Mint Double Decadent
Atwater Brewery

Appearance: Arrives fudge brown with a one finger head; a few spots

Smell: Mint chocolate chip ice cream with hints of vanilla

Taste: Just like it smells, mint chocolate chip ice cream in a beer glass; a bit of vanilla seeps through

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor so I had to give this a try; nice in small quantities but I wouldn’t want a pint

 

 

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz bottle, pouring into a snifter. Beer is a gift from my brother Curt..thanks man!
The beer pours a deep brown color with rich garnet highlights when held up to a light source.
A frothy khaki colored head of 1.5 cm foams up and the bubbles fade to a bubbly edge layer and one large wispy island.
The aroma is some sweet chocolate and hints of mint leaves with the nose being appealing but kind of mild.
First sip reveals an average to light body with very fine and tingly carbonation. Texture is smooth and the beer swishes away quickly on each mouthful.
Flavor is sweet chocolate and some darker cacao notes too. A flash of vanilla and then some mint leaf comes through. After the swallow a rich coating chocolate and nutty note covers my palate. I enjoy this beer with the flavor being the best part and Im glad I dont find it to simply be a mint bomb. Id guess at 8% that this is actually an imperial brown ale and think it could be a little thicker body to improve the beer. Its good but there is room to improve the experience IMO.

Treated as an imperial brown ale, this was poured into a snifter.
The appearance was a dark amber close to brown color with a small quickly dissipating little white foamy head. Just a wisp of concave lace sliding with the sips.
The aroma had a wonderful blend of sweet to bitter milk and dark chocolate flowing into mint leads and then adding a touch of marshmallow fluff at the end.
The flavor was moderately sweet through the combination of chocolate, mint and marshmallow. Semi-sticky marshmallow to chocolate and slightly minty aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fine sipping quality about it. Carbonation seemed a bit under allowing some stickiness to my tongue. ABV seemed appropriate. Nice authentic minty leaf to chocolate fluffy finish.
Overall, wow, what a nice imperial brown ale with mint. Of course, I would have again.

DATE: January 5, 2018... OCCASION: watching Penn State trying to get their first Big 10 basketball win... GLASSWARE: Corsendonk tulip... pours a dark, almost opaque body with a light brown, two-finger head that settles to a reasonable wreath... thick mint invades the nostrils, with sweet chocolate, confectioner's sugar, licorice and some odd herbal qualities... by and large, intriguing, but not a consistent pleasure... the first sip is laced with alcohol, medium-bodied and oily, with a staying power that is nonetheless welcome... thick mint--think a liquid Andes Candies--is full and vicious, but a bit sweet... beefy, big on chocolate, reasonable in its licorice, lactic sweetness and roasted malts, and slightly off-putting with its alcoholic kickback... its overall experience is appropriate, if not pleasant--not in the Southern Tier, but I am glad they went big with the ABV to make this a true dessert beer... would drink this again, though others have done it better...

Not sure what I expected when I first cracked this beer open - strong brown ale? Sweet dessert beer? I have to say the taste was outstanding. Dark brown color with minimal head and lingering lacing. Smells of dark fudge and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Tastes similarly, along with some brown sugar, vanilla and a little wood. Smooth slightly thick, creamy mouthfeel. Just the right amount of carbonation. Not overly sweet and would still pair well with a savory dinner, as well as the obvious dessert pairing.

And now, for my fourth entry of Happy Water You Drinking for New Beer Sunday (Week 705)?!? I CAN promise you that a) I am NOT drinking water (right now) & b) these will all be Bottles (gasp!) as part of the eradication of The Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody. There is nothing wrong here. Do not attempt to adjust your screen. For the remainder of the day, I will control all of my content that you see & read. There are no alien pods in my basement, so there is no need to alert the authorities. Please stand by for further entries.

From the Bottle: "Chocolate Ale"; "Pairs with: Kicking Back or Doubling Down."

If those are my pairing choices, then I am going with the latter since that is how I roll. A Pop! of the cap, a mighty "Hi-yo, Silver" & we are away. As is the seeming norm, just over a finger of puffy, foamy, fizzy, deep-tan/light-brown head appeared & then fizzled into wisps. 8=( Color was Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 34, < 44), allowing justenough light penetration to make out mahogany highlights. Nose smelled like liquefied Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies! Izzit possible to fall in love with a beer just based on its smell? Mmm. Mouthfeel was vaguely medium, but it raises the very real question of why their beers lack any density. They are constantly on the thin side of every style. Onwards! The taste was less cookie and more like mint cake or mint brownies. I am unsure as to how to adequately describe the difference, but surely you can differentiate between cookies and cake/brownies. As to the mintiness, it was full-on! It was neither peppermint nor spearmint, but somewhere in between. Cool Mint mouthwash? Mmm. The label does not mention anything about the flavoring, so I assume that we are to assume that they used actual mint. 8=O If so, all the better! If not, better check yer labeling requirements! Either way, it lived up to its billing as "Mint" first. Finish had a cool, chocolaty semi-sweetness, very tasty and vey refreshing in its own way. The only disclaimer is that you had best like the taste of mint going into it.

 

 

 

 

 

This is definitely not my preferred style of beer so take that into consideration. If you like dessert beers, this is a pretty darn good one... probably. I don't want to knock this beer down with my rating due to my not really liking it that much, so I've rated it according to what I think a beer like this should be instead my own preference.

Look: Poured gently into a glass mug. Almost no head which disappeared entirely within seconds. Very dark brown with no effervescence.

Smell: Very Chocolatey with a subtle hint of mint.

Taste: Reflects the nose. Nice chocolate flavor with a slight mint coolness. Sugary sweet aftertaste.

Feel: Thick. Sticks to your lips.

Overall: This is a dessert beer. Not really my thing but it intrigued me enough to try it. Considering that I'm an IPA guy and I happily finished it before cracking a Victory Dirtwolf to get the sweetness out 'o my mouth? Pretty good.

 

 

 

 

On tap.

A - Dark brown pour with micro-thin toffee colored lacing.

S - Mint chocolate brownie.

T - Chocolate, chocolate cream, mint, tastes like a chocolate mint brownie.

M - Full bodied, silky, viscous, lip smacking sticky, and a wet finish.

O - The ABV in this beer is well hidden. It's liquid chocolate mint brownie in a glass. Impressive.

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release . Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big peppermint, milk chocolate, cocoa, fudge, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, marshmallow, brownie batter, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of coffee, nuttiness, smoke, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, and peppermint notes; with great strength. Taste of big peppermint, milk chocolate, cocoa, fudge, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, marshmallow, brownie batter, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of coffee, nuttiness, smoke, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Mild herbal/roast bitterness and increasing mint coolness on the finish. Lingering notes of peppermint, milk chocolate, cocoa, fudge, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, marshmallow, brownie batter, toasted dark/brown bread, light nuttiness/coffee, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, and peppermint flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Minimal bitter/roasted dryness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and slightly silky/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is an awesome dessert style brown ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, and peppermint flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the very mild bitter finish. Nicely rich without being overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. Perfectly balanced between all flavors, nothing is overwhelming. Tastes like a mint iced fudge brownie all the way though. A really enjoyable offering.