The Nightmare After Christmas
Flying Dreams Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into the test glass
A - Deep cocoa color, wonderful off white cap stays in action for the entire experience. Carbonation rolls up the sides of the glass
S - Dark roast malt, some chocolate, a bit of herbal hops , black pepper as well as a hint of mint leave.
T - Bakers chocolate, a bit of toffee, the slightest hints of dried dark fruit, fig, in particular.
M - Medium in body, excellent carbonation, this is a dry offering, starts dry, finishes dry, a bitterness is present but not overbearing.
O - A very good traditional Imperial Stout, no gimmicks, lots of roasty notes, dry and just bitter enough. Excellent balance and, the 8% is hidden quite well

A great brew that has not given in to the
“Dunkin Donuts” Flavor profile that so many Brewers have embraced in order to capitalize on America’s Coffee Craze.
So tired of the “Mocha Choka Latte”syrupy flavor that results when coffee meets the richness of an Imperial Stout.

 

 

 

 

Smells like green apples and buttered popcorn. Tastes like a nail salon. Definitely infected.

Pitch black with a creamy head that sticks to the side of the glass as it recedes.
Aroma is faint chocolate with some strong PNW hops.
Flavor is strongly hoppy, pleasant for a black IPA, probably a bit much for an imperial stout. Not too much malt backing it up.
Feels thin and bitter. If they called this a black IPA, I would not question it at all.
Very grapefruity, not all that rich. Not unpleasant, but not my cup of tea for the style.

03/12/2016

 

 

 

Took me some time to get to this review, as the first batch of bottles I picked up were the wrong bottles, and after exchanging them for the correct bottles, had some growlers and too much else going on. Finally got to this one, on the eve of the first big snow storm for us.

Pours a nice big thick creamy rich 1+ finger fluffy mocha colored head that seems to stick around forever, nice soapy lacing, pitch black beer.

Nose is just as good as I remember from the sample, plenty of dark malts without acrid burnt characters, some roasted notes, roasted coffee espresso, a little mocha and dark chocolate, big fluffy nougat and roasted caramel, some nuttiness, and a nutty earthy freshly roasted coffee bean character, and even a faint dark chocolate raisin character.

Taste continues, juicy dark malts out front, plenty of toasted flavors, toasted caramel, with a little roast and roasted malts, again not charred or burnt just nice roast flavors. Then into fluffy nougat, little nutty and candy bar notes but not sweet really, burnt caramel and a little marshmallowy, back into mild nutty coffee, freshly roasted espresso beans, nice creamy base as well like lots of oats and perhaps lactose sugar but hard to tell. Plenty of bitterness to bite it as well, a spicy hop bitterness blends with the mild bitterness from the roast, hops linger nicely, and no real booze. Finish dries a bit, a little sticky but not sweet, more fluffy nougat and caramel flavors, with creamy oats, roasted coffee, mild dark chocolate and hint of raisiny like fruit way in the background, with more spicy hop bitterness lingering.

Mouth is full bod, creamy chewy lush and nice fluffy airy carbonation like biting into a 3 Musketeers bar, no booze.

Overall this is an awesome and incredible beer! The little sample I had, the bitterness and roast seemed a little over the top, but when I finally had the full pour the rest of the flavors blend into it nicely and nothing is too big, it all blends perfectly. I still don't know how Dave didn't get a lot of cred up in Gardner, but he's running in full stride here! This beer alone shows how well he can nail a style, just about everything in this was perfect, even down to the hint of fruity note which is often overlooked in a good RIS, so tasty and enjoyable I really hope this becomes an all year round beer. Also hope there are no more beers with "Night" in the title as he initially confused this for Nightcrawler.

Picked up a few of these at the brewery. Missed the release and bottling last week, was glad to see they still had some.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a nice dark brown nearly black hue with a fat creamy two finger mocha head that fades nice and slow to leave light side lacing and a thin, quarter inch creamy blanket.

S - Aromas of loads and loads of rich powdery bakers chocolate, dark chocolate, dark malts. Little bit of marshmallow and nougat, nice roast, not overpowering. Just a little bit of dark fruitiness when it warms up with heavy swirls. Incredibly balanced.

T - Taste is similar to the nose. Again, loads upon loads of bittersweet, dark, and bakers chocolate. Real nice dark roasty malts, not aggressively so though. Just enough to compliment the chocolate. Little bit of fluffy nougat, no real dark fruit thing going on. The finish is nicely bitter, like a strong dark chocolate.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated, creamy, smooth. Drinks incredibly easy. Not too many stouts that are this drinkable that haven't spent some time in a barrel.

O - Overall I was kind of stunned here which I kind of feel guilty about feeling. Dave can brew good stuff and always tends to be true to style. This does not disappoint. Great chocolate notes, really solid roast and body with nice bitterness on the finish. While this beer isn't flashy with random extras thrown in, there is a reason for that. It doesn't have to. It is a straight forward, well crafted, true to the style Russian Imperial Stout. A mighty fine representation of the style, and, after six years of reviewing here I can happily say it is one of the best non barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout I have ever tried. Hats off Dave. Jolly good.

Serving Type: Bottle