Hoppy Feet
Clown Shoes

 

 

 

 

Pours a jet black ebony hue with moderate frothing. Assertive frothing. Pungent aroma replete with hints of crushed grapefruit and anise. Good stuff.

Day 11 of the 12 Beers of Christmas pack. Poured from a can into a snifter tulip glass. Pours pitch black with a light brown head. Smells of sweet citrus hops and slight grassy notes. Tastes of dark roasted grain, notes of coffee, and citrus hops. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.

12oz can with a best by 1/31/21, opened 1/29/21.
2+ finger beige head, excellent retention and leaves thick lacing.
Black core to dark brown at the edges.
Mild roasted malt aroma, some coffee, and a nice, leafy hop over the top.
Dark chocolate, bitter roasted malt, espresso, and green/earthy hop flavors in big quantities.
Close to medium body, medium carbonation and a lengthy bitter, roasty, and ultimately dry finish.
My favorite of the mixed 12pk.
Very good.

 

Poured from a 12 oz can with a best by date of 1/31/2021 into a Willi Becher pint glass.
L - Pours a dark brown, almost black, color with a light tan head that dissipates slowly, leaving lots of lacing on the glass.
S - Smells of coffee and chocolate.
T - It has kind of a hoppy licorice taste.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Very different black IPA.

L: Pours a very dark brown, almost black in color, with a thin espresso colored head.
S: Very earthy hop aromas upfront, dark malt aromas, coffee & dark chocolate in the background.
T: Taste certainly follows the nose, you can still tell that this is indeed a black IPA instead of tasting too much like a porter or stout, as a lot of them do. The hoppy bitterness is really nice, the dark malt & chocolate is very subtle & not overpowering.
F: Medium-bodied, medium carbonation, chewy, warming.
O: Very well-done black IPA, everything is balanced & it is super drinkable; I wish these were more available in my area.

Hoppy Feet (2020) from Clown Shoes. Purchased 16/11/20 for $ 28.00 (Including tax) for mixed 12-pack of 12 oz cans ($ 0.194/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. On shelf at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 19/1/21.
Stamped on the bottom “Best By 1/31/21”. Served at 46.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 57 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, same although at the edge some penetration shows a reddish tinge.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.5 cm, aggressive center pour), desert sand, high density with a rocky top, average retention, leaving a ten to sixteen mm crown with a torn curtain edge and a thin cap with a thick, rocky island. Some pieces of lacing remain on the glass as the head retracts.
Lacing – Excellent! Medium rings of tiny bubbles with the upper edge being torn curtains and the rings connected by pillars of varying size
Aroma – 3.75 – Roasted malt, weak floral hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins with bitter roasted chocolate malt and resinous pine, no yeast. No alcohol (7 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends bitter with a bit of grapefruit pith.
Palate – 4 – Medium, almost creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Good example of the style.

Can from tfontana, thanks again
Dark brown bordering on black with a good sized tan head that shows moderate retention. Caramel and hints of chocolate and roast with more pine than citrus. Solid old school hop and caramel bite.

12oz can, served in a tulip glass. Best before 01/31/21. Date stamp 268, 17:01

Appearance: Black (very dark brown at the edges) with a massive tan head (after a hard pour) and plenty of sheets and strands of persistent lacing.

Smell: Hoppy. Mostly pine and some underlying grapefruit/citrus.

Taste: Very well blended citrus/pine hops and roasted malt with some definite chocolate notes. The finish is bitter with some orange zest, pine, and bittersweet chocolate notes.

Mouthfeel: Good thickness and carbonation. Smooth.

Overall / Drinkability: Very drinkable. I was expecting a bit more bitterness and hoppy flavor, but it's okay that this doesn't have it. It's very well balanced, and the chocolate notes from the roasted malt are a nice touch. I'd want to pair this with the right food, but I could have another.

From the 2020 Clown Shoes Christmas Pack (Number 11), it pours a dark (brown/black) color with a nice light brown head that slowly reduces as you enjoy the brew - lacing is also left. In the nose, it is citrus hops, followed by a touch of roasted malt. in the mouth, it is citrus forward with a nice roasted malt base.

 

Appearance: Utterly black in color, impenetrable to the light, with a massive, dense tan head, with stunning retention. The lacing is quite Belgian-like, with slight slow-rising carbonation.

Aroma: Strong notes of mainly citric hops dominate the aroma, particularly grapefruit. Notes of roasted malt and caramel are prominent, with some char. The relatively high ABV of seven percent is unnoted.

Taste: Dark roasted malt presents strongly at the open of the taste, some char is notable as well. As with the aroma, no hint of the considerable seven percent ABV is notable in the taste, save a minor warming. A little sweet caramel is present, although it is in the backdrop of the taste. Later in the taste, the citric hops begin to rise, although they are less prominent than in the aroma. Toward the close, grapefruit rind becomes more prominent, but the roasted malt maintains a strong presence. Finishes with a lingering grapefruit and slight pine note, with an undercurrent of dark, toasted malt.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, rich and full, with little carbonation, very pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: Very very well-made, an excellent example of the style. This is the eleventh beer in the Clown Shoes "Twelve Days of Christmas" package. "Best by" date is 01/31/21.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, with a pry-off crown, served in a Duvel tulip.