Calf & Half
Great Notion Brewing

Calf & HalfCalf & Half
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From:
Great Notion Brewing
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #853
ABV:
12.5%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,535
Avg:
4.25 | pDev: 8.71%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
97
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 08, 2023
Added:
Nov 24, 2021
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  2
Blend of barrel-aged and non-barrel-aged Imperial Stout with blueberry and coconut.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by shelby415:
Photo of shelby415
Rated by shelby415 from Oregon

4.25/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Apr 18, 2022
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.84/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
16oz can from Half Time. Dark brown pour, small beige head. Aroma is blueberry and chocolate. Taste follows with the addition of some light woody notes. Sweet.
Dec 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by CraftFan5 from New Jersey

Dec 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.92 by Mikexw from New York

Oct 21, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by paulish from New York

Aug 13, 2022
Photo of pulse
Reviewed by pulse from Ohio

4/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Post Memorial Day treat, then? Poured into a snifter. It's jet black with no real head to speak of, minimal brown that disappears instantly. Even from afar I could smell the berry. Unmistakable. It's easy to taste the darker notes of the berry along with the harshness of the barrel and malt. The bourbon scent is a bit medicine-y. It's full and creamy, minimally carbonated, all usual for a stout this size. This is an interesting one. It's an odd combination of flavors for a big BA stout, perhaps. It's hard to tell if this works or not.

It's very much reminiscent of blueberry muffins or something similar in smell. In taste, the berry is a bit more subtle compared to the molassesy, bitter chocolatey bread. It has a bit of syrupy sweetness. The coconut is harder for me to detect. Dessert sipper for sure.

Edit - after it warms up plenty, I think I get that aftertaste of coconut. It's not offensive.
Jun 01, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Brown tinted on the edges to match the head, with a lighter black body. In the nose this works beautifully: big blueberry with vanilla cream and coconut meet bourbon, mild oak, and bakers chocolate. The taste however has the booziness create an oxidizing effect on the blueberry, making it more perfumey, coconut is more mild but oak and chocolate with a hint of black strap molasses remain strong, ending is sneaky bitter, almost coffee like. Feel is boozy as the medium bodied starts to break down a bit from all of the barrel and adjuncts assaulting the palate. Just a lot to take in at once without the smooth viscosity. Love where this was going, but needs refinement
May 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.45 by A_Drunken_Production from Oregon

Apr 16, 2022
Photo of NiceTaps
Reviewed by NiceTaps from New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16 ounce can in a stout snifter. From the Extreme Beer Box, 2022.

Solid black pour. Tall dark mocha tan cap that disappears in the blink of an eye. A few spots of lacing.

Bourbon booze aroma to start. Blueberry compote and roasted coconut aromas follow. Roasted malt and slightly charred wood and vanilla.

Lots of blueberries mixed with bourbon glaze and coconut flavors. Chocolate-y.

Medium bodied with noticeable alcohol. Sweet and syrupy to a degree. Blueberry lingers.

The best blueberry flavored brew that I’ve ever tasted.
Apr 09, 2022
Photo of Shy_Ronnie
Reviewed by Shy_Ronnie

3.97/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This brew leaves me utterly confused and conflicted. I am not a fan of strong fruit flavor in a stout, but... part of me likes it. There is something about the layering of extreme blueberry with a solid bourbony base stout that works (maybe). Like I said, this beer has my head spinning.
Mar 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.22 by GrumpyGas from Illinois

Mar 27, 2022
Photo of Stinkybean
Reviewed by Stinkybean from Arizona

3.94/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Extreme Beer selection. Poured beautifully and carried a wonderful fruit fragrance, just like the rush you get in the nose when you're eating chocolate covered raisins/blueberries, and you get exactly that hit on the first sip, with the coconut adding quite nicely to the mix. Easy to sip and enjoy without going too far out of bounds on the sweet side.
Mar 27, 2022
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.09/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours espresso colored with a thin beige head that quickly fades; leggy but not much lacing

Smell: Blueberry pancakes topped with coconut and Bourbon-infused cane syrup; chocolate and vanilla tones, as well

Taste: Blueberry and chocolate forward with coconut and vanilla building; the Bourbon-infused cane syrup flavors add sweetness; the finish brings in some bitterness

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and creamy with low carbonation

Overall: Interesting and certainly extreme, but the finish moves in the wrong direction
Mar 21, 2022
Photo of entheos
Rated by entheos from California

2.52/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2
Very harsh. I’d rather have a cup of coffee with a spritz of gin.
Mar 21, 2022
Photo of HaskettFambam
Reviewed by HaskettFambam

3.78/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
smells great, the blueberry is stong (blueberry bagel, not muffin... actually this was heavily debated....)
Disneyland blueberry syrup
weird perfumy aftertaste, some like it, some didn't
kid hair detangler
the most interesting experience, the taste changes in your mouth
Mar 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.65 by Jamesashass from Montana

Mar 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.61 by Ben1313 from New Hampshire

Mar 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.41 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Mar 11, 2022
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.36/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark chestnut brown + dark cola brown colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall creamy sudsy foamy dark mocha head that slowly reduces to a large patch of thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of slightly sweet blueberries (like those you generally find in pancakes or muffins) over the top of slightly stronger than moderate aromas of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate + biscuit malts with moderate amounts of lactose + maple syrup-like sweetness. Moderate aromas of coconut + toasted oak + bourbon + vanilla. Overall there is a blueberry pancakes like smell when I first opened the can and poured this one.

T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of roasted + toasted + caramel + chocolate + biscuit malts with moderate amounts of lactose + maple syrup-like sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of coconut + toasted oak + bourbon + vanilla. Finally there are moderate to strong flavors of slightly sweet blueberries (like those you generally find in pancakes or muffins). There are light to moderate amounts of roasty bitterness which linger along with light to moderate flavors of blueberry coconut pancakes.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth, almost creamy with a light amount of dryness in the finish. Hints of booziness in the finish as well.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol considering the strength of this beer and a pleasantly smooth almost creamy mouthfeel. This beer is more of a dessert sipper for me but I could easily see it being a great brunch beer. Really enjoyable flavors and aromas from the blueberry + coconut + barrel-aging + base malt profile. Successfully works together to evoke blueberry coconut pancakes.
Mar 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.22 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Mar 06, 2022
Calf & Half from Great Notion Brewing
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 97 ratings