Christmas Eve At A New York City Hotel Room
Evil Twin Brewing

mschrei from Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I bought this two years ago in Lake Geneva. Left one at the condo we were staying at and found it a year later. Was great with a cigar by the lake. Having my last one tonight, on Christmas Eve (technically it’s Christmas Day, but still...)

Typical appearance for a stout, not much head or lacing. Sweet and dark roasty malt smells. Taste is dark malt, roasty, dark fruit, slightly smoky. Pretty layered. Slightly medium bodied, a bit thin, definitely boozy.

Pretty good, and a great Christmas Eve nightcap.

Dec 25, 2020

daliandragon from Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Another heavy abv and strangely named brew from the rebels at Evil Twin. Nose is heavy on dark fruit and baker's choclate. The flavor is suitably complex with a thick, dripy texture. Espresso, burnt ends, leather, grapeskin, molasses and wood/earth notes ae all detectable. Balancing hops are present but under the radar.

Not an everyday drinking beer but a great snifter or nightcap.

Dec 27, 2018

YungAnejo from Nevada

4.21/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 231-14 so it had almost 4 years to settle down, picked up the single 12oz for $4.99

Hard pour, it’s thick like motor oil with a light brown head, maybe inch or so that settles into a nice film with a decent collar, minimal lacing

Aroma is licorice root, sweet dark fruit like some sugar plums, hint of leather and tobacco make this decently phenolic, slight sharpie alcohol burn but after agitation it brings out a sweet milk chocolate

Taste is slightly bitter at first but mostly sweet black licorice prune juice that turns to a slightly metallic copper acidity, hint of grape and oaky tobacco in the finish

Mouthfeel is a tad light, proper carbonation but most notable the finish is extremely bold and long, this thing stains the mouth so be ready, slight alcohol warmth is still present but enjoyable

Overall another solid offering from EvilTwin, I’m surprised I ever found one but if you get the chance it’s definitely worth a try, more along the lines of a Russian imperial then American imperial but awesome nonetheless

Apr 11, 2018

kitch from Hong Kong

3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 23215, meaning it was bottled on 20th August 2015, so aged for about 2.5 years. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger brown head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.

Aroma: Roasted malts, molasses, chocolate, cocoa, raisins and dark fruit with hints of char and leather.

Taste: Peppery spice and woody beginning, followed by roasted malts, cocoa, chocolate and molasses. There is a touch of dark fruit and hints of smoke on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.

Overall: My first impression wasn’t so good, but the more I drank it, the more I grew to like it. Perhaps partly it was because it got better as it warmed.

Feb 20, 2018

RyanK252 from California

4.16/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2014 Bottle poured into a Founders Brewing Co snifter

A: Pours nearly black with a frothy milk chocolate head that settles to a thin layer and leaves few spots of lacing.

S: Roasted malt, dark chocolate, molasses, earthy, faint fruity notes, a touch of spice, and a hint of alcohol as it warms.

T: Roasty, earthy, the lightest hint of smoke, rich dark chocolate, molasses, a touch of spice, a little dark fruit, fig, with a little alcohol coming out as it warms, though not harsh or unpleasant.

M: Full body, moderate carbonation, a little alcohol warmth as it goes down.

O: I've been meaning to drink this one for a while, and now I finally get a chance on the appropriate night. For once my procrastination has paid off. Age has treated this one very well.

Dec 25, 2017

TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

3.92/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a thick black with scant brown head. Aroma of dark fruits, burnt caramel, and licorice. Taste is moderately boozy coffee, licorice, raisin/dark fruits, molasses - mild bitterness but finish is smooth and sweet. Very good - not quite as good as some Evil Twin offerings - but high standard to live up to.

Nov 06, 2017

RonaldTheriot from Louisiana

4.98/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Christmas Eve At A New York City Hotel Room has a thin, beige head, a very dark brown (essentially black) appearance, and no glass lacing. The aroma is of metal, raisins, dark fruit, black strap molasses, leather, dark malt, and brown bread crust. Taste is of chocolate, malt, raisin, dark bread crust, and just a touch of acrid bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy and velvety, and CEAANYCHR finishes sweet and strong.

RJT

Aug 16, 2017

Sabtos from Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A black body has a slow to show dense tan creamy finger of foam that grows and dies in an unusually steady manner shortly after the pour is completed.

Smell is cocoa and woody, cedary hops with salted, smoked almonds and molasses. I get a hint of vanilla as it warms.

Spicy, woody peppery hops bite the tongue first, which then transitions into nutty cocoa, molasses and wafer. As it warms, cola and blueberry flavors develop, but hops definitely are at the fore with this beer.

Feel is not as thick as you’d think, with a moderate body, mild carbonation, and semi-wet finish.

Aug 09, 2017

MaltyPythonsHopCircus from Canada (BC)

4.37/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Small tan head even with an aggressive pour. Aromas are subtle coffee, roast malt and slightly woodsy. Flavour is quite roasty with coffee, sawdust, tobacco and a subtle berry note. Flavours open up more as it warms but head dissipates quickly

Jun 23, 2017

The_Beergery from Singapore

3.68/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle from back in the middle of 2015 - thankfully, stouts keep quite well! Pours a deep black shade with a minimal layer of tan froth. Aroma is strongly dominated by dark chocolate and roasted malt, with hardly any trace of hops. Taste follows the nose, rich draft chocolates and roasty malts, sweet to the taste with a absolutely divine chewiness and thickness in the mouthfeel. Carbonation is average which nicely balances out the thickness and smoothness of the mouthfeel with its buzziness.

May 08, 2017

gshak from Texas

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Purchased some time last year, didn't check the bottle dating, and not too concerned about it either, with this being a 10% ABV imperial stout.
A - Given my prior experience with evil twin beers, I poured this one hard and bang into the center of my $ store pokal. It generated a wispy half a finger width of mocha head that quickly dissipated. Yes, I've come to expect this of evil twin beers.
S - Very very subdued. Very light coffee, roasted malts and dark fruit. There is a bit of a woody/vanilla note in there somewhere.
T - Better than the smell for sure. Opens with a milk chocolate vibe, plenty of sweetness, and prickly carbonation that highlights the fruity aspects of the beer. There's a blend of dark fruits, and something much lighter, like a pomegranate or grapes even. There is a certain cola-like flavor to it, and the finish is much brighter and drier perhaps even slight oxidation. The roasty, coffee aspects are completely overshadowed by the aforementioned notes.
M - Heavy-medium and prickly. Not a fan.
O - Not a bad beer, but not a memorable one either. Worth a single purchase, but unlikely to be a repeat buy.

Feb 10, 2017

flagmantho from Washington

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 12oz bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: totally, completely black with a finger of dark brown, frothy, creamy foam. Outstanding.

Smell: big, sweet malt; dark fruit; deep roast and -- is that a little wood? Very good indeed.

Taste: roasty, sweet, deep and dark. Starts of with fruitiness, moves into a bit of alcohol heat and finishes with a great roastiness. There is a little bit of a lingering vegetal character but that is acceptable given its other hugenesses.

Mouthfeel: medium-rich body but with a bit of a restrained carbonation and a decent creaminess, if a bit light considering this beer's otherwise plenty of heft.

Overall: I enjoy the heck out of this beer. A great example of the style.

Feb 01, 2017

Harrison8 from Missouri

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours black with a finger of caramel colored, fizzy head. Head retention is so-so, with no lacing. Roasted malts, caramel, and holiday spices peep through in the aroma. Flavor profile is roasted malts, caramel, with a holiday spicy finish. A bit of an alcohol, boozy finish lingers after the beer warms up a bit. Mouth feel is medium-thin and smooth. Overall, a so-so imperial stout. Some pleasant holiday notes, but otherwise a solid imperial stout.

Served in a 12oz snifter.

Jan 15, 2017

IvoryFoxhole from Virginia

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle, Batch 006. Poured into Kane tulip glass.

L: Pitch black, no light through. Small head, not much retention. No lacing, just a thin ring and partial cap.

S: Dark fruits, roasted malts and some anise.

T: All is very dark in this, perhaps representing the name nicely. Dark coffee. Dark fruits. Dark licorice. A little bit of heat on the finish. Not picking up any of the sweetness others have.

F: Medium-bodied, not as thick as you might expect and perhaps a bit less than desirable. Not much in the way of carbonation. Construction is decent. Balance pretty good, but most top brewers these days are able to hide this level of heat.

O: It's a bit disappointing only because I expect a lot out of Evil Twin. Certainly well above average and innovative and creative in its own right, but the execution isn't quite there.

Jan 01, 2017

patre_tim from Thailand

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pitch black with a finger of rusty chocolate milk head.

Smells of tar, black liquorice, liquorice all sorts, oily resin, and light fruity notes.

Lightly sweet, coffee, dark chocolate, light, sweet notes. Waffle ice cream cone. Its like chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone.

Thick but smooth body, Light carbonation.

Got online, drinking New Years Eve, 2016, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Really good, like the ice cream qualities

Dec 31, 2016

GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This was another wonderful stout/porter from Eviltwin Brewery. What stood out with this stout was the wonderful sweetness from the dark fruits, carmel and molasses with the imperial bitterness. This breeery is climing up the ranks of my favorites.

Dec 31, 2016

StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.57/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

12 oz. bottle

Pours black with a creamy brown foam head. Smells like dark roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, berry, mild smoke, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toast, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, black coffee, dark fruits, berry, mild smoke, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toast, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium bodied, creamy with moderate low carbonation. Overall a really nice imperial stout.

Dec 25, 2016

q33jeff from New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

**
12/12/2015
On tap at Max's. Fells point.
Aroma is Dark fruit. Dark malt.
Look is Dark black, medium head.
Taste is raisin, plum , pomegranate, dark chocolate coffee.
Feel is very full bodied.
Very nice."

Sep 19, 2016

chinchill from South Carolina

3.79/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle into a Belgian snifter.
This is a mediocre looking RIS with a mediocre aroma.
The flavor and smooth mouthfeel are, however, well above mediocre. There's a sweet, boozy aroma from the near black, opaque body that's unimpaired by a head, there being only a ring moments after the pour. Full body with light carbonation. The flavor though, is rich, moderately complex and well balanced. Partially hidden high ABV.

Sep 15, 2016

avalon07 from South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a jet black color and a thick consistency. There was a small amount of foamy, tan-colored head that lasted a below average amount of time. No real lacing to speak of.

S: Smelled of a lot of dark fruit, malt, and some coffee.

T: Tasted of a small amount of coffee, light chocolate notes, roasted malt, dark fruit (plums?), molasses, grassy hops, vanilla, and some caramel. A solid enough flavor, but not as aggressive as it should be, given the style. Could have used a bit more coffee and chocolate. Still, a good flavor.

F: An average amount of carbonation with a silky finish. Medium- to full-bodied.

O: This isn't the greatest stout I've ever tried, but it is definitely drinkable. Worth a look.

Aug 29, 2016

stortore from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into a snifter.

Pours a very dark brown, a little ruby around the edges, opaque, with a small head and some lacing. Smell brings roasted malts, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, a little molasses, a touch of smoke. Taste leads with the malt- not as roasty as the nose, chocolate- more than the nose, vanilla, some coffee, a little molasses. A slight hop bitterness throughout. Smooth, fairly full bodied, a little creamy, the taste lingers.

Kind of a different Imperial Stout from Evil Twin, very enjoyable and drinkable. Lots of vanilla, even if it doesn't lead. And, the 4 pack makes it seem like an everyday kind of stout! Seriously, this is well worth a purchase.

Jun 07, 2016

Cramshawbar from Canada (ON)

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not as good as Peche Mortel but man, this is a great beer. And potent!
One of the best stouts you'd ever want to try. The coffee element is strong with this one.
No head to speak of, low carbonation.

May 22, 2016

sjdevel from Utah

4.82/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Look:
This brew is very flat when pouring out of a 12 ounce bottle. There was barely a “piff” sound when I opened it, but it is possible that there was an issue with the seal on this one. There was some dried gunk under the rim and some downward almost as if it had a slow leak/boil over at one time, and later resealed. I poured a bit roughly to over-compensate and only ended up with a foam ring. The date on the bottle was 8-29-2013. This beer is VERY VERY DARK. No light will ever penetrate this one. The foam ring is a dark khaki color and some lacing is evident.

Smell:
Quite aromatic! First are smells of chocolate, coffee, toffee, and tobacco. Some fruity scents also swirl around (cherry, mango). Also a slight charred oak/smoky smell.

Taste:
A slight hop bitterness at first, and then the waterfall of flavors begin (not a little trickle of flavors here, but like opening the flood gates!). AWESOME beer! A blast of caramelly sweetness pours in first, followed by chocolate, coffee, toffee, tobacco, nuttiness, charred wood, etc.… -you name it, the flavor is bound to be in there. Every rich and dark dessert thrown into a blender. There are fruity hints as well in the flavor. When all else fades, you are left with a nice comforting campfire and s’mores taste left in your mouth!

Feel:
Thick and chewy. Full bodied but not very fizzy: expected low carbonation for the style. Slick and oily on the tongue.

Overall:
Great, super, and awesome. My first EVIL TWIN beer and very impressed.

Apr 14, 2016

ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

4.61/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Love the name of this one....very original! The beer itself pours a rich motor oil brown/black color and it looks thick initially....there are some bronze hues when held up against the light....quite nice! The head on this one is a mocha coffee color and looks velvety upon inspection....it retains well and is rather dense in nature! Lacing is modest, with most of the foam sinking back into the brew rather quickly...above average overall!

S- Upon the first whiff, it is rich, deep and robust in aromas! Black French roast coffee, dark, heavily roasted malt that has hints of nutty sweetness blended into it, and along with this, there is some bakers chocolate and black cherrry....almost like black forest cake...with some boozeiness, and the finish is Earthy, balanced and surprisingly clean!

T- Semi Sweet dark chocolate with dark chocolate covered cordial cherry booziness and sweetness. Heavy black forest cake and dark ripe black cherry fruits....this is some of the best balanced beer that I've ever had! Deep French Roast coffee brewed with fresh vanilla pod is noted, creamy yeast, and a smooth nuttiness! Awesome!

M/O- Velvety smooooooth creaminess and solid medium-full body, this is simply gorgeous beer to drink! I cannot believe how well hidden the alcohol is in this one....it is impressive and a very highly drinkable stout!!! The best before date on the label suggested that this was to be enjoyed no later than 2015....it is 4 months into 2016 and I'm telling you, this is a proper vintage date....enjoy with black forest cake or cheesecake!......I would love to acquire more of this and have to give full marks to EvilTwin! Superb!!

Apr 05, 2016

leitmotif from Romania

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm enjoying this in a hotel room. Pitch black with mocha head. Sweet malt, roasted coffee and milk are straight forward in the nose. Hints of cocoa and some dark fruits follow. The taste is rich, heavy. Coffee and lactose. Plums, figs and raisins. Nice milky finish. Awesome dark chocolate aftertaste with some warm alcohol feel. Just a bit of harsh feel from the hops make this not so easy to drink.

Mar 26, 2016