Hellboy - Maple Syrup Pancakes
Gigantic Brewing Company

.5l bottle courtesy of Toby. Dark brown, mahogany, tiny head. Maple aroma, butter too, and yes, the pancakes. Taste tones the sweetness a bit, but still pretty strong on the maple. Bitterness towards the back, some cola notes.

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark, mahogany brown color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy, off white head that lasted an average amount of time. Not much lacing.

S: A sharp aroma of maple syrup, malt, a nutty quality, and caramel.

T: Tasted of a small amount of the nutty quality (very fleeting), a bit of malt (present throughout), a ton of maple syrup (the dominant force), a little caramel, a grassy / herbal quality (mostly in the finish). An unusual flavor that's sugary and sweet. It borders on being one-note, but that's nothing to complain about. Pretty tasty.

F: A decent amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An enjoyable brown ale. Worth a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- A clear brownish red with a two finger off white head.

S- Maple syrup, pancakes, some toasted malts, touch of nuttiness.

T- Follows the nose with a little more ale character. Maple syrup, toasted malts, pancakes, a little earthy.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A fun beer that’s actually well balance. Very easy to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

"Maple Syrup Pancakes Beer" - yeah, I'd say okay - kinda had some blonde ale aspects to it - something about the feel and flavor profile - but a real enjoyable brown ale, playing up a really nicely flavored beer - the beer is not overly sweet, and has a bit of chewy, lightly bitter caramel resin as well as a fluffy, pancake-like feel and character, with a nice, but not overdone, maple syrup sweetness... Medium-bodied but rounded and soft-feeling... A really enjoyable ale - and totally sessionable at a devilish 6.66% abv...

500 ml bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but was just released. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red, light copper/brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of molasses, roasted nuts, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, butter, dark fruit, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple syrup, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of molasses, roasted nuts, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, butter, dark fruit, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, floral, woody, grassy, spicy, roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, molasses, roasted nuts, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, butter, dark fruit, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple syrup, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roasted bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.66%. Overall this is an awesome flavored brown ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, maple syrup, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish, great soft feel. One of the hugest maple syrup tasting beers I've had, right behind the Flying Monkeys one. Enormous pure maple syrup flavors, with great balance of brown ale malt complexity; with just enough earthy hops to balance sweetness. A really enjoyable offering, and outstanding experimental style example. They nailed it, tastes exactly like pancakes all the way through.

 

 

Poured into a Reuben's Brew small snifter. Pours a very dark reddish brown, with a quarter finger light khaki head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of maple, waffles, mildly toasted dark malt; a little nutty. Flavor is maple syrup, waffle, butter (?!?), subdued dark toasted malt, hints of cocoa and nuts. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Holy moly, the flavors of a butter and maple syrup covered waffle are a clear as possible in an ale. Maple dominates, but the doughy, crisp waffle flavor is authentic too. There even seems to be butter, but probably just because the the other flavors are so uncanny. Flavor is slightly subdued and the malt plays second fiddle to the maple, but this delivers pretty much exactly what it promises. I liked Hellboy, but don't remember the pancake connection (I'm getting waffles rather than pancakes, but both work). Very good for a sweet breakfast inspired ale with a graphic novel connection. I will be watching for the others in the series. Gigantic really knows how to pull off these odd ideas.