ten overall personal beers. This is a highly sought after brew from hop-heads.

They call this beer an American pale ale, but I think it drinks more like and IPA, and this is probably why I like it so much. This is Three Floyd's flagship beer. My last Three Floyds brewery tour the brewer that gave the tour said that GumballHead could overtake this beer as their top selling beer in their lineup now that it's brewed all year long. I am happy for that fact, because I can now much more easily find this beer on the shelves at Party Pak. If I can't find it I have a secret liquor store that always has it, but it's a little more out of the way for me.

Pours a nice deep orange with a nice frothy white head that dissipates and leaves good lacing on the walls of my pint glass. Fantastic floral hoppy nose with big scents of citrus fruit and some sweet malt lagging behind. The scent is very vibrant and fresh. Great citrus hop bite at the front of the palate with tastes of grapefruit and fresh tangerines with just the right touch of sweet biscuity malt to round everything out. Medium bodied with medium carbonation that is smooth, crisp, and clean. A good session beer that goes well about anytime you could want.

This beer is just so fresh and clean. I love the finish of the late hops and bitterness on this one. It's just an easy drinking and well made beer. This will continue to always have a place in my fridge.

Cheers!
Matt

Delirium Tremens

Beer: Brouwerij Huyghe Delirium Tremens
Brewery Location: Melle, Belgium
Beer Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Serving Style: On-tap
ABV: 9.0%


This was my second beer that I had at the HBG New Year's Eve party. This is another one that I've had before, but it's been a while and it's good to come back to this beer. I have been working on my father-in-law for a while turning him onto better beer, and this was a big winner for him.


A beer named after what happens if you are an alcoholic and suddenly stop drinking you can get something called delirium tremens must be a treat to drink. Lets get started on this one:

Served far too cold again and waited for this beer to warm. The neat thing about waiting for this beer to warm is that you can actually smell the floral bouquet coming to life on this. This pours a bright yellow approaching a golden color with a small white head that left good lacing on the glass until the end. The scent is really complex on this with dominate scents of citrus fruit, fruity esters, and some slight pear scents, and Belgian sugars work nicely together. Immediate flavors are fruity and spicy. Apples and orange peels are the first fruits that I pick out along with strong spiciness and pepper. The mouthfeel is quite effervescent, crisp, light, and bubbly. The warmth of the alcohol is well hidden, but you can taste it in the finish. Drink ability is good and actually dangerously easy.

Overall this is a pretty damn good beer. It is one of the more visible Belgian beers here in America. This is another of the first beers I started drinking that helped me get into beer. I think that there are better Belgians than this, but still ranks very high for the style and very high overall. A can't miss for beer geeks and beer lovers alike.

Thanks again to the Hoosier Beer Geeks for bringing this on tap.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyds Alpha Klaus

Beer: Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: American Porter
Serving Style: on-tap
ABV: 7.5% ABV



For New Year's Eve I was at the party put on by the Hoosier Beer Geeks. They sponsored a party that brought this beer, Delirium Tremens,
Two-hearted ale, and a special keg of Sint Sylvester Vooranvond from Brugge Brasserie for New Years. I had a great time and I am really happy that there is a group around town trying to advance craft beer in the Indy market. Thank you again HBG for a great evening and bringing some great beer to Deano's Vino.

I actually had this several times out a bottle and haven't yet ever had it on tap. I was really surprised it wasn't on-tap at Three Floyd's tap room the day after Christmas. As I said before I just can't get away from stouts and porters right now.

It was served too cold for my liking and I waited for it to warm up a bit. It pours a deep mahogany brown color with soft ruby accents. This is about as close to black as you can get without actually being black. A small tan head sits on the beer that left minor lacing on the walls of the pint glass. The nose isn't as I remember out of a bottle. It's still a little cold, but I just get a small dose of grassy hops, but the roasted malt is the main thing my nose picks up. The taste is what makes this memorable on tap. A rather rich roasted coffee grain flavor profile with slight hints of bitter chocolate and caramel is slightly offset with the hops coming to the palate, but still sticks to it's porter roots quite well. The mouthfeel is also very nice being smooth and creamy, but still has a bit of chewiness to it as well. I would gladly drink this again.

I am really racking my brain on this one, but this is not how I expected this to taste on tap. Out of the bottle is more intense with hop flavoring and a better flavor profile. This is the first beer that I prefer out of a bottle vs. on tap. Regardless though, this is still a great beer, and is well worth the try if you see it out on tap or in the bottle.


Thanks again Hoosier Beer Geeks for bringing this on tap, and for a great evening of good beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Three Floyds Black Sun Stout

Beer: Three Floyds Black Sun Stout
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: Irish Dry Stout
Serving Style: Nitro-Tap
ABV:5.25%


I was at Three Floyds over the Christmas holiday. I just can't stay away from stouts and porters right now. I've never tried this beer before, but for only five bucks at the brewpub for a 20oz imperial pint compared to the ten dollar price tag for a bomber of this at the liquor store makes it a good deal.

I only got the last bit of cascading on the beer as it was served to me. The beer has an opaque black hue with two fingers of tan head on it. I wasn't expecting the aroma that this beer had. I was ready for the roasted barley and burnt coffee scent, but a huge blast of floral aromatics also come fairly heavy to my nose. It was packed with citrus floral scents from the dry hopping. The flavor profile is actually really nice on this. The taste loses the floral aromatics and sticks more to the dry Irish stout style. Dark bitter coffee, bitter chocolate, dark fruits, and roasted barley work very well on the palate. I am really enjoying the flavors on this beer, but my nose and my palate are not syncing up here and that really takes something away from the beer. The mouthfeel is big and chewy and really nice for the beer. This actually drinks very nice, but overall the scent and flavor profile do not really mingle that well.

I really enjoyed the flavors on this beer, but I just couldn't get past how the nose and the flavor profile didn't match up for me. It had great flavors of a classic dry Irish stout, but the floral sweet nose on this made it unenjoyable for me when matched with the flavor. I will most likely give this another try just to make sure it was the batch, but I won't go out of my way for it.

Here is also a picture of what is currently on tap: (sorry for the bad lighting)




Cheers!
Matt