The Storyteller
Clown Shoes

From a 565 ml can dated 07/26/21. Sampled Dec 31, 2021.

Handsome looking dark brown to near black stout-like appearance under a slowly fading tan head that leaves some lacing in its wake.

Milk chocolate is the best way to describe the aroma sensation. An earthy hop presence is lower profile. I get only a touch of the Whistlepig barrel booze.

Low-medium mouthfeel. Smooth.

The taste is all about the sweet chocolate malts at first and then the earthy hops sneak into the picture. Booze is low profile here too. Slightly warming ending.

 

 

 

 

Ebony with a 1/2" tan head, which dissipates. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is roast malt, coffee, cocoa.

Taste is molasses, roast malt, cocoa, pepper, coffee.

Full body, light carbonation. Dry finish.

Excellent Imp Stout.

11/25/21 can @ home

 

 

A dark brown/black color with a thin tan head.
Not much aroma. A hint of chocolate, dark fruit, and alcohol.
Taste lacking also. Mostly chocolate. A touch of pepper. No rye, no fruit.
Thin mouthfeel.

[IMG] Poured into a giant 24 oz snifter canned on 7/26/21. Pours near pitch black with a half finger sticky mocha head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with solid retention. 4.25

Aroma is back strap molasses, dark chocolate, vanilla beans, dark fruit, char, leather, pipe tobacco, and rum. 3.75

Taste follows molasses, dark chocolate, vanilla, fig, leather, char, pipe tobacco, and rum soaked raisins. 3.75

Mouthfeel is above average, maybe a tad dry, soft carbonation, huge in flavor and drinks for me bigger than 10.5%, and goes down fairly easy. 4

Overall I expect excellent BA Stouts from these guys and for me this was a little better than just ok. Won’t get again, but am also pretty happy I got to give it a go. Complex anyway and a nice sipper. 3.75

The Storyteller from Clown Shoes. Purchased 7/10/21 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA for $10 (Including tax)/19.2 oz can ($ 0.521/oz). In reefer at store. Stored at home at 40 degrees. Reviewed 11/10/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom “pkg 7/26/21”. Served at 55.4 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 58.1 degrees.
Appearance – 3.75.
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), nearly opaque.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. When rear-lite, same except some light penetrates at the extreme edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.4 cm, aggressive center pour), almond, high density, short retention, diminishing to a 0.4 cm crown and a thin complete cap. Second pour produces
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.75 – Initially weak cocoa, no hops, no yeast, very weak rye as it warms, no barrel.
Flavor – 3.5 – Flavor follows nose - no yeast, no malt, no hops, lightly sweet. There is a weak whisky taste, not specifically rye. No direct ethanol (10.5 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming with each swallow, rapidly passes. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Seems less imperial than most stouts. Flavor, aroma, and appearance are all weaker than expected – the WhistlePig barrels were wasted. Price point is too high for value received. One and done.

 

This huge can of stout (19.2 oz) has been sitting in my fridge for a week or two and begging to be tried. So today I'm sharing it with my son.

It pours black and has a little fizz. The aroma is strong. Boozy malts, mostly. The taste is similar, nicely balanced, though, not too sweet. Big and thick.

Recommended but not a good value. I probably would not buy again.

 

Poured from a 19.2 oz can dated 7/26/21 into the test glass.
A - Cobalt black, with a this mocha cap,
S - Rye up front then some dark fruit, plum, raisan, hints of vanilla and black pepper
T - Runs in a narrow band. A bit of toffee, vanilla, milk chocolate,
M - Thin bordering on watery, starts and ends on the sweet side, the mid is nondiscript.
O - A thorough let down, not sure if the intent or the execution was missed. Either way will not be trying this again.

 

 

We had this blind and couldn't guess anything but Oskar Blues Death by Coconut or a Hi-Wire 10W-40 variant, based on both the concealed format and the flavor profile.

It starts off with cola, milk stout, and artificial coconut-vanilla notes, which soon join a light porter-like smoke, all coming together to form a sort of acrid cosmic brownie characteristic.

The light body is kind of thin but for a crackly carbonation, which lifts hints of sassafras.

Appearance also gives off porter vibes, as it's a lighter, clearer reddish black with a fluffy light tan head.

After discovering this was a "stout" aged in Whistle Pig barrels, and detecting nary a hint of barrel oak, char or even booze, it just feels both like a hilarious joke, and a total waste. They could have labeled this a basic 6% sweet porter and I wouldn't have blinked.

A stovepipe?!?! C'mon man!