15th Anniversary Wigsout
Carolina Brewing Company

12 oz bottle, bottled June 09. This beer is misclassified-- it is a mix of Wiggo IPA and their imperial stout, so a black and tan and definitely not a black IPA.

Appearance: Looks dark brown in the snifter, but is actually a clear, deep garnet when held to the light. Thin, off white head fades to a thin rim. Leaves some decent sheets of spotty lacing.

Smell: Despite what I said about this beer's classification, it does smell like a black IPA. Sweet, resiny citrus hops and roasted malt (no surprise). There's a lot of husky graininess which isnt that great.

Taste: Hops flavor is muted from when it was fresher, of course. Still quite a bit of bitterness, probably from hops and roasted malt. The roast is really more charcoal-like than coffee or chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is well done. Pretty smooth. Sticky resin on the finish.

Drinkability: This is fine, not great. As a black and tan, it would rate much higher, but there are some damn good black IPAs to compare this too.

12oz bottle (filled 6/30/10) courtesy of a recent trade with atsprings. Thanks!

Without knowing the style before I wrote up my review, I pegged this as a (hoppy) Brown Ale. Turns out to be a 'Carolinian' Dark Ale. Close enough...and what the hell is a Wigsout, anyway?

Carolina's 15th pours a tawny brown body with hints of fiery amber when held to the light. The light tan head is scant and patchy, leaving little in the way of lacing. Grainy rye bread, brown sugar, and caramel malt husks greet the nose first, immediately backed by a healthy dose of foresty hop spice. Hints of bubblegum and tropical fruit in the background, reminiscent of pear and papaya.

Flavor starts out sweet and grainy, much as the aroma suggested. Caramelized brown sugar and English toffee lay down a sizable malt presence, and although the hop flavor is in short supply, the bitterness that lingers on the finish is worthy of the CDA namesake. Finishes with a flash of booze and a stinging hop bite. Mouthfeel could stand to be either a bit thinner in body or higher in carbonation level...as it stands, Wigsout sits a bit heavy on the palate. All in all, not the shining example of the newly-minted CDA style, but this beer is a damn tasty interpretation. Recommended.

12oz bottle into a Corsendonk tulip glass pours a crisp dark brown with a decent lasting khaki head that leaves decent lacing on the glass. Aroma is roasted malts in front with just a bit of pine hops. The taste is a nice amount of bitter pine hops dancing nicely with smooth roasted malts, this beer has balanced out nicely with just over three weeks age on it. The beer is on the light side of medium with decent carbonation and a touch of dryness. This is a very enjoyable beer, one I would love for them to brew again.

So maybe this is just where my mind is, but when i drink this beer I can't avoid thinking Black IPA. Though it's SMR would be a little low it has nice roastyness and a wholly separate american hop dominated finish. The nose is of american ipa and the head is quickly diminishing, though I may have poured it a bit cold.

Sampled from a 12oz bottle purchased at the brewery.

A - Deep brown with a reddish tinge, a fair amount of light coming through, great clarity and a moderate beige head.

S - Piney, grassy hops. Not much from the malts.

T - A nice mix of piney hops and roasted, chocolate malts. It has a nice balance yet you can still get elements from both the IPA and the Imperial Stout.

M - Maybe a bit thin to properly support the flavors. A moderate carbonation.

D - A nice, interesting beer. I'm going to hold on to a few and see how it does with a little time in the bottle.

Deep mahogany in color. Thick, 1.5 finger deep cream head. Decent retention, but head slips away 2/3 into the pint. Faint lace.

Strong nose. Dark roast notes from the stout with strong pine hops underneath. Very nice rich combination.

Slightly sweet and a bit nutty. Coffee comes on at the back end. Pine, very tangy, hops kick in during the finish. Very nice combination here, too.

Feel is thinner than anticipated, but fits the beer well.

Only got 1 sixer of this at the brewery today. Regretting that already.