Blaecorn Yuledragon
Clown Shoes

 

This time, it's merely a twelve ounce can completely emptied into a clear pint glass. It shouldn't take any more. The color of the brew is just about black coffee brown, maybe there's a hint of plain old dark brown. A very lovely and proper head of half an inch and deeply tan was created by the pour. It smells like a stout, with some spices added, but mostly it's vague. It drinks relatively soft and smooth, but somehow the combination of roasted malt, hops, alcohol and whatever added spices give this an unnecessary bitter bite. Bitter in beer certainly can be good, especially when it's part of a complexity of varying tastes. Unfortunately, this doesn't provide any of that. Perhaps hard to tell, but it's likely this wouldn't be a great Imperial Stout without the spices. Easy to tell, this is not a great Imperial Stout with them. A little sweetness is there in the taste, but it's shallow and can't compete with the astringency. The glass lacing and body are good, but little else is.

12 oz can from Xmas 12pk best by 1/31/25 into a tulip glass.
L: SRM 39 Pours very dark brown with steady light carbonation bubbles and a creamy 1/8" dark khaki head, decent retention to thin edge foam, loose tacky spider web lacing. Good carbonation to final sip.
S: Dark roasted caramelized malts, dark fruits, chocolate, a hint of plum.
T: Sweet dark fruits, a hint of raisin, darkly roasted caramelized malts, dark bitter baking chocolate, grains, gentle mulled wine spices, a distant hop bite. It has a long bitter dark chocolate & dry red wine linger. No alcohol taste. It has an aftertaste that is a mirrored echo.
F: Brisk, broad and gently creamy feel with a long fairly dry finish. It is medium-light bodied.
O: A slightly complex beer with a slightly lofty palate that works well within its chocolate confines. Well carbonated for its style and cocoa lassos the holiday spices. Excellent balance of flavors and pleasantly alive with a surprisingly lighter feel and body. It is VG in its style.

Pours dark. Tan foam. Spicy aroma. Spicy cinnamon and chocolate body. Light sweetness. Bitter finish. Kind of a Mexican hot chocolate flavor. Better than expected. A must try if you like this style.

 

A: pours a black body with brown hues and a tame head with decent retention and lacing.
S: roasted chocolate notes with hints of nutmeg, clove and vanilla.
T: roasted chocolate taste with nutmeg notes.
M: full bodied and smooth.
O: nice feel and taste combo; was hoping for some of the spices to make themselves more present in the taste, but decent stout.

 

 

Clown Shoes Beer "Blaecorn Yuledragon"
12 fl. oz. can; freshness dating is illegible
$21.99 / 12 Beers Of Christmas variety case @ COSTCO, Christiana, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is not my first spiced Imperial stout, although I can't remember exactly who made the ones that I have tried. I do remember thinking that it's a hard style to do because the spices have to compete with the rich dark malts and it's easy to go overboard with them. Let's see... it's poured a very dark brown that appears almost black in the full glass although there are clear brown highlights at the base of the glass. The head is a thumb's width of tan foam that's dropped but appears to be holding well at a finger's width now. In the nose I'm getting a clear roastiness, a bright fruitiness, some piney hops, and a mixture of spices that I can't really pinpoint except for cinnamon. On to the taste... I'm thinking cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for the spices although I'm sure there's probably more there. I can't really figure out the fruitiness either. Is it orange peel, or perhaps a combination with some citrusy hops. I think there's definitely some apple there as well which is probably from the yeast. It's not that bitter, nor should it be as the spices work to balance it. It finishes dry and somewhat bitter which brings me back to the malt. I thought that it would be more malty based on the aroma but it's really not. There's roastiness, a good bit of caramel, and a light bit of chocolate but I thought it would be much richer than it is. The alcohol is noticeable at 9% but it's not harsh. It's medium bodied and crisp with a standard to slightly lower than standard carbonation level. Overall it's not bad, and although the spices come on strong at the beginning you get used to them and it settles down around mid-glass. It doesn't quite seems like an Imperial stout to me as it's not that big and malty but I can forgive that as I've had others that were similar (the Harvey's version of A. Le Coq's Imperial Extra Dbl Stout initially let me down). I think it could be a lot better but it's not bad as it is.
Review #8,889

 

A- dark chocolate color, completely opaque, large fluffy espresso head
S- chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. A bit of roasted malt as well. Dark fruit faintly pops in as well
T- this is the second clown shoes stout I’ve had that starts off really good but gets ruined by a strong metallic taste. Notes of roasted malt and espresso but overall thin, watery and metallic
M- too thin
O- I wanted to like this, but it’s just not a great stout. It’s not horrible but not great

12 FL. OZ. can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

I get nutmeg and allspice on top of roasted malt with hints of dark chocolate and black coffee.

Roasted malt flavor with nutmeg. Black coffee.

Medium bodied with smooth mouthfeel

It's not too bad. I'm not much of a fan of the Christmas spices. Bah humbug, says I.

 

 

 

 

Pours deep dark chocolate brown with a thick tan head that leaves generous lacing. Aroma is dark roasted malt, cinnamon, anise, and a mix of holiday spices. Flavor follows the nose, a mix of sweetness in front and bitterness in the finish. Feel is medium bodied, with decent carbonation. Overall, an okay spiced stout.

From the can, it pours a dark brown color with a modest brown head that slowly reduces. The nose gets Christmas spice scents and roasted malts. The taste follows the nose with Christmas spices, chocolate and roasted malts.

Note: from the 12 Beers of Christmas pack 2021 and 2023 - 2023 was a definite improvement over my 2021 experience!

12oz can, wine glass, best by 1/31/24.

The beer and head are dark dark dark. Theres a solid creamy finger of head with good retention.

My first thought upon smelling it is relief that I’m not hit by an overpowering wave of clove or some such. What I do get reminds me of Black Forest cake. Vanilla, dark chocolate, a dusting of cocoa, a spike of cherry, and the spices are indistinct, lending depth. The coconut almost seems to be there as well.

The spices do make an appearance once I take a sip, but they’re under control. Now it’s more of a chocolate, clove, spiced, Dr. Pepper thing.

It’s definitely a thin 9% imperial stout. Body is barely medium and carbonation is medium-high.

Pretty whack at a spiced stout.