The Good, The Bad & The Unidragon - Coffee
Clown Shoes

Just bought this Texas edition CS brew, and the bottle is dated 10/16/16. Thanks for aging it, bottle shop, as I know it’s something they do. I check the brewery’s site, and it says this is retired.
Appearance: Black pour, tan lacing. Medium-rich body.
Nose: Nice level of smoke, like camping with both a fire AND a smoker. Some toasted chocolate, and roasted coffee is there as well.
Taste: Robust smoked malts and bittersweet, tingly cocoa. Hops come through in the end, bitterness, and it finishes with just the right sweetness for a stout this big. It’s just very hearty and full of smoke.
Feel is full and somewhat sticky, with low carbonation. Semi-dry finish. Smoke lingers.
Alcohol is fairly well buried in this brew, and many might feel the smoked malts provide too much flavor on that end, but this was a nice switch-up of a very limited RIS to have tried.

 

22 oz. bomber poured into "stout glass" (vertical tulip)

L: classic black-and-tan stout look, dark brew topped by thick, sticky tan head, just a bit less than 1-inch tall ... it percolates late, again in classic big stout fashion; the stick off the head is almost a full coat of paint; keeps a soapy-bubble collar and part of skin; laces a little

S: bourbon as you pour ... the dark malt is explosive, I can smell it from several feet away, and the brew is still very cold; molasses, tart cherries, brown sugar ... and the hops are adding something, a burnt tropical fruit thing ... hard to describe, but it has that distinct West Coast imperial stout aroma

T: dark burnt hoppy stout smoothed out by plenty of sweetness, some milk chocolate, cherry and sweet coffee/cafe mocha; the hop bite is bitter with a bit of tropical fruit flavor, mango; aftertaste is consistently smooth and sweet chocolate, chocolate milk; after-aftertaste has some oak wood and vanilla flavor ... reminiscent of a bourbon barrel-aged beer, but just a hint ... there's no major whiskey flavor here

F: surprisingly light for so big a beer, plenty of carbonation, not overly slick or thick ... still, it's a mouthful, a healthy midweight

O: fantastic brew ... the coffee and sweetness from the malt helps balance a big bitter bite from the hops; easy to drink for so big a brew, and one I'd imagine would age very well

 

Nose is a ton of smokey char. Some roasted malt, a touch of coffee. Touch of alcohol. Taste follows. Smoked malts dominate. Subtly in the background are dark chocolate, and a touch of coffee. Very slight alcohol burn. Warming alcohol. Slightly dry finish. Good beer. More smoke and less coffee than anticipated. But delicious.

 

Pours an effervescent ebony with 2 Fingers + of brown head. Decent lacing & above average head retention

S: Coffee, charred grain & carob & a little boozeyness

T: Follows the nose, a touch of smokeyness as well up front. Smokeyness builds as this warms, roastyness & coffee lurking in the background, a little chocolate & raisin as well. Finishes smokey, dry, a little boozey

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, warming booze & stickyness

Drinks pretty easy, depite the intense flavor & ABV, which is pretty well concealed, but not un-noticed