Grand Cru
Evil Twin Brewing

 

Retired already? This 16 oz. can hasn’t been in my fridge that long but there’s no legible canning date, either. Taken down on my own. It is Monday after all.

Black. Maybe there’s a tint of red around the edges that hints at the barleywine in its DNA. Bold nose: big maple, caramel, & a hockey stick of wood.

Evil Twin Grand Cru is befuddled. Honestly this tastes like I just blended something up in a shaker & poured it into my glass at the height of amateur hour. I can taste the stout & I can taste the barleywine separately (maybe I should have rolled the can). Maple is hanging around, along with wood, but the bourbon has gone away, & there’s some caramel/toffee.

Muddled. Wish I knew if this was a three year old can ‘cause I wouldn’t be hard on it, but this isn’t good.

Imported from New York back in May 2019 - luggage to Canada.
Pours a dark brown - verging to black - with reddish highlights at edge - scant dark tan head.
Aroma malty with maple, brown sugar, notes of the bourbon barrel, vanilla and caramel.
Caramel malt sweetness, maple brown sugar and vanilla flavours - notes of oak, bourbon, and plum/dark fruit along with a touch of bittersweet chocolate and a moderate booziness.
Sweet and boozy full mouthfeel - warming and rich on moderate carbonation.

Pours black with some brown notes to it small brown head falls so fast to a ring, no lace.

Aroma is sweet malts, big maple , oak, vanilla, brown sugars, caramel, toffee with light bourbon barrel notes. Some dark fruit hints, tobacco and herbal hints light alcohol notes mingled through out everything. Such a rich complex brew happening here. Seems to have held up well.

Taste is maybe showing its age a bit more. Still nice big roasted malts loads of sweetness brown sugars, caramel, maple oak light bourbon barrel notes, vanilla, dark fruits, coffee notes some lingering old hops that gives it barley wine hints form the past. Still a nice beer even if its a little let down from that great nose.

Mouthfeel is big medium with smooth mellow carbonation.

Overall still a wonderful beer they need to bring this one out of retirement would like to try this bad boy fresher.

 

 

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, deep, dark brown color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sticky patches of lace. It smelled of bourbon, maple, vanilla, oak and toffee. Sweet chocolate, toffee and bourbon taste with vanilla and oak notes. Full bodied.

 

Woo! Saw this gem during a recent trip to a craft beer store in the great first state..Delaware
Poured from a can into a tulip- inky black, FB of khaki head that resolves quickly. Smells of roasted malts, bourbon, maple syrup- taste is sweet malty- vanilla, chocolate, wood notes from the bourbon and then some raisin, dark fruits and barley wine notes- mouthfeels is milky with scant effervescence and a little acidity to keep this sweet miss from becoming cloying.
Well hidden abv- reminds me of a smoother cbs (perhaps from the barley wine?)
So sad that this was discontinued- must return to Delaware to buy out their remaining lot...

 

 

16 ounce can into snifter, canned in 2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense tan head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread/crust, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a solid malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing drynss from lingering bitter/spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/slick/bready, and lightly syrupy/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Lightly increasing warmth of 12.5%, with mild lingering barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic strong ale. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple bourbon barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Great soft feel for the ABV, not overly boozy/tannic. Fantastic balance of super rich malts and maple bourbon barrel presence/integration; with light earthy hops and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected of the brewery.

 

Pitch black with a big mocha head.

Very roasty character and big bourbon presence on the nose.
A bit of smokiness and estery notes from the bourbon.
The barleywine part is not dominating
The mouthfeel is thick

Pours dark brown. Two fingers of head with medium lacing.

Nose is malt, bourbon, brown sugar. Not getting any maple like I was suspecting.

Taste is a lot more. Sweet bourbon stout right out of the gate. Getting a little maple now. And some savory flavor reminiscent of mixed nuts. Pecans perhaps? The barleywine isn't too strong. But it rounds out the stout aspect really well, making it seem lighter than your typical stout.

Small amount of carbonation. Not quite thick but not thin either. A good balance.

 

 

Poured black with a two-finger dark khaki fizzy head that quickly dissipated. Light lacing. Nose is light bourbon, maple, vanilla and caramel. A very complex flavor yielding layers of bourbon barrel, malt, maple, vanilla, dark fruit, and caramel. The bourbon runs through all sips. Maple is light but noticeable. A bit of black licorice on the finish that lingers. Booze becomes noticeable right away and warms the soul. At 12.5% ABV, one has to be careful. The body is full and creamy with light carbonation. What a stunning blend of stout and barley-wine flavor and a terrific sipper! Evil Twin continues to impress the Hell out of me!

Pint can poured to an IPA glass. Pours black with only a thin layer of head that dissipates quickly. Leaves specks all over the side of the glass as you drink it. Bold flavors, and in contrast to a previous reviewer, I get more barleywine notes than stout--perhaps a difference in palate combined with a difference in temperature. In any case, plenty of vanilla, brown sugar, dark stone fruits, and moderate barrel character. The maple is not a huge player, which I like, but it has enough that in combination with the stout, it dries out the finish nicely.