Palmares Imperial Stout
Cycler's Brewing

 

 

 

22 oz. bomber poured into "stout glass" (vertical tulip)

L: huge gusher on the pour ... the beer doesn't spew out of the bottle, but even the most careful of pours renders almost a full glass of foam; brew is dark red-black/claret and clear with lots of dark orange-brown in it; head is tan; some sticking off the head that almost never full disappears ... it's over-carbonated but hard to say it's anything but beautiful

S: molasses, brown sugar, raisin bread, espresso, chocolate ... also has that lightly dusty bit of yeast similar to the abbey ale; as it warms it can get real sweet; at almost room temperature it gives off a red wine note

T: dark ... real dark and earthy and almost bitter at first with what tastes like a West Coast-style hop-bite ... massive, hoppy bitter even amid all the dark malt, with the hops also giving it a slightly floral flavor; as the palate adjusts and the beer warms, some of those dark dried fruit notes from the aroma show up in the flavor along with a ton of coffee/espresso on the back end; the earthy flavor combined with the dark malt gives it a big oak wood/charred wood note; definitely not a milk stout; red wine

F: super light for the style but so full of carbonation that it fills the mouth instantly; to watch the pour you'd say there's too much carbonation in this beer, but I love the end result in this arena; the carbonation has a fluffy effect, not sharp

O: formidable, Palmares is arguably a stout-drinker's stout; the initial wall of earthiness shocks your palate and combined with what seems like a big hop bite, the first few ounces of this beer require a little patience as you adjust to it; once it starts warming, it becomes more accessible, though the flavor never quite catches up to the wonderfully sweet and decadent nose; good enough that I'd like to see how a bottle of this handles some age, at least a year to 18 months if not longer

 

 

 

Nice imperial Stout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A palmarès is a list of an individual rider's accomplishments. All of the beers from Cycler's Brewing are road bicycle related. As a cycling enthusiast living in Austin, these brews caught my attention.

Color- English leather brown. No head.

Aroma- smokey porter.

Taste- A smokey, rich stout with faint vanilla and cocao notes in the background, finishing with a fresh roasted french roast coffee.

Poured from a hydroflask growler into a Liefmans Goudenband glass (my preferred all purpose beer tasting glass).