Six Hour Tour
Town Hall Brewery

750 ML growler from the 10/16/17release, my third glass, but first time I’ve been in a position to write some fake news about it. Split with my wife, who’s a rabid fan of both Tours.

The pour is black & close to still, which isn’t uncommon for these growlers, but never seems to harm them. Strong fumes of coconut & chocolate; no barrel shows early. Good.

Six Hour Tour is Decadent, capital “D” & whups it’s little brother’s ass. The coconut explodes outward with mouth-tingling shrapnel, leaving a wild trail of warmth & happiness throughout my mouth. Strong milk chocolate & roast complement the crazy coco-nut, with the barrel providing only the gentle suggestion of an afterthought. Touch of booziness. Silky smooth & crazy drinkable. This is my last growler & my tears are diluting the remaining beer in my glass. Stop it!

Town Hall often is like Miguel Sano taking batting practice & this is no exception. They’ve taken a very good base beer, amped it up, brushed it against a barrel, & come away with magic. Fantastic beer.

 

20191025
Brewery taproom - 9oz

 

 

Review of 2018 version on tap at Town Hall.

8oz snifter pour is dark black with a lingering tan lacing.

The nose is almost non existent in the 2018. The 2017 iteration had an aroma like a coconut slap in the face. The flavor sadly follows the nose with only subtle hints of coconut. The taste does bring a bit more coconut and barrel presence as it warms. Getting a slight vanilla on the finish.

Mouthfeel is a bit oily and medium viscosity.

Overall it is a nice brew but a bit of a letdown after the killer 2018 version.

 

an imperial version of their famed three hour tour coconut stout, with more booze more coconut, a barrel ageing, and a heavy dessert vibe. its a really tasty and enjoyable brew, but in some ways i like the subtlety and drinkability of the original a little better, this is more on trend, more over the top with the adjunct it seems, and not something you could have more than a glass or two of, as good as it is. i do like what the bourbon barrel adds, a nice oaky char, a sweet vanilla thread, and a coconut element of its own, toasted and warming, boozy and sticky too, but the relationship between the whiskey and the coconut in the beer are awesome. its thick and black and sludgy and still from a growler that was filled a ways back, but its held up well here aside from the carbonation. smooth and dense on the feel, weighty in the belly too, and with tons and tons of coconut, as much as i have known in any beer, brownie batter, toffee, vanilla, and some deep roast to the grain too. a very tasty beer, fancy and expert feeling, but i could live off the original, this one got a little diabetic, but it sure is delicious! town hall is among the best in the state! huge thanks to my buddy for saving this one to share with me, had a blast drinking it!

edit: even better this year than last! just a bit more carbonation, still slick and a bit still, but somewhat more lively. coconut is insanely fresh, pops, a tad on the sweet side, but its addicting. a really special beer.

 

Growler from the 20th anniversary shindig, 2017-10-16. The pour looks nothing out of the ordinary, given today's fashion for syrupy black holes in a teku glass. Instead, I get a dark brown, nearly black stout that allows a goodly amount of light to pass through as it's being poured. However, one whiff on the nose tells me this is far from ordinary. Absolutely resplendent, with cherry cordials, toasted coconut, and just a hint of cassia bark. I very rarely give out 5s in any dimension, but this is simply stunning. The flavor profile doesn't quite live up to its billing, but it still pops with cherry and coconut. I don't get much in the way of barrel character, but the lactose is just right, suggestive of Cadbury cream eggs without going all the way there into cloyingly sweet territory, and without pumping out much in the way of tart yogurt.

I guess it's time to start looking for jobs in Minneapolis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge thanks to Jeff for this one. This has been a big want of mine for a while. 32oz. growler into Night Shift stemware. Shared with schen9303.

Pours pitch black. Bigger than it really is. Nose is sublime. Hints of chocolate, fudge, cocoa powder, lactose, maple and a touch of barrel. I know this isn't barrel-aged but it sure smells like it. Deep and delicious. Beer opens with hints of dark fruit. Prunes and raisin. Then waves of milk chocolate and lactose. Smooth and rich. Fudge, cocoa powder and a slight touch of roast provide a little contrast. Ends more milk chocolate, maple and fudge. I don't know what more I could want from this. Body is medium with low carbonation. Smooth and rich on the palate but not weighted or heavy going down. Fluffy almost. Its spot on with a messy, lingering finish.

This is easily the best beer I've had in the category. Really amazing as it drinks bigger than it is but doesn't tire the palate. It's everything I thought it would be.