Auld Yin
Evil Twin Brewing

Auld YinAuld Yin
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From:
Evil Twin Brewing
 
New York, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
12%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.32 | pDev: 7.41%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
99
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 14, 2017
Added:
Jun 26, 2012
Wants:
  30
Gots:
  10
Aged for 9 months in Scotch Whisky barrels.
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Ratings by dbrauneis:
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: Pours an opaque but clear jet black in color with light amounts of visible carbonation and some cola brown highlights. The beer has a very thin sudsy dark tan head that reduces to a small patch of thin large bubbles and a thing ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of milk chocolate along with caramel, vanilla, anise, and oak. There are moderate aromas of smoked peat and scotch.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of roasted malts and charred malts. There are lighter flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla, anise, and oak. There are slightly stronger flavors of smoked peat and scotch. Light amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Full bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with light amounts of alcohol warming.

O: Overall this beer is very well balanced and I was impressed that the scotch barrel aging was very complementary and did not dominate the flavor. This is a very enjoyable sipping beer and one that I really enjoyed and would consider picking up another time.
Apr 07, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.07 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Apr 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.53 by JCarson410 from Maryland

Dec 25, 2015
Photo of Jeffwise
Rated by Jeffwise from Pennsylvania

4.84/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Mother of god
Aug 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by jzlyo from Iowa

Dec 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by JohnnyMc from Ohio

Nov 17, 2014
Photo of ThisWangsChung
Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

4.26/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
11.2 oz bottle into a wine glass.

Appearance: Pours a nearly pitch black color. The head is slightly less than a finger high, and khaki in shade. It doesn't retain very well, but it has a soft texture and leaves behind a bit of lacing. (3)

Smell: Give its relative age, I'm picking up huge amounts of dark fruit, and a bit less in the way of sherry-like oxidation. What this does is enhance the fudgy chocolate notes coming through (and that is VERY welcome). Like most European stouts, it's loaded with plenty of dry, roasted notes. The whiskey cask does come through, but in a restrained fashion. Still, the peaty and smoky notes it adds to this already excellent-smelling stout take it to the next level. Really, this has a fantastic aroma. (4.5)

Taste: Oh man. The whiskey aging transforms this already solid imperial stout into something spectacular. Smoky peat flavors appear initially, and they help to accentuate the surge of dark chocolate in the midtaste. Its finish is loaded with varying flavors: brown sugar, caramel, more dark chocolate, plums, raisins, and roasted malt. As far as I'm concerned, it's every bit as complex as the best barrel-aged imperial stouts on the market. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: If I had to nitpick, it could stand to have some more density feel-wise. It's rather slick and a bit thin on the palate, but the lingering sweetness perfectly covers up the alcohol (okay, not perfectly - a warmth appears in the throat, but hey it's 12%). Carbonation is very low. The general feel is far from bad, but I get the sense that it doesn't quite keep up with the flavor profile. (3.5)

Overall: Here's what I look for in a barrel-aged imperial stout: I want complexity, I want big flavor, a rich mouthfeel, but I also want impeccable balance, a cohesive flavor profile, and a combination of prevalent barrel notes and well-hidden alcohol. This hits all of those criteria bang-on, except for the palate feel. Despite that, it's an exceptional imperial stout that's complex, well balanced, and superbly tasty all at the same time. (4.25)

4.28/5: Want some more proof that barrel-aged imperial stouts are kings of the beer world? Here you go.
Oct 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by GeorgeCarroll from Pennsylvania

Aug 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by brpendergast85 from District of Columbia

Jul 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Georgiabeer from Georgia

Jun 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by ErinnA from New Jersey

Jun 01, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by cck5 from New York

May 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.24 by jakea from Wisconsin

Apr 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by 22Blue from Kansas

Apr 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bleedsblu from Pennsylvania

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by rogerdandy from Canada (AB)

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by AndrewPalmer from Minnesota

Feb 28, 2014
Auld Yin from Evil Twin Brewing
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 99 ratings