One Ton Trolley
Stickmen Brewing Company

I've had this beer a couple of times and had a bottle in the fridge for a couple of years. One of the first really strong beers I had. Can't remember where I heard about it but wanted to try it. Went to the Lake Oswego location. They may have changed the recipe over the years, because when I had it, it was over 10% ABV, but that was 10 years ago. My listing shows it being an Imperial Rye CDA which is similar to the style shown.

 

Appearance is handsome. the near-black brew is topped with an abundance of light beige foam sticking to the Bitburger pokal. Sudsy and mouthfilling without being sticky or overly acidic. Grainy aroma. Actually this is really grainy, but in the most interesting way.

This is pretty rich with malt but the extravagant spicy rye taste gives it an edge and a dry finish. Strong and relentless but highly sippable and intriguing with every sip. This is one of the very best beers I've had in the grab-bag of American Black Ales. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Platypus in Bend.

 

 

Appearance- Received with a minor amount of head but it appears to have pretty good retention. The head is a sort of shabby, light to medium beige while the body is true to its SRM designation of 46. Pretty much opaque, pitch black. Lacing consists mostly of spotting.

Nose- Slight sweetness that suggests raisins or cherries. Probably needs to warm up a little bit. Opening up doesn't really add anything but swirling does give off hints of mustiness and grapefruit. Some peach starts to show after some time.

Taste- Still seems like it needs to warm up- right now it's showing a mix of stone fruits (mostly peach) with light roasted notes. Those flavors don't seem complimentary but they work a little bit. Some toast, a tiny bit of spiciness that hints at rye. While no other note is really grabbing me, I am enjoying the consistent peach in the background. Some citrus notes from the hops but there really isn't much presence from anything at all. Definite brown bread, some roasted malts and coffee. Some touches of honey and even slight tropical flavors in the background. Rye bread is starting to come through with more presence- sometimes it's really hard to get the rye from rye beers but this one isn't making me work. However, it isn't showing much complexity or presence either. Still a pretty good match with the peach, roasted malts, and rye. Definitely a different kind of beer and I salute a new brewery making something so interesting and that deviates from the norm. Pretty much a good beer.

Mouthfeel- A little more than medium bodied with lots of syrup on the texture. Perhaps a little too much carbonation with a little too much zing but the thickness of the beer helps to combat that.

Drinkability- Pretty easygoing and fairly accessible for what I was expecting to be a rather complicated beer. 4 bucks for a 12 oz pour seems pretty fair. No sign of 9% at all.

Overall- Pretty good beer that promises a lot of complexity and presence but doesn't exactly deliver. Still quite enjoyable- I just think a lot of the CDA's and black ales I've had have been top notch. Armored Fist is a delight and Wookey Jack is a dream. This beer isn't either of those but for a newer brewery, it's fairly proficient.