The Wise And The Lovely
DC Brau Brewing Co.

Sampled at SAVOR 2017. This brew had a nice roasty character, with good balance. It was enjoyable, but a little hot on the finish and not very unique.

(Notes)
The beer pours a nice brown head that is creamy and dissipates at a moderate pace. The beer itself is a really good looking and spectacular dark chocolate black.

The smell has a nice moderate cocoa note with a slight hint of lactose that gets lost easily in the other notes. The two combined create a a nice creamy cocoa note slightly like an expensive milk chocolate with a good chocolate bitterness. There are also light dark roasted malt notes but are also easily overwhelmed.

The taste is a lot more bitter in terms of hop bitterness and chocolate bitterness. The hop bitterness is more present but still subtle as not to overwhelm the chocolate notes. The taste has much more sweet lactose note that blends with the cocoa nibs to create something nice and creamy bitter note in the smell. It's slightly sweeter than most in the style but it works wonderfully.

The tiddlying carbonation gives it a nice soft texture that keeps the feel from being syrupy. It has a nice feel that borders on creamy and syrupy and smooth. It essentially feels dangerously drinkable.

Overall, this was a fantastic beer by two very good breweries. The unique flavor made an interesting take and you can barely differentiate between the two different styles. If this ever comes back, it would definitely be worth getting.

 

 

 

 

My maternal aunt & her husband have been in DC since I was a wee one & I have visited our nation's capitol almost as often as PHL & a few other world cities. As I grew older, more independent & a whole lot more anarchical, I was given greater autonomy to explore & do my own thing. I still have a place to stay, but when they are out of town, I will CouchSurf or find a local Youth Hostel with an available bunk. Such was the case as my Pens played the Caps in Game 5, which the former lost on the way to their eventual Stanley Cup victory. I awoke the following morning, checked out & hit the nearby liquor store which was just opening for the day. I know how to scour for CANQuest (tm) CANs & I was on the prowl when I spotted this mixed-six. I inquired of the proprietor if there was a limit. "Pheh! My son accepts these from the distributor while I am away! They don't move. Limit? Your credit card!" 8=O! I was stunned, but reserved myself to one for me & one for my returning in-person trader, tone77.

From the CAN: "Unwrap this complex offering, a collaboration between DC Brau Brewing and Cigar City Brewing with peace: For within each there is a liquid prize."; "This Stout is brewed with lactose and cocoa nibs from our friends next door at Harper Macaw. Molded in the fashion of dark chocolate, a beer to behold, The Wise and The Lovely."

I never seem to get any wiser about the Crack! & Glug, but it is often lovely to behold. In this case, the liquid came rushing out without initially seeming to form any sort of head. It suddenly dawned on me that it was due to its dark color and I backed off, just in time to watch a massive pseudo-cascade begin! OMFG. It suddenly seemed to explode with foam in the glass, coming right up to the lip of the glass and holding as I held my breath. It gave up before I did & I exhaled as it began to fall back, leaving rich lacing behind. I got two-plus fingers of deep-brown head out of the ordeal. When will I learn? Color was absolutely Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was rich and smoky with scents of black coffee & dark chocolate. Mmmm. Mouthfeel was rich and thick, really creamy and more like a dollop on my tongue than a draught from a glass. The taste was as rich as the nose had led me to expect. In addition to black coffee & dark chocolate, I tasted leather (think the interior of Domaki Leathers), toffee, tobacco, treacle & black licorice. Wow! I am drawn more to AIPAs & DIPAs, but I CAN appreciate why people really like this style. I fully agree with the CAN's description of it as "complex". Warming, it seemed to get thicker & denser and the rawness of the flavors seemed to intensify. This was a no playing around beer, to be sure. Finish was really dry with a bit of heat lingering in the throat as a subtle reminder of what had come before. For me, one was plenty, but if this is your bag, it is worth seeking out while it is still around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A big thanks to the high priest of inebriation, and the sultan of canned beer, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, roasted malts. Taste is chocolate, lactose, roasted malts, mild bitterness, alcohol is well hidden for the most part. Feels creamy in the mouth and overall is a good quality beer.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz can into a snifter.
L - Pours a dark black with a tan head.
S. - Smells of roasty chocolate.
T - Taste of bitter chocolate
F - Thick stout with minimal carbonation.
O - Interesting stout with a boozy finish.