Ophidia’s Eye
Brew Detroit

Bought from a discontinued item cooler, can from 11/2023. Poured into an Islamorada Beer Company snifter, opaque dark brown with a half pinkie of light brown foam, then light persistent lacing. Just a slightly sweet smell, not complex (I'm old, so YNMV). Intense cocoa, a hint of burnt wood (like a campfire), ABV well hidden, sweetness. Mouthfeel rich. For a 50% off 2-year-in-the-can imperial stout I have no complaints.

 

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a New Glarus snifter. Pours a shiny black with a little less than a finger of mocha brown foam head. Lots of dark fruits on the nose. Some chocolate and mint / pine. Taste is a little more chocolate-forward with the pine and hops and darker fruits in the background but also still very much there. Especially in the finish. Medium-full mouthfeel. Lower to medium level of carbonation to this. Definitely good. I like the taste more than the nose, which is always a win. Too much dark fruit and pine for me. But in the taste, that shows up less or not at all with the chocolate and roasted malts dominating.

Ophidia’s Eye (2023 Edition) from Brew Detroit. 12 fl oz can. Received from @Whyteboar in Barleywine and Stout BIF #2. Received 22/02/25, reviewed 28/02/25 (Review 3457). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “11/17/23.” Stored at 39 degrees F at home. Served at 56.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 60.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same but large chunks of precipitate coat the glass. When rear-lite, red at the edges.
Head: Average (3.2 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat. High density. Short retention, leaving a 1.3 cm crown fed by heavy carbonation, and a rocky, complete cap.
Lacing – A 0.5 - 0.6 cm band of lacing remains above the crown. This eventually breaks into extremely torn curtains.
Aroma – 4 – Chocolate. No hops, no yeast, no ethanol (13.2 % ABV, as marked on label), no bourbon, no barrel. No disulfide or diacetyl.
Flavor – 4 – Begins with chocolate, very slightly bitter. No yeast, no hops, no ethanol. No disulfides, no diacetyl. Noticeable gastric warming, unremarkable for the ABV. Slight bourbon on the exhale.
Palate – 4 – Full; creamy; soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the loose style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 OK, but most remarkable in its blandness. Just chocolate with an afterthought (and taste) of bourbon. Incredibly easy to drink.