Kosmonaut Hooch
Lunar Brewing

 

 

 

 

Ran down to Lunar to specifically try Xmas in the Caribbean. I saw this on the beer list and had to try it as well. $9 for a 9oz pour into a snifter. Shit better be good!

Appearance- Pours a super dark pitch black that does not allow what little light is in the bar to penetrate. A fairly foamy dark tan head dissipates fairly quickly leaving no cap and really thin, wispy collar.
Smell- Wow, all 12 months of the bourbon has soaked up in this bad boy. Tons and tons of rich bourbon and oak that lends oodles of vanilla and tapioca. Some chocolate and coffee comes through as the beer warms as does a bit of hoppy spiciness. A zesty bit of lemon rind unexpectedly nudges its way into the nostrils.
Taste- Starts slightly sweet with some caramel tones and an abundance of vanilla, oak tannins, and of course bourbon. The whiskey is strong but overall the alcohol is hidden fairly well for a beer of this size (12%). Again, like the nose I think there is a fairly aggressive hop in this little guy. The sweetness at the beginning gives way to a lightly citric kick and some roasted bitter acidity. Nothing over the top, just a bit of char. More of that vanilla and caramel find their way into the finish.
Mouthfeel- Probably the worst part of the beer. Very very thin with no body and not a lot of feel. The only thing done well is that the alcohol is only slightly warming and not that noticeable.
Drinkability- Considering the beer is 12% ABV. Considering it was aged for a year. AND considering it has the consistency of water. It turned out to be a pretty tasty brew! A year in a barrel is a long time and I was afraid it would be too harsh but thankfully it's not. Very enjoyable beer that I would order again if it wasn't so spendy. Definitely worth one try though!

Drank yesterday night. Reviewing from notes taken.

In a 9oz snifter, I received a watery black liquid with very dark brownie highlights with a thin brown head. The aroma hits you with some good bourbo, hinting vanilla, and an oak accentuating alcohol. The first sip lets you know right away how much alcohol is in this RIS. The high abv. hlpsdefine the bourbon flavor, but their is more of a boozey burn to this beer than I expected. Coffee, a touch of vanilla in a vrigin oak cup add depth, but no texture to this beer. Very flat on the tongue. Watery and boozey palate. Not abad sipper, and very good oak and bourbon flavors. The alcohol didn't integrate well with all the other flavors.

A brilliant take on a whiskey barrel-aged stout. As dark as Turkish coffee, with a gorgeous nose of molasses, caramel, espresso, root spices and soy sauce. On the palate it has superb balance (a rare thing for these high a.b.v. brews) with a flood of chocolate, soy sauce, cigar tobacco, anise, black pepper and roasted nuts. This carries it's weight well and is one of the best Imperial Stouts I've ever tried.