What Evil Lurks (Ghost 1316)
Adroit Theory Brewing Company

 

A - Pitch black pour with dense creamy toffee lacing.

S - Dark chocolate, dark chocolate roast, and a slight bit of booziness.

T - Dark chocolate, some roastiness, followed up with some boozy presence, and a little bit of coffee bean.

M - Silky, light syrupy body with a little bit of warming in the back of the throat and leaves the sides of the mouth dry while the top of the tongue waters.

O - Boozy with a nice lingering chocolate roast buried on the backside.

Poured from a 16oz can into pint glass in January 2024. There is a canned on date 12/5/2023, and purchased at a local distributor.

Appearance: Dark black with a dark tan/brown head. The head is 1-finger thick with very fine bubbles. It lasts for a few minutes and ends with a very thin tan head. There is very little lacing sticking to the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of roasted malt. Also, some coffee and a hint of sweetness like chocolate. Overall, the roasted malt and coffee dominate the others.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the roasted malts and coffee flavors. There are some chocolate and hop bitter flavors to enhance the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence, as with other Imperial Stouts, which matches the 13.5% on the label. Nice aftertaste, which is also dominated by the malts and coffee.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with an extremely smooth and creamy body. More smooth than many other imperial stouts.

This is a very good imperial stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds complexity to the beer. This reminds me of Adroit Theory's "Dia De Los Muertos" although it has been over a year since I'v drank that. Although this is a big beer, it is smooth and very enjoyable to drink. The smoothness adds to the overall enjoyment. I look forward to drinking their other stouts, and will buy this again.

 

Poured from a 16 oz can bought in Virginia.

L - Completely opaque dark brown, just short of pure black. Dark tan head is an inch thick at the pour, then fades to a solid layer a few millimeters thick that persists to the end. Additionally, there is thick sheeting that clings to the glass and won't let go.

S - Strong malt flavors appropriate for the style: coffee, prunes, light burnt grains and light smoke. Hops display as just a hint of earthiness. No yeast fermentation character on the nose, and just a hint of alcohol.

T - Malt dominates, with flavors of molasses, burnt grains and smoke. Hops don't contribute to the flavor, except for some light earthiness again. Alcohol lends a light brandy-like flavor in the finish that gives a hint of sweetness.

F - Medium to thick body with some silkiness and a mouth-coating sweetness. Low carbonation. Strong bitterness is evident despite the sweetness. Alcohol has some warmth, but surprisingly little for such a high ABV.

O - This is a very good imperial stout. It hits all the right notes, but it lacks the extreme complexity in flavor and aroma of the best examples I've had.