For Whom
Campanology Brewing

super cheap bottle picked up ages ago at a trader joes, never heard of this brewery before, didnt care for the price, like four bucks for a bomber, and its a darn fine stout, even with some age on it. the chili and the cinnamon are somewhat subtle here, maybe mellowed some over time, but i think the proportions are excellent, and for what it is, the drinkability is pretty high, as its not overly full bodied and really isnt sweet or sticky in mouthfeel at all. i like the light smoke from the peppers with the roasted bitterness of the dark malt, and the grounded earthy character this has overall. because of the lack of a sweeter maltier middle, the cinnamon never makes this drink like a baked dessert, and i like that. some light milk chocolate, cocoa, and espresso bean undertones to this, but its not overly chocolate driven, and there is at least as much dark malt as cocoa character in this, which i also like. lighter medium body, a little spice warmth on the back of the throat but very little linger, some black pepper and licorice nuance too, and a clean ferment. a little bit of sediment towards the bottom of the bottle, but its not much of an issue. very solid beer overall, i wonder how or why this was so affordable at the time, havent seen or heard anything about this brewery since, but i really liked this, especially with spicy slow pork tacos! unbelievable value here!

 

 

22oz bomber - there's a date on here but i can't make it out.
$3.99 @ Trader Joe's.
1" beige head with decent retention, falls to a solid cap and leaves a nice lacing. Brown when held to the light, a little light in color for the style.
Roasted malts and a hint of cinnamon and a smaller hint of chile in the nose.
Chiles hit early with a mace-like spice. Cafe au lait. Subtle cinnamon spice. Slightly sweet , lightly roasted malt base. Mild overall but in balance for the most part. A little sweeter than my palate prefers.
Creamy, slick mouthfeel, medium to full bodied. Low carbonation. Some sweetness that lingers along with a nice length of roasty flavors. 10% is NOT evident.
Heck of a value for $3.99 / 22oz. and a 10% abv with so many flavors going on.

 

 

Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: Ball 16-oz. mason jar
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa, Calif.
Price: $3.99
Purchased: Oct. 10, 2018
Consumed: Oct. 19, 2018
Reviewed as: American Double / Imperial Stout
Misc.: No bottled on date

Have generally liked each of the five beers I’ve had from Campanology, giving Adventurous Stranger a 3.94 in April 2017, Tintinnabulation a 3.64 in June 2017, Every Time Buche De Noel Stout a 4.22 in Dec. 2017, Caco-Phony a 3.70 in Oct. 2018 and Clamour & Glamour a 3.42 in Oct. 2018. Was labeled as an “Imperial Mexican Stout with Ancho Chiles, Cacao Nibs & Cinnamon.” Damn that sounds legit and $3.99!

Poured a pitch black color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki-tan frothy head. Could not see any bubbles underneath. Very good spotty lacing. Outstanding retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled orange, cinnamon, anise, black licorice, chile peppers, cacao, black coffee, dark chocolate and black cherry. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted at least as good as the nose, maybe better. Got cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, anise, chile peppers, cacao, dark chocolate and black coffee. That 10 pct. was well hidden. (Taste - 4.25)

Full body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, spicy finish. (Feel - 4.75)

Just another solid stout offering from these guys and man, just $3.99. Such great value. Outstanding. (Overall - 4.00)

4.18 | 93 | A-

Raising A cheap beer in memory ofmy cheap dad on this Day Of The Dead and appropriately i see that the price tag is not an indictment in the quality of the contents. Dark stout qualities melded with a high abv burn/booziness but the burn isn't just alcohol. The chilis and cinnamon give theburn a nice spice. A really great and surprising turnout and an astounding bang for your buck. Here's one for you dad!

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours nearly black, appearing opaque black in the glass with a quarter finger khaki head that dissipates to a thick patch with light lacing. Aroma of mild dark toasted malt, chili, light cocoa and cinnamon. Flavor is middling dark toasted malt, light chili, milk chocolate and cinnamon; chili builds somewhat during the taste into a modestly hot finish with good cocoa and cinnamon. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and nice mouth feel. The malt body in this is deceptive, tasting not that deep at first, but as the chili and cinnamon come into play, it is clearly up to the task. A nice, mellow, light cocoa dark malt body with chili and cinnamon at a pleasant level to be clear notes, but not dominating the flavor. Well balanced and flavorful. This Campanology series from Trader Joe's has been a nicely done, with most offerings a bit above average and offering a good value at the prices they ask for this company brand. I liked this quite a bit more than I expected (a cheap chili/cinnamon stout sounds like is could go wrong quite easily). Good show and a pleasant surprise.

Taste: complex, roasted dark chocolate malt, cinnamon spice, chili, molasses, warm finish. Same with the nose. Black, opaque, with a dark tan head and partial ringed lattice. Full body. Boozy bite and end.

 

Bought a bomber from Trade Joes for only $3.99
By far the best cheap cheap beer I’ve gotten from there
Dark dark brown black
Good then chocolatey head
Classic Imperial Stout taste
Could not really taste much of the Chiles

 

 

 

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color—only traces of dark red are visible near the edge of the glass. It poured with a short off white head that rapidly dissipated, leaving just a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chili peppers and cocoa are present in the smell. Strong notes of cinnamon become present as the beer warms up.
T: The taste has flavors of chili peppers and cocoa powder.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a bit of heat from the chili peppers as the beer warms up.
O: Once the beer warms up, it has a very good balance between the chocolate and the chili peppers.

Serving type: bottle

 

Deepest brown color bordering black. Good clarity. Khaki to light brown foam quickly dissipates. Mild lacing.

Aroma a lot like cola. Lots of spices. Not detecting chocolate.

Very spiced with tons of cola reminiscince. Some chocolate, no chiles really. Maraschino cherry flavor as it warms.

Pretty thin feel. Lively carbonation. On the sweet side, but spices bring it close to balanced.

For $4, a damn fine substitute for the competition. Could really benefit from a fuller feel. Cheers.

Billed as an imperial stout with chiles, cacao, and cinnamon, this comes off as fairly bland and cloyingly sweet. No particular heat from the chiles and not much discernible cinnamon flavor. I would expect some serious roasted malt and hoppy bitterness from an imperial, but got very little of either.

Not a “bad” beer, but extremely dissapointing if you’ve had a good chile beer like Mikkeler chipotle porter.