Coffee Minotaur
Orpheus Brewing

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From:
Orpheus Brewing
 
Georgia, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 11.47%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
16
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 23, 2020
Added:
May 30, 2016
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bros:

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Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Canned 10/10/20, "A Bourbon Barrel-Aged Coffee And Vanilla Sour Ale".
I'm sure several folks have forgotten to read the last two words and been in store for a nasty surprise. I personally thought it was hilarious. Everything leads you to believe "stout", and BOOM - "sour". Bahaha.

Here we go :

In my Ommegang Tulip, it forms a burnt sienna color and a lasting ring of head. Very temporal lace as the glass is swirled, falls back down and is gone in an instant. Slight legs.

The aroma is like opening a pouch of Folger's coffee grounds. It's not high quality, but it's not totally off-putting either. Like a Breakfast Blend or Medium Roast perhaps. I struggle to get anything else from this beer, though from the can I can conjure some vanilla and slight souring bacteria.

The flavor profile challenges you unlike any other beer you've probably had. It requires contemplation and patience (this is not another way to say it sucks, it is just that unique). I'm having a hard time describing it, because there's so much going on (yet none of it connects). It starts with currant jam and coffee, then moves on to vanilla rice milk, raspberry, orange tea, blackberry, moldy bread, grape jelly, licorice/fennel, tobacco, and at the very end the bourbon barrel creeps in but only slightly. It's like a loud room but you can't make out any of the conversations. And yet somehow while it's absolutely repulsive on the first few sips, it begins to grow on you. You must keep drinking it or else risk a palate reset and you'll have to climb the hill all over again.

Feel is slick and carbonated, with some acidity and bite. Surprisingly no heat for...8% looks like, and sets itself up well on the palate.

Overall, this is not for the tame-hearted. This will likely be the craziest beer you've had all week, or all month, or perhaps all year. It's a challenging beer to be sure, and perhaps that's its most redeeming factor. It's not easy, it's not attractive, but it sets up camp real quick and makes a cozy home on your palate. This one is growing on me. This is one of those beers that will really test your gradient of beer enjoyment. It's a Rubik's Cube of sorts. If you are the kind of person that likes weird and new shit - this is absolutely perfect. I'm so confused at this point, and I freaking love it. I don't know whether to make a trophy out of the can or drain pour it. We'll see if I finish the whole 16 oz can. This is such a trip.

Price paid : $5.50 / can
Would buy again : it's questionable
Nov 23, 2020
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.81 by entenduintransit from Tennessee

Nov 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Dec 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by ConradKenney from Maryland

Dec 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.66 by atlandy from Georgia

Nov 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.31 by T_Hass from Georgia

Oct 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.48 by sendbeer from Georgia

Oct 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.3 by IckyT2012 from Florida

Sep 17, 2016
Photo of ThickNStout
Reviewed by ThickNStout from Georgia

4.19/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
22oz bottle from Sprayberry Bottle Shop (Marietta, GA). 17.99. No apparent bottling date but this was just released last month. Served in an Orpheus snifter.

Pours a deep, opaque orange hued chestnut with a quarter finger of manilla head. The froth eventually fades, leaving neither retention nor lace.

Aromas of decadent coffee, soft sweet whiskey, vaguely soured grains and caramel. There is a whisper of sour but that coffee smells great.

There is a strong earthy sour note right up front, followed by flavors of coffee, bitter fruit skins, tart seeded berries, whiskey, musty bread and some vanilla tinged oak. The coffee and whiskey barrel are balanced well with the subtle earthy, funky sour.

Medium body with restrained carbonation. Earthy, sour finish with notes of coffee, tart fruit and smooth, sweet whiskey soaked oak.

Great job here by Orpheus. The coffee cuts the whiskey barrel beautifully. Coffee Minotaur is a treat worth checking out.
Sep 12, 2016
Photo of Bloodbuzz99
Reviewed by Bloodbuzz99 from Georgia

2.9/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
A very successful marriage of a coffee beer and a sour... but one I'd never reach for again. Something disconcerting about a beer that tastes like coffee but isn't dark. Just weird overall. Coffee + Sour is not an enjoyable flavor combo. Maybe worth trying once.. I guess (?)
Sep 04, 2016
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4.04/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle - $13.99 at Bullock's Wine & Spirits in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, slightly murky, dark amber body. A few bubbles from the pour but no appreciable head formation.

Smell: Primarily, a rather delectable aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans with some subtler hints of funk, barrel, and soiled fruit underneath.

Taste: A little chocolate and crisp roast from the local coffee bean infusion. Toasty malts, bone dry caramel. Soured, softly tart fruitiness, a bit of citrus. Very, very light sweetness present. Small hint of vanilla as the barrel edges forward a bit. Still plenty of coffee drifting through the flavor as you reach the drying, lightly roasty, lightly fruity finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Low carbonation.

Overall: Very nice coffee character at this point, making this a fairly pleasant sour.
Aug 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.26 by thatoneguymike from Georgia

Jun 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.98 by GSUEAGLE from Georgia

Jun 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by c00ller from Georgia

Jun 06, 2016
Photo of brewfunk
Reviewed by brewfunk from Georgia

4.93/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
On tap at 2nd anniversary

L: clear dark brown, very little head or appearance of carbonation

S: I've never had a coffee beer that's ever even come close to the aroma of this. It's like having your face in a bag of beans. A little bit of the barrel comes out, but this really is all about the coffee.

T: Starts with that same pure coffee character. The whiskey barrel adds a nice smoothness, and it ends with sour. It somehow works beautifully.

F: Medium bodied, very easy drinking for a coffee beer on a hot day, but the barrel slickness keeps if from seeming thin.

O: Who knew you could still do something so unique with coffee beer? This was not only something totally unexpected, but something I want to drink all the time. I hope they bottle this soon!
Jun 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by ColSanders123 from Georgia

May 31, 2016
Coffee Minotaur from Orpheus Brewing
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 16 ratings