Tyson
Urban Village Brewing Company

Typical smothering stout flavor, burnt and dark and stick to ribs. I am ok with Russian stouts but imagine this complex and hearty version will scare most away.

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my snifter. Canned on date is 12/4/2020, I think , it is barely legible on bottom of the can.
The beer pours a fluffy and fast growing tan head that overflows my snifter even with the gentlest of pours. I barely get half the can into my 22oz glass! The color on the beer is dark black coffee with no light passing through the glass.
Aroma is roasted malt, bakers chocolate and charred wood. No hop character and the booze is hidden completely at this point. Speaking of booze, my can says 9.0% not 9.7% listed on site.
The first sip reveals a soft and smooth textured body with spacious and soft carbonation. The flavor is similar to the nose. Lots of roasted malt notes and dark chocolate up front. A little brown sugar and raisin note comes through and then the finish is molasses and charred wood. Again, no hops and also well hidden booze. QUite a nice imperial stout with no adjuncts. Worth a grab if this style is your thing.

CANother school day inna books! Today was Day 060, putting us at 1/3 of the way through the school year. It was also a day for me to explore other options as I was offered a position at a local suburban Intermediate School through the middle of January. I have taken it with some trepidation since I am an urban educator & this is going to be a real ChANge for these five (5) or so weeks. I raise this CAN of beer for The CANQuest (tm) in hopes of a good future. Slainte!

From the CAN: "Imperial Stout".

I wanted to let Tyson off of his leash gently as he seemed to be a big boy at 9.0% ABV. The Crack! was loud, but the barking from within was relatively subdued so I proceeded with a slow, gentle Glug into the awaiting glass. Tyson seemed to appreciate my handling of him as he responded with a pseudo-cascade that settled into two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with excellent retention. Tyson's color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44), much like on the label, with garnet highlights visible at the edges. I raised the glass to my nose, keeping an eye on him as I did so. Our noses touched and I was impressed by his rich dark chocolatiness as well as his light smokiness. At last, it was time for a taste! Mouthfeel was big, thick, full & creamy, like someone had scooped a dollop into my mouth & onto my tongue. The chocolatiness was unabating, like a liquefied brownie - rich, smoky, bittersweet with a doughy maltiness as its backbone. Mmm. I used to eschew the style when it was the target of whalez chasers & primarily only came in bottles. Now that the style is appearing in CANs & the prices have come down, I am more likely to purchase them. Tyson finished with a cool, minty dryness, like a liquefied Peppermint Patty. Yum! This good boy CAN come for a visit any time.