Hammer Of The Lion
Clown Shoes

Clown Shoes Hammer Of The Lion, a Cuvée of Imperial Stout and Wee Heavy Ale Aged in Rum, Brandy, and Bourbon Barrels (listed as An American Strong Ale), 11% ABV. Pours darkest brown with a one-finger light brown head that left slight lacing. Nose is toffee, cola, and light rum. Taste is toffee, chocolate, rum/bourbon mashup, char in the aftertaste. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world-class. Fairly complex, changing as it warms.

Canned 2019/05/27
Pours a tan foamy semi creamy 1/2 finger head with great retention and messy lacing, jet black color

Nose dark chocolate cocoa, some roast, sweet caramel, toffee, fruity sweet rum, biscuity cookie and a bit of baking spice, little nougat, candy bar, nutty toffee, a bit of vanilla

Taste brings more dark chocolate cocoa up front, a touch of roast, plenty of nougat, caramel, nutty toffee, soft smooth aged alcohol warmth, a bit of bitterness from the roast, melted cocoa into a bit of candy bar cookie dough and baking spices, a bit of sweet molasses rum, a hint of fruity brandy but not sure I can pick out whiskey, vanilla ice cream, more dark chocolate late, smooth finish with more of everything lingering

Mouth is fuller bod, smooth cream, lower carb, light smooth alcohol

Overall pretty good, age helped the alcohol smooth out, but lost a bit of carbonation and some of the barrel notes I think, but otherwise a solid BA stout

 

Good head production and decent retention despite some fizz. Very dark beer, indistinguishable from a stout.

Very roasty malt base, showing some RIS heritage, but it's quite tempered by the blend and the barrels. Additional notes of caramel, toffee, prune, oak, and the barrel influences all blending together.

Similar on the palate, with a strong bitter roastiness from the stout portion, really forming the base of the experience. Not as much warm fruitiness as you might expect from the wee heavy; plenty of bitter, leathery hops; quite woody from all the barrels. Fair amount of alcohol heat, likely both from the barrels and the high ABV. Tasting notes include prune, raisin, caramel, oak, rum and brandy (the bourbon is a little bit too in between the two to really pick out), bitter Baker's chocolate, leather, char.

Very drinkable. A touch thin for a massive stout, but for a blended beer, perhaps right where it should be.

A really enjoyable libation, not exactly something I would ever crave, but very nice. Complex, big, and bold - perfect for Clown Shoes.

 

 

A hybrid beer - part imperial stout, part wee heavy. Overall, not bad, but I think I rather have one or the other.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Dark, clear purple brown color with decent initial head and lacing. Boozy smell and taste. Toffee, dark fruit, dark cherries, vanilla. A bit thin for such a beer. I am enjoying it, but doubt I will repeat.

 

Unfortunately it is not a sum of its parts. Too much going on with something that needs focus. Strong barrel character that drinks like a cocktail. Little beer flavor and the body is less than spectacular for such a big beer.

 

A: The beer is dark reddish brown in color. It poured with a short beige head that left a wide collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of rum are present in the nose from the barrel aging.
T: The taste follows the smell and has lots of flavors of rum along with hints of bourbon, the latter of which get a bit stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer has nice flavors of rum and bourbon and does a very good job at masking a good portion of the alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: can

 

Pours black with light tan head. The nose is surprisingly subtle. The brandy and bourbon come through nicely, along with dark fruit. Toffee, plums, and some roasted malts come through. The taste is really nice. A bitterness comes through right away - a mixture of coffee grounds and charred wood. The rum barrel is evident on the taste, and I would say I'm not the biggest fan of this component. Definitely getting some nice cherries, plums, raisins, and vanilla. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but still really nice. Aftertaste is slightly bitter, but good.

 

 

 

A very dark brown color. No head, just a bit around the rim and in the center of the glass.
Boozy aroma, cola, chocolate, a little vanilla.
Brandy more apparent in the taste, sweet chocolate, a hint of dark coffee.
Medium-bodied, sweet. Warming at the end.

Very dark brown pour with a head that vanishes in a hurry. Smells of booze, especially the bourbon and rum, with dark fruit, cola, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, toffee, wood, and licorice. This beer is inventive, as best seen in the taste, where now you get the brandy more, plus flavors of leather, apple, hickory, vanilla, smoke, and light roast coffee added to the aroma flavors. So much going on, yet gels together enough to work well, tastes and feels slightly sweet and boozy but stays in appropriate parameters. The wife loved it