The Queen
Indeed Brewing Company - Minneapolis

Chugged a couple of these on Thanksgiving. Red-ish foam, otherwise black. It tastes a whole lot like whiskey and just a little like marshmallow. Really really smooth. It's overly sweet but is enjoyable the whole way through. I'm thankful for good beer

2021 notes:
Thoroughly black, utterly opaque, slim brown head.

In the nose: big cocoa and espresso. Deep and dark. Charcoal, molasses and more. Touch of vanilla. Barrel-aging effects are coming in.

In the mouth: thick, rich, viscous. Massive mouthfeel. Some sweetness, just enough bitter, huge malt. Usual suspects at play in this RIS, all the richness and decadence, wrapped up in the whiskey barrel. All the depth is being plumbed, without going too far overboard.

Yum, I must say, a dum dum.

 

 

12oz can
canned 02/03/21
L: pitch black body, thinner brown head
S: oaky whisky, chocolate, roast, char, vanilla, booze
T: boozy and rich with a great meld of flavors: whiskey drenched oak, dark cocoa, raisin, vanilla, toffee, caramel, char, roasted barley, white pepper
F: full body, boozy but not too hot, modest carbonation, whisky and woody oak linger on the palate
O: I love that this was aged in a whiskey barrel and not a bourbon barrel. So good!

 

I think this is pretty darn fresh, for better or worse. Says canned 2/6/20, which seems unusual. Could this be last years batch?
It's very black with no apparent highlights. Nice dark head. Alcohol apparent even in the aroma, but also rich malt with dark fruit. Tastes fresh with no aging that I can tell. Fresh big stout bite, with no smoothness or blending of flavors. That's not necessarily bad, just an observation. Quite rich. Also a fair amount of drying that seems both hops and malt related. Good dark chocolate, but kinda' light on the vanilla and bourbon.
Not a huge feel but it is big and okay on smoothness.
I may let my next one warm up more and see if that makes a difference. Also, some aging might be warrented but I hate aging in cans. I don't find it to be successful too many times.

 

 

 

Canned on 2/6/20

Pours a solid, dense black body capped with two fingers of frothy, deep mocha foam; good head retention leaves a sparse array of paper-thin, spotty islands of cap along with a dense, creamy collar and temporary spread of webby lacing.

Aroma encompasses an oaky amalgam of bitter toffee, smoked caramel, rum-soaked raisins, and a hint of toasted vanilla bean upfront; a rich, chocolate undertone courses throughout as a sharp hit of whiskey interwoven into every element of the bouquet and leads into an airy, boozy plum close.

Taste opens with milk chocolate striking briefly before a soft tone of whiskey and charred malt take over; a hefty oak presence perpetuates this gradual char past the mid-palate, as touches of burnt vanilla bean and increasing alcohol presence seeps into the finish.

Mouthfeel features a body on the lighter end of medium alongside a barely-there spritz of carbonation; becomes slick past the mid-palate into a more slightly charry texture, leaving a well-attenuated grit across the back end to an easygoing finish petering out steadily with a lingering warmth and gently punchy booziness.

While the alcohol presence is nicely tempered as a whole, it manages to cut through elements of the flavor and aroma and nullifies the depth indicated from the beer's robust initial impressions; the brew stays largely composed throughout, yet the cutting booziness is enough to throw its grander potential off-track. A very good BA stout with all the makings of something more.

A nice shelf barrel-aged stout available in cans. Nice Indeed did this as an alternative to their much maligned Rum King. Not a barrel bomb but has enough flavor and warmth to greet the drinker. Not the greates out there but it satisfies an itch.

 

 

nicely blr aged- not a strong whiskey flavor - very dark in the pour - strong stout taste - but very malty and enjoyable

Pours a pitch black color with a finger width brown foamy head. Head retention is good. Lacing is very good. Aroma of whiskey, chocolate and mild vanilla. The whiskey seems to overwhelm the rest of the flavor. There is some very mild chocolate. I do not get the vanilla. Medium to heavy bodied with moderate carbonation.

revised 3/13 - more chocolate coming through now.

 

 

 

What a balanced bas should taste like in my opinion...not too sticky not too much burn ..nice whiskey

 

 

This, or something like what’s in this 12 oz. can, has been on tap sporadically over the past couple of years. Glad to see it packaged finally.

The pour is stout, the nose is chocolate, stout, & whiskey. That’s a good hook.

The Queen is as harsh as Queen Ranavalona. Rather than the smoothness of a bourbon barrel stout, the whiskey brings a solventy, abrasive quality to the beer that I’m rather enjoying. Set against the soft chocolate, green oak, & a little vanilla, this sounds awful. It’s not; quite the opposite. I can feel, but not taste, the double-digit ABV. Already regretting only buying a four pack.

This is a mess, but what a lovely, clashing, ruinous, tasty mess it is. Indeed has caught something special in a can here – an excellent beer that stands out from the crowd.

Pours deep dark brown with a thick beautiful reddish brown head that hangs around and leaves decent lacing. Aroma is chocolate and whiskey. Flavor follows the nose, dark roasted malt, chocolate, whiskey, and faint vanilla. Feel is medium bodied with a touch more carbonation than is necessary for a stout. Overall a fabulous beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am in a very unpopular minority that believes Whiskey Queen is exponentially better than Indeed's Rum King - but, this may only be due to the fact that Indeed hasn't yet canned Whiskey Queen. I suppose we can give them time to do bad things to WQ. Pending canning - Whiskey Queen is a the delicious chocolate and whiskey-laden counterpart to Rum King. The mouth feel is fuller, the carbonation feels more subtle and less confrontational. The beer feels better aged and blended.

Really, it's just a great beer. I am fearful that canning will ruin it, but... hopeful that Indeed can pull this one off. Fingers crossed.