Following numerous recommendations from fans and fellow craft beer lovers alike, we thought it was high time we gave this ale a nudge. After all, it is brewed by one of the best American breweries on the market.
Served in a beer tulip the dense, muddy brown pour allows no light to filter through whatsoever. Crowning it is a compact 1 finger brown head that gradually reduces to a fine layer with reasonable lace being omitted. Really ominous-looking beer, it actually presents itself as a RIS. And as we were expecting, a rich, complex and pungent aroma was awaiting us. The dominant scents emanating are bitter espresso, brandy, licorice, molasses sweetness, oak and prunes. A tonne of undertone aromas here too, we detect hints of cherry cola, soy sauce, vanilla, toffee malts and obviously a sharp astringency from the 12% ABV. Incredible stuff here, so complex. The mouth feel is thick and super creamy, gripping the tongue on the way down. Mildly carbonated with full-ish body. Well, it’s safe to say that the richness and complexity follows on to the flavour with a sharp alcohol burn to get things underway. Bitter espresso, molasses and woody notes gradually intensify as they lead in to the mid-palate. Another short alcohol sting bridges on to the long and drawn out roasted, espresso finish. Excellent length on display here. Really impressive stuff. We can understand why we were being ushered in to trying this, like no brown ale we’ve ever tried before. We now recommend it to you. Mammoth beer.