The Spaghetti Western
Brewfist

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This unique imperial pours a
rugged oily black with a very nice head of tan foam that settles to a
thick fine beaded layer with excellent lacing. Nose of grape must,
smoke, coffee, and earthy chocolate. Flavors shows a fine presentation
of a unique hybrid brewed with spaghetti (?!?). Bitter bakers chocolate
mingles nicely with moderate char and earthy malts over roasted coffee
and a nice dose of leather and smokey tobacco with dark grape and oaken notes.
Very nice mouth feel; full body, light carbonation, and a nicely presented
roasted finish with touches of char.

An awesome hybrid in a grappa barrel no less. Nice!

Cheers

I’ve taken my time to get to this brew – having added it to BeerAdvocate 7 months ago. Yes, it’s been at the back of my fridge, quietly biding its time, let’s face it – with a best before of 12/25 it’s in no hurry. Why now then? Turns out I’m cleaning out my beer cellar, I’m taking a hiatus some point in the future, I’m drawing an imaginary line under my reviews, it’s time soon for a vacation – a vacation from reviewing [as fun as it’s been]. So I’m not hugely familiar with Brewfist, having only reviewed their Catepillar APA in 2014 and not being impressed I’ve avoided them since. This sounds intriguing: Grappa barrel-aged chocolate coffee Imperial Stout – how many things can Brewfist pack in there? *straps self in*

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Blacker than my bike chain (which really really needs a clean already) with a nice big khaki-coloured cappuccino foam head that slowly drops back leaving minimal lace on top. There appears to be some real density to this brew – at 10.7% ABV it’s going to be quite the bruiser I suspect. 8/10.

S: Heady stuff! Big with dark chocolate, cacao nibs, espresso coffee and an unmistakable whiff of powerful Italian grappa (think vodka on major steroids with a dash of brandy thrown in for good measure – like vodka needs a brandy kick anyhow). This is one impressive… no, it’s more ominous, like a large bus-sized man in a trench-coat and trilby standing in the shadows – there’s an overriding sense that this beer will in fact mug me. 9/10.

T: Powerful but approachable – not expecting that. Flavour profile consists of the following: Dark chocolate, cacao nibs, espresso coffee, a bold grappa slap, smoky notes, woody and earthy tones. Yep, this is a big fish. That grappa slap comes through even more as the glass drains – it starts to come across a bit too Fusel-like and hot, but thems the breaks with grappa – it’s the drink that’s designed to make you want to barf your gall bladder on digestion. Finish is roasted coffee bitterness and yes, a slight alcohol burn belying that 10.7% ABV. 8/10.

M: Feels dense but at the same time watery (sounds like a contradiction but it’s not), mid to heavy body, flat(ish) carbonation – needs work here. 6/10.

D: Grappa is not the best thing to age a beer in. That said I’m pleasantly surprised by this brew, not FBS surprised, but it certainly wasn’t as bad as I thought it might have been. Plus there’s a really solid base Stout in this Brewfist. 7/10.

Food match: Spaghetti: Western-style (which I imagine has pinto beans and salsa).