XII Anniversary
Odd Side Ales

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to BigIronH for this can!

A - Pitch black pour with no lacing and no carbonation.

S - Alcohol and toasted cocoa,

T - Toasted cocoa, coconut, and alcohol.

M - Big medium body with warming on the way down and alot of alcohol effervescence permeating the sinuses after the sip.

O - This is a "big'n", holy cow! I love me big beers but this one pushes the boundaries. However, HAPPY 12th ANNIVERSARY Odd Side and appropriately done - go big or GO home and well done with much respect and keeping the flavor intact.

 

I’ll preface this by saying this is the second Anniversary Stout I’ve had from Odd Side, with the first being last years; XI. I didn’t like it at all. It was a very boozy mess with not much flavor coming through besides pure high octane alcohol. With that being said, I wasn’t very optimistic for this, but I had to get it anyways.

Pours a very deep, oily black with a two finger caramel/cola head quickly fizzing up and receding to a still liquid with a pencil thin ring. Nose is coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted malt, and alcohol. Taste follows suit with one very important detail that makes this far more enjoyable than last years; the alcohol is completely hidden. You could have told me this was a 12%er and I would have believed you. The vanilla doesn’t taste artificial and is very well implemented. Plenty of chocolatey roasted malt comes through on the finish and very subdued alcohol bite that cuts through the body perfectly. Overall, well above average.

 

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours jet black with quickly dissipating head. It doesn't look quite as thick as some stouts, but the incredibly high ABV might be dominating! The nose is actually surprising based on the description. I get a lot of roasted malts. Dark chocolate, figs, and blackberries. Not really picking up any barrel or vanilla. Interesting. After a couple of minutes, I start to pick up some black licorice on the nose. A touch of whole wheat bread.

The taste is intense! Wow. So much going on. Huge roasted malts. That's, again, the dominant flavor. I now get the vanilla, and slight bourbon. The dark chocolate is definitely playing a big role. A bit of coffee, booze, black licorice, brown sugar, and an earthy taste. There is definitely a strong bitterness on the back end and throughout the aftertaste. It's a big stout that doesn't hide from its roots. This is not, in any way, a vanilla bomb. It also doesn't play too much to the barrel. It's roasty and smoky.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. As I thought based on the pour, this is not a thick stout. It's fairly thin and boozy. Definitely not a bad thing. Overall, this is a very different BA stout than I was expecting. I really like it!