Supreme Allied Commander
R. Shea Brewing - Merriman Valley

 

16 ounce can, canned on 06/02/21, big thanks to Brutaltruth for this brew! Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch or so tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is mostly sweet, the brew smells like chocolate fudge, caramel, vanilla, cream and a bit of coffee. As with the aroma, I think the taste is mostly sweet too. Similar to the aroma but with the addition of some toffee, dark bread and burnt/charred malt flavors. Starts off sweet but with some roastiness in the finish. It's a bit boozy for sure, but doesn't seem like it's 15.8% ABV. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and a bit coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. If you like big, sweeter tasting imperial stouts then give this one a try. I liked it!

From the 16 oz can in a snifter. This solid brew pours a dark brownish black with
a moderate head of tan foam that subsides to a thick ring, thin swirling layer, and
sports some nice light lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, coffee, strong booze, sweet
vanilla, cream, and light coffee. Flavors follow nicely with some additions---dark
cocoa, dark coffee, cream, brulee, rich vanilla, moderate char, and toffee notes
amongst some nutty malt touches. Nice mouth feel; medium full body, smooth,
rich, coating, moderately slick, light carbonation that is just enough to offer
some nice lift, and a bitter malt driven finish.

Overall, a solid dessert stout

Cheers

16 oz can, born on 6/2/21, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - dark mahogany with a hazelnut head that quickly disappeared
S - bourbon, caramel, chocolate, oats
T - caramel, sugar, chocolate, mild oat flavor
F - thick mouthfeel with low carbonation
O - very sweet, needs something to offset that a bit, no malt flavor

This is an exceptional brew. It's pretty clear from the can that something big lurks within.

It pours fairly lifeless with little fizz. The aroma is of a huge, malty, boozy thing with hops in it too. Awesome. The taste is big, malty and sweet. I warmed it up a bit before I started but as it warms to room temperature it gets even better.

Recommended. These Ohio brewers do some very interesting things.

Enjoyed as a 10 oz draft pour in a snifter.

L: This arrived, to quote a cheesy yet fun 80s movie, "black as midnight, black as pitch, blacker than the foulest witch". It did, however, have no head to speak of, save for a thin ring of barely-beige bubbles that left no signature on the glass.

S: The aroma was a bouquet of heavily lactose-laden dark chocolate ganache, drizzled with chocolate syrup.

T: Hits the tongue as though sipping melted vanilla ice cream with an extra scoop or two of pure lactose and a heavy pour of chocolate syrup, almost exactly as promised by the nose. Faintly and dimly in the background, one can pick out some hints of whispers of echoes of the suggestion of the theoretical possibility of some stone fruits, slightly more in evidence as it warms.

F: Went across the tongue and down the throat like supercooled engine oil, clinging to every surface with silken tendrils.

O: A rather enjoyable stout, and a delight as a dessert beer.

Canned on 6/2/21. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours almost black; khaki head that fades leaving decent retention and okay lacing. The aromas are malt forward. There's a decent amount of vanilla frosting. Hints of cocoa. The flavors basically follow the nose for the most part. More vanilla frosting leading the way. The salted caramel definitely comes through. Subtle hints of cocoa and chocolate. Hints of coconut and hazelnuts in the mix. This one is definitely on the sweeter side, but it's not cloyingly sweet. Low bitterness. Strong malt backbone. Slightly sticky. Mild warmth in the finish, but the alcohol is extremely well hidden considering the ABV. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable considering the ABV.

This is a pretty solid Imperial Stout. The aromas and flavors might not be as crazy or flashy as some of R. Shea's Imperial Stouts, but they're still solid. It has a nice pastry/dessert vibe going on. It's truly hard to believe that this one is almost 16% ABV, but it is so savor it. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. Not bad at all.

Dull black with burnt brown edges under a short tan head that settles to a creamy tan ring.

The slick medium body starts off sweet and chocolatey, but is accented by a tang of raspberry-esque esters. As it warms it becomes lightly nutty, but also has a bit of an alcohol sting in the semi-sticky finish.

For me, it's a bit too hot, and also too fruity from the yeast.

I'm a bit disappointed to say that during our first 2021 visit to R. Shea downtown, our favorite beverage of the day was a Moscow mule seltzer. They've really gone so hard in the paint on flavorings that it's taken over the taplist, and its affecting quality IMO.

Even worse has been coming to the realization that the ultra round, absurdly fluffy, supple body that I associated their beer with has been something I haven't experienced out of anything they've made in at least two, if not three, years.