Rational Gaze
Two Villains Brewing

 

16 ounce can, Julian Date of 24030 (January 30, 2024) stamped on the bottom of the can. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. I like the aroma, the brew smells like maple, vanilla, roasted malt and some coffee. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some dark bread, dark chocolate and caramel flavors noticeable too. Definitely leans sweeter tasting, wish the coffee was stronger in this but it's overpowered by the vanilla and maple. With that being said it's still tasty! Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's creamy and a bit coating with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this one a lot, certainly worth trying if you're into pastry stouts!

Poured into a stemless glass at 60° It's a very dark walnut - nearly black, with a large cap of fizzy, dark mocha foam that dissipated rapidly. It has a fragrant smell of chocolate, fresh coffee, and maple syrup. The taste follows. The coffee is strong and acidic and it is well-balanced by the maple syrup which is sweet but not overly so. There are also notes of vanilla/caramel, burnt nuts, and earthy char. While the can doesn't indicate the use of cocoa nibs I believe I taste them. There is great depth of flavor but the tastes are mellow. My guess is that when this Stout was released 5 months ago it was sweeter and popped more. The mouth feel is luxuriously thick and creamy with low carbonation, and the 10.5% ABV is well-hidden. Overall, Rational Gaze is a very fine Imperial Breakfast Stout. Not every collaboration is successful but this is worth another batch.

 

 

Roasty black opaque body, tan finger's worth of head. Smell capture a very smoky version of description, maple coffee spilled on a campfire is the lasting image. Taste is not as the nose foretold thankfully: the smoke is absorbed by the coffee. The maple and vanilla are very strong though, chocolate is semi sweet. Feel is lighter for style but has good presence from adjuncts to make up for this. Prefer more traditional breakfast stout, but this delivers with the adjuncts, sweeter and yet more robust too, thus these poles don't meld as smoothly in the nose but taste and feel it comes together

16oz can from Tavour. Near black pour, creamy, perstistent beige head. Maple first on the aroma, sweet, chocolate notes. Taste is sweet, maple, chocolate, creamy feel. Luscious.

 

 

From the 16 oz can in a snifter. This monster pours a blackish brown
with a very nice head of brown foam that settles to a thick ring, thick
layer, and sports some light lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, maple,
vanilla cream, and subtle coffee dashed with astringent booze.
Flavors find the mark with dark chocolate, maple, vanilla, cream,
subtle char, deep roast, and a touch of dark fruit. Mouth feel is
full, smooth, lightly slick, coating, light carbonation, and finishing
sweet and faintly dry with a nice bitter malt note.

Overall, a fantastic imperial!

Cheers

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin chocolate head that dissipates to a thins film with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, maple syrup, milk chocolate, vanilla and a little Postum. Flavor is dark toasted malt, chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla, coffee and toasted granola. Mocha coffee finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and somewhat sharp carbonation. A rich, well balanced imperial stout that displays all of its adjunct flavors quite nicely. The coffee in modest in the aroma and mild initially in the flavor, but jumps out in the finish, tasting like a quality mocha brew. Vanilla and maple syrup are deftly added. The chocolate flavor from the malt is excellent. Looks deep and dark, smells, tastes and feels fine. Nicely done.

16 ounce can with no discernible date, although we did receive this case two days ago.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a two inch dark tan head over a black body with lacing.

Nose of chocolate malt, malted milk, slight coffee, slight maple, and slight vanilla.

Taste has more maple and less chocolate than the nose with coffee and vanilla present.
Finish is where the coffee really makes its presence known.

Nice full mouthfeel with low to medium carbonation.

Overall, a nice coffee stout that needs a bit more coffee, but I wouldn't turn down another.
Cheers!