Chained Dog
Black Cloister Brewing Company

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle, thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! No dating that I noticed on the bottle or label. Served in a tulip, the beer pours a mostly clear dark golden/orange color with almost an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like bready malt, candi sugar, clove, bubble gum and some caramel. Taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some banana, sweet apple, floral and peppery spice flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's smooth and a bit coating and creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good enjoyable brew. This was the first Black Cloister beer I've tried and hopefully I'll get to try more in the future.

Got a bottle of this in Toledo, OH at the brewery when my wife and I visited there in October of last year. Been aging this for awhile. Poured into one of my tulip glasses, this beer pours a clear, medium golden/copper color with lots of streams of little bubbles fairly rapidly and continuously rising to the beer's surface. Has a just slightly off-white head that's about an inch thick when first poured that has good retention. Aromas of bready, slightly toasted malts with nice caramel sweetness along with hints of banana, candy sugars, and some clove and other spices. The taste is pretty much the same, with some bready, slightly toasted, caramel malt sweetness along with some additional sweetness from some Belgian candy sugars, banana, clove, and a bit of peppery spice that's followed by some floral, earthy hop bitterness to balance things out. Has a fairly crisp, yet smooth, and slightly creamy, medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a clean finish with a slightly sweet aftertaste. A good beer here.

Eric

22 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 8/4/17.

Pours a mostly clear orange, with a one inch quickly dissipating head and foamy lacing. Aromas of Belgian yeast, cloves, other spices, bananas, bubblegum, candi sugar, light malt, some bread, some black pepper in the head when warm. The taste also leads with the Belgian yeast, then malt, candi sugar, spices, light bread. Still light banana and bubblegum, but both fade throughout the bottle. Kind of a floral aftertaste. Smooth, full bodied for the style, well carbonated.

Really well crafted, mostly a traditional BSPA. Lots of flavor and. Was kind of like drinking a Belgian Hefeweizen at times, which was pretty interesting. Well worth a purchase.

 

 

Thoroughly enjoyed from the growler via Jungle Jim's Eastgate in a snifter.
This rare little beast pours a luminous ruby tinged amber with a modest head of
white foam that subsides to a thick ring and shows some light spotty lacing. Nose of
banana, candy sugars, light booze, subtle breaded malts, and light grain notes. Flavors
surpass the nose with light breaded malts and mashed bananas touched with a light floral
note from the hops that present themselves subtly on the rear intermingled between layers
of candy sugars and strong booze. Exceptional mouth feel; lightly coating sweetness fades to
a warming booze dryness with medium low carbonation that is lively between hops and booze
that lightly sears the flavors into the rear.

Overall, this is one darn fine ale that is a must for Belgian fans.
Like a Duvel on steroids.

Sante!