The Blood of Cthulhu
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Pours a deep, dark black/brown with a mocha head that is large and lasting. Much lacing is created as the beer is consumed.

Sweet raspberry hits the nose first, a slight tart note is present as well which I think must be from the cherries. There is some roasted coffee bean and cocoa elements there as well.

Taste is fruit forward with a strong chocolaty malty finish. Raspberry is noticeable and distinct. The cranberry and tart Cherry not really, but there is certainly more than raspberry going on here.

Full body with moderate carbonation. Highly drinkable for the 9.5%ABV. No booziness.

This was good. Not something I’d likely revisit on my own, but that has more to do with my lack of interest in fruited stouts. Worth a try if you come across it next time you are up in Ontario cottage country, weekending at your $1.5 million cottage.

Pours midnight oil thick black with very good coffee collar. Coffee forward nose with cranberry hints. Full bodied with raspberry forward malty goodness. Well balanced and good finish

I drank the 2019 release of this excellent Imperial Stout. Pours black with hints of mahogany. Medium foamy tan head which dissipates over a few minutes.

Smell is tart with the cherries and cranberries dominant.

Taste is complex. Smooth leather with the cherries and cranberries dominant in the front and back end. Very smooth for the high ABV not at all boozy.

Delightful mouthfeel. slightly creamy, if you lit it linger in your mouth you get a bit of bite like from pop rocks.

A fine imperial stout from a great brewery. This beer earns an A.

 

A beautiful 1.5 finger moist brown head. More roast and dark chocolate than fruit on the nose. The fruit is almost non-existent in the taste. Just a little thin but a wonderful beer.

No longer associated with Bar Hop I believe.

473ml can packaged 9/28/19. Serve in Challis at 50°F.

Pours an opaque midnight black with a two finger dark tan tight bubble head with great retention and laces the glass beautifully.

Aromas of dark bitter chocolate and dried cherries, faint burnt
molasses, subtle raspberry, but no cranberry on the nose.

Taste of dark bitter chocolate, think of 90% dark chocolate, dried cherries, slight tartness from the cranberries and raspberries. A dark bitter chocolate aftertaste that lingers for a long time.

Overall a very good Imperial Stout.

Pleasantly surprised to see this in a local (but not my usual) LCBO. $5.25 per can. Same name but no mention of Bar Hop. Canned September 12, 2019. Cost was $5.25 CDN. Served fairly cold into a chalice. 2019 edition listed at 9.5% ABV.

Appearance - Dark cola brown with slight red hue from the can, near black in the glass. A finger plus of loose but maintaining medium tan head. Spotty lacing at the edges.

Smell - Coffee, roasty, malty with hints of molasses before the fruit kicks in, raspberries and cherries most noticeable but cranberries blended in too. Sort of sweet in the way that a decent latte or mocha has the sweetness that can almost be inhaled from the froth on top. Aromatics are good but not super intense.

Taste - Coffee and roasty flavors initially before cherries and especially raspberries kick in. Cranberries and raspberries most noticeable on the close. Slightly medicinal, but only slightly. Despite a noticeable fruit hit, fairly bitter throughout.

Mouthfeel - Thick and robust, slick and somewhat creamy, carbonation is thin where the body ain't. Flavor coats the mouth and gives a flavorful finish.

Overall - A very nice and delicious imperial stout enhanced with the fruit as opposed to detracting from the beer. Certainly worth a try and I'm likely to pick up a couple more cans for saving and enjoying over the winter months that are almost upon us.

Tallboy from the LCBO; packaged Oct 3 2018, which means this is almost exactly one year old... happy birthday, can. Served slightly chilled.

Pours as black as the infinite vastness of the indifferent cosmos itself; situated atop is nearly a finger of foamy, tan-coloured head which is reduced to a bubbly cap and thin, filmy collar over the next several minutes. A smooth, even band of lacing has been applied in its wake - looks good, though I feel as if I should take off points, because I did not succumb to madness simply by gazing upon it. Those tart cherries make a nice accent on the nose, which is otherwise dominated by roasted malts and grains; kind of a chocolatey cake-like vibe going on here, which works well with the brown sugar sweetness, touch of raspberry and whiff of ethanol.

Tasty enough, with good counterplay between the roasted malts, toasted barley and fruits, of which I would say the cherry and raspberry are the most noticeable. Milk chocolate and caramelized sugar sweetness remain present through to the back end of the sip, where dark roasted coffee, cranberry astringency and a lingering, persistent burnt flavour carry on into the aftertaste. Full in body, with a slick, oily texture that seems appropriate for the life-sustaining plasma of a Great Old One. The alcohol is hard to miss and does get to be a bit much after a while, but at 9.5% I'll let that slide.

Final Grade: 3.7, a B. The contrast between the sugary forefront and astringent/bitter back end is sharp, and the cherry tartness doesn't quite feel right: The Blood of Cthulhu's not exactly an indescribable, apocalyptic horror, in that it does have a few appealing traits, but IMO it doesn't really come together that well. I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt because of its age - I know that the 2019 batch was released not too long ago, so I'll try it if possible and see how she goes. For now I'll just say drink this within a year because there's probably nothing to be gained from cellaring it.

 

Appearance: Poured with a solid two fingers of creamy and rocky head that produced ample lacing and retained exceptionally well. The body is an opaque black with maybe the barest red tinge, but it's so subtle my eyes may be playing tricks.

Smell: As advertised, as a mixed berries dominate the nose, and unsurprisingly cherries, raspberries and cranberries to a backing of heavily roasted malt. Warming is certainly needed to bring it out its potency.

Taste: Starts with the roasted, burnt malt and then that mixed berry note comes forward with a nice mild tartness before being rounded out by a excellent dark chocolate bitterness that blends very well with the berries that would not be out of place in a box of pot of gold chocolates.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is exceptional, as it comes across as nice and creamy as a good stout should. The transitioning is also very smooth, blending together very well. The weak point though is the aftertaste, as that dark chocolate seems to lose a good portion of it's chocolate and gives off a more generic, bland bitterness without any of the berries to reign it it. I want to call it dry earth, but I don't think that does it justice. I suspect it's the high alcohol creeping out from the shadows. It's odd, but thankfully it doesn't cloy.

Drinkability: As a big imperial stout should be, this stuff is thick, heavy and drinks like a meal. Despite that, it's smoothness keeps you going, so you don't treat it like a nursing stout. It settles down exceptionally well, but that dry note seems to really accent itself once the beer is done.

Final Thoughts: This is what a big, bold, different imperial stout should be. Packed with the flavour from what it's going for (in this case berries), thick, heavy and not afraid to misstep a bit to bring itself to the table. This is a winter drinker, absolutely and it is a beer that should be reserved for special occasions. Definitely two thumbs up on this one.

 

Dark brown as to almost be black; pour forms minimal head that withers into a rim in half a minute.
Faint aroma, of cassis, bitter dark chocolate.
Acidic, thin, bitter espresso dominates the palate; paired with decent alcohol burn, it's punishing and aggressive; hints of cherry cola; light carbonation leaves it on the watery side in terms of mouthfeel, along with some chalkiness like from a dark chocolate bar.

Over time the palate adjusts and it's manageable, but it really is too bitter, lacking balance and depth of flavour. Seemed promising, but misses the mark.

My can says 9.5% ABV

Dec 14 2018

Pours deep lack with a thinnish parchment coloured head. Aroma: Coffee, dark fruit, tobacco, raspberry. Complex yet surprisingly quaffable.

 

An interesting brew in that it has some dimension instead of being a straight up brute force brew like many of the style. Short head, but pretty good lace. Black. Noticeably fruity over top top dark chocolate, both in its aroms and taste. I think that makes it more interesting than other brews of this ilk. Big alcohol is nicely hidden away and doesn't distract. Good for a slow drink and a warm feeling, worth s try.

Pours pure black with a whispy short lived head. Lots of lace on the glass. Raspberry and espresso fill the nose. Sweet fruit, ripe berries, citrus and roasty, tobacco, leather notes mingle in surprising harmony in the taste. The mouthfeel is full bodied with light carbonation. The finish is fruity and roasty and long. Hops are restrained throughout.

This is an interesting Imperial stout with the addition of fruit. Alcohol is very well hidden. The fruit flavor could be dialed back slightly but this is still and excellent stout I recommend.

 

 

Dark brown and opaque with a hint of amber when held to the light. Topped with 2 fingers of deep brown, beige head.

Smells of cocoa, dark chocolate and coffee. I get hints of rust, and a very little hint of red berries, and a very slightly floral note.

Dark chocolate, cocoa powder, hints of red berries, and a deep, charred, bitter finish. There is a slight sourness which is probably from the cranberries.

Medium to thick, oily body, with moderate, foamy carbonation.

Got this at the brewery in Gravenhurst less than a month ago, drinking it January 7th, 2018. Generally a good mouth feel and flavor, but not a fan of the deep charred finish.