Sour Devil
Blue Mountain Brewery

Note: Issue #1 (Cellared since 2013)

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear very dark cola brown in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation and very faint reddish brown highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy + creamy dark tan head that very slowly reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of sour dark fruits (plum + cherry), roasted malts, and cocoa. Light to moderate aromas of bourbon, vanilla, and oak.

T: Upfront there is a light to moderate flavor of roasted malts + dark malts with a light to moderate amount of caramel sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of sour dark fruit (plum + cherry). Light to moderate flavors of cocoa followed by bourbon, vanilla, and oak in the finish. Minimal amounts of lingering sweetness or bitterness and just a light to moderate amount of residual tartness in the finish which lingers for a while.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Very interesting - I have had some mixed experiences with sour stouts so I was happy that this one resonated with my palate. A moderate amount of complexity which I did not love at the first sip but grew on me as it came up to room temperature. Overall, I'm glad I finally pulled this one out of the cellar.

Dark as midnight....It's good for the style, possibly an infected beer that they just rolled with.
The stout itself is very good and the actual sour is eclipsed by the chocolate roast. Let this one warm up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Nick for the 750ml bottle! Poured into a wine glass; from two days ago. This is the 2012 batch, with a best-by date of May 2013 on the cork. Uh my ass, I'll bet this will still be damn tasty.

A: Pours a borderline pitch black color. The mocha-colored head is a finger high, and retains well. There's a nice ring of lacing left on the glass.

S: The stout part of this brew is handled well - there are nice notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel. The tartness, on the other hand, is very muted to the point of barely even being there. Still, it's well balanced yet rich the way an imperial stout should be.

T: There's only a faint hint of a sour bite to start. It quickly transitions into flavors of dark fruits, with a subtle chocolate and brown sugar finish. More sips reveal gentle hints of coffee and roast. I could nitpick about how weak the tartness is (I was more expecting something along the lines of Harvey's Imperial Stout, where both the stout and the sour are huge), but otherwise this is a really nice (albeit sweet) imperial stout.

M: This is where I'm let down a bit: it's slightly thin and slick in feel. It's very sweet, and the tart bite isn't significant enough to compensate. On the plus side, the carbonation is spot on, and the 10% is hidden spectacularly.

O: A soured imperial stout is a polarizing creation - this batch, at least, has such mild sourness that those who aren't sure of the style could try it (and perhaps even like it). Luckily, the stout part of this beer is extremely good, easily redeeming it. I'll have to keep an eye out for this one in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

750 mL into tulip. best by: June 2014.

A: pours a dark brown. head is slightly on the brown side of things. very frothy. good retention and lacing.

S: sour grapes, prunes. a mild bourbon aroma, but you can tell it has been diluted. sweet, roasty, char.

T: definitely has a sour twang on it. not overly sour, but it has a presence. vanilla beans. the roast is almost entirely cut out by the acidity. sweetness as well. there is the roast again, right at the finish, but for a fleeting moment. than back to more sweetness.

M: carb is spot on. frothy and smooth. full bodied.

D: this beer is actually not too shabby, however im a little hesitant on its creation. to me, it's more of an "oops, this got infected, let's reuse these barrels again and change the beers name!" just my opinion.