The Beast With No Name
Clown Shoes

Appearance: Black glass, holds a thin tan cover, no lacing.

Aroma: A little boozy, rich malt, purple grape skin, a perfumed quality.

Taste: Sweet, but not cloying. Bruised purple grape barleywine character, not much roasted malt to bring out an Impy Stout, but some dry coffee in the finish. A little barrel flavor, hints of bourbon.

Mouthfeel: Medium heavy body, medium light carbonation, oily finish. A little hot.

Overall: Big ole beer. Lots of flavor, all a bit of a mess style wise, but ends up being fairly well balanced and easy drinking for such a big abv.

19.2oz can poured into a snifter

A- pours brown in color with a one-finger foamy khaki colored head that has good retention

S- plenty of barrel on the nose, with bourbon and rye sticking out, along with a hint of brown sugary rum. Undertones of raisins, figs, peanuts, caramel, tobacco and charred malt

T- bourbon and peppery rye up front with a strong oak flavor, followed by some rummy notes of brown sugar and molasses. Mid-palate gives notes of caramel, booze soaked raisins and figs and cola. The finish gives more barrel, with rye and rum both popping through on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a slightly warming finish

O- the barrels dominate in this one, making for a bit of a harsh finish. I think I would have preferred the stout and barleywine separately

Pours a deep dark chocolate brown with a minimal gone in a flash beige head,bourbon and molasses realy stand out in the nose,very rich and slightly boozy.Bourbon and spicy rye stick out on the palate with some nuttiness and bitter chocolate showing thru underneath as well.It's boozy as it warms but never gets overly sweet to take away from the drinkability,more of a night cap type of beer.

 

19.2 ounce can, canned on 11/30/20. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. I like the aroma, the brew smells like whiskey, rum, vanilla, oak, dark fruit and roasted malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some rye, dark bread, dark chocolate and caramel flavors. Good amount of barrel in both the aroma and taste. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a bit creamy and coating with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. Enjoyable to drink, too. I thought this was a good overall brew, certainly worth trying if you come across some. If you like Clown Shoes other stouts and barleywines then chances are you'll like this one.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger khaki head that dissipates to a thick film with nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, rum, dark dried stone fruit, oak, mild cocoa and vanilla; mostly barreling notes. Flavor follows, with dark toasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dried plums, a touch of dates, raisins, rum and bourbon. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Tastes pretty much exactly what it is: a blend of (English) barleywine and imperial stout, aged in bourbon and rum barrels (apparently rye too, but not much rye character, probably overwhelmed by the bourbon, which is the main flavor). The stout offers some chocolate and vanilla, while the barleywine adds some dark fruit and caramel. I love both of these styles and enjoy a good blended strong ale using them as elements. This is not quite up to Firestone Walker level, but a very enjoyable, if somewhat busy strong ale. Clear oak and barrel notes from two of the barrel types, especially in the finish. I've enjoyed the Clown Shoes stouts over the years, but I can only get them when visiting California because they don't distribute in Washington. An enjoyable, if rare treat. The 19 oz. can is a bit large for this Beast, but that's something to deal with tomorrow morning.

Pours an effervescent cola color with 2 fingers of caramel color. Trace amounts of lacing & head retention

S: Bourbon, vanilla

T: Cola, rum, barrel dryness & vanilla up front. More barrel dryness, rum & cola as this warms. Finishes a little dry with rum & cola

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, warming

Solid effort, but a Poodle walking with Great Danes & Mastiffs. I expected way more, not getting a lot of Bourbon or Rye

 

The flavors were pleasant, and it was very drinkable for a 10%+ beer, but the body/mouthfeel was thin. In addition, the flavors were on the fleeting/weak side for this style of beer.

However, Clowns shoes mentioned on the label that the beer is greener than they would have liked, so I have to give them kudos for being honest. I agree with another reviewer who said this needs to be cellared.

 

 

From the tall boy can in a snifter. This excellent brew pours a
deep brown tinged black with a nice head of light tan foam that
subsides to a thick ring, thin dusty layer, and shows nice light lacing.
Nose of currants, caramel, brown sugars, subtle bourbon, light
vanilla, and a melange of dark fruits with hints of chocolate.
Flavors knock it out of the park for a unique hybrid brew. Rum
and brandy notes wash over currants, subtle dark chocolate,
raisin, caramel, light rye whiskey, hints of bourbon, dark cherry,
faint oak, toffee, plum, and pleasant earthy malt notes. VERY
nice mouth feel; medium full body, light yet prickly carbonation,
mellow yet rich, forward yet reserved malt, and finishing
moderately dry and subtly sweet.

Overall, a PERFECT marriage of some excellent brews
wed by the good clown folks vicar of perfection!

The more I have from these guys the more I love em'!

Cheers

Very unique beer. Both on the nose and the palate, the barleywine complement comes across stronger than the stout; in fact, I'm not sure I would have known there was a stout in there if not told.

That's not to say there aren't roasty and rich chocolatey tones; there are. The emphasis, though, is on dark fruit and a thick caramel maltiness. The three barrels don't really stand out on their own, but instead come together with the base beers in a delicious and creamy result. Expect tones of brown sugar, toffee, raisin, prune, chocolate, and coffee. Surprisingly drinkable for the ABV.

 

 

 

 

From a recently purchased 19.2oz can ($12.50)....

Color is a very dark mahogany, nearly opaque. Has a fine, very thin layer of light tan foam, mostly rim-clinging. Lacing, like the head, is on the light side. Aroma is like a rum-soaked fruit cake. Rum, dates, prunes, raisins - they're all present in a lovely mix. Body is a decent medium, and there's a light bit of prickle on the tongue.

Flavor is similar to the aroma. It really has a lot more of the Barleywine flavors than of an Imperial Stout. Has lots of dark fruit, all over the place! Raisins, currants, prunes and smidge of caramelized brown sugar blend together with some rum, a touch of whiskey and some rye spiciness. It also has a nice, earthy quality, and it isn't too overly boozy for 10.5% ABV. An interesting, tasty concoction. Cheers!

4.21/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2238

 

Poured into a 20 oz stemless tulip glass canned on 11/30/2020. Pours a very dark near black with a 2 finger light brown head that leaves a few patches of lace with solid retention. 4.25

Aroma is char, rum soaked raisins, deep dark chocolate, oaky bourbon, vanilla, and pipe tobacco. 3.75

Taste is a lot of the same but more pleasant. Rum, whiskey, dark chocolate, oaky vanilla, dark fruit, char, and again hints of pipe tobacco and some leather. 4

Mouthfeel is above medium, maybe a tad dry, gentle carbonation, and at 10.5% it drinks bigger but still a very approachable sipper. 4

Overall I think the fact that I am not a fan of rum made this less pleasant than if it was just whiskey and rye, but still worth a try and may actually cellar one. 4