Monday (2021)
Cycle Brewing

 

Big flavor bomb, and that’s a good comparison word, as it’s similar to Bomb! in many respects. Dark pour, tan edging, minuscule floaties on top. I’m sitting a foot away from the beer and the smell is so powerful you’d think it was right under my nose. The leading characteristics are maple and barrel. Now I’m not sure if the barrel aging process on this one is maple barrel or bourbon barrel, but it’s there one way or the other. Plenty of notes of chocolate and vanilla as well. In terms of taste, this is where I think of Bomb! Like that beer, it’s got a lot of flavors, but everything mixes and nothing is overpowering. Maple is strong, but the chocolate and vanilla assert themselves with a sweetness as well, and the cinnamon and pepper provide a subtle heat on the back end. It’s a big, bold bodied beer, the booze is subtle for such a high abv, and there’s a little bit of chewy thickness to it, as well as a bit of syrupy feel I’d expect for such a maple forward beer. All in all, this one is yet another great day from Cycle.

 

Tackling the first “Day” in the set. Cinnamon & vanilla on the nose. Palate a bit muddled, but getting lightly bitter spice, vanilla sweetness, then a lot of BA stout base; fruit & whiskey. As it continues to warm those chilies leave a lingering heat. Was really underwhelmed by the overall lack of maple in this.

 

Bottle at share, inculdes te whole 2021 lineup. The week's off to a good start. Black pour, ring of beige head. Aroma is sweet, roasty malts , maple and vanilla. Taste addds chocolaty notes, and the pppers show up late in the game, adding a nice spicy snap to this sweet beer.

 

Oily black body with a brown ring. In smell and taste maple leads all the other adjuncts, has great booze tones backing with hints of chocolate fudge. The spice from the pepper and the cinnamon is short lived, but it is very potent while on the palate and into the throat. Feel is otherwise balanced by barrel, vanilla adds a touch of coolness, and maple brings sweetness. Heavy, full, chewy, lush. Slightly different take on the usual set up but really nice

 

Black hole dark body; extremely lively, fizzy carbonation; no real head although a faint, khaki ring begins to form around the edge of the glass after a few minutes. Pleasant aroma of cocoa, coconut, and a bit of chili pepper. The taste brings out the base beer plus all elements of the adjuncts: sweet maple syrup and vanilla, spicy cinnamon nicely mixed in with chili pepper, milk chocolate and cocoa; slow-burn booziness oozes through the dark malt and vanilla. Heavy body; slick and oily overall; a nice blend of boozy heat and chili pepper burn on the palate.

While not the best Cycle big, dark brew I've experienced, this one is still nice enough. It brings a rich sweetness to the palate offset with a moderate chili pepper heat that adds a nice complexity to the beer.

Poured at 61 F; no bottling date info seen.

Cycle! I have two more bombers in back, so it’s a good week. 22 oz. bottle split with my wife before we start Ted Lasso Season II. Weeeee!

Proper stout black with a nose you wouldn’t have found in a beer a dozen years back: chili heat, cinnamon, & an arch sweetness.

Monday 2021 treads the line on adjunct overload. Big pepper hit that drowns out what I’ll assume were some subtler lines like the maple syrup (which should never – ever – be shouted over) which is not apparent. Too much cinnamon follows the too much pepper & the vanilla scarcely peeks out of the hot mess. No barrel apparent.

This is an unbalanced mess. I expect, & have had, much better from Cycle. Peppers & cinnamon can be dangerous in uncouth hands. These were. Poor execution.

Opens with dark chocolate, vanilla, and maple. Finishes with less maple, cocoa, cinnamon, Mexican hot chocolate flavors. Chocolate sticks around for the long haul. Subtle spicy tingles the back of the throat as it goes down. The spicy, however slight, does linger for some time with the chocolate. Full bodied, medium chewiness. The maple really marries everything nicely. Well done barrel aged adjunct stout!