Years of Solitude
Twin Lights Brewing

 

 

Glad to see another brewery open up here in New Jersey, but this was not the best that Twin Lights had to offer. Sure, this was an Imperial Stout but it was watery, weak, and didn't have it's alcoholic content readily apparent on the palate. It felt like a Porter or a regular Stout rather than something Imperial, as some barrel aging would have helped this out nicely!

Of course, this poured dark as it was extremely brown with a moderate tan head quickly settled. No lacing was left behind, which was an indicator of how thin this beer was. Quite burnt and roasted on the nose, there was some bitter chocolate and nuttiness that stood out as the taste was just as muddled with a cloying undertone. Hard to pick out the coconut as lots of coffee emerged once this fully warmed up. Not full at all in the mouthfeel, this never packed a punch in terms of taste, body, or heft as the coconut only came around in the aftertaste once this finally went down.

The carbonation was decent and there was a bit of stickiness left on my palate and lips that was probably from the coconut. Dated 11/30 on the bottom of the can with "COMMUNITY INSPIRED" written above it, this seemed to have too much in it that didn't quite meld together. Not feeling the alcohol and having both vanilla and dark malts resulted in a beer that was fine to drink but left me wanting so much more. This was not a typical Imperial Stout but was fine to kick back and relax with...

Agree needs work, but the other Twin Lights have been good.

Light carbonation with a THICK, above average body.
Aroma is coconut, espresso, roasted malt, black coffee, coffee grinds, unsweetened bakers chocolate.
Taste is much too sweet with mild sourness. Roasted malt,black coffee, roasted malt,dark honey.
Twins' Doors of Perception imperial stout is what I would look for again. Mo better.

Canned on 1/8/2021. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours nearly ink black. The The khaki head is highly effervescent and dissipated almost immediately. On the nose there is roasted malt, chocolate, coconut, burnt nuts, and a whiff of vanilla. The taste opens with a lot of char, burnt coffee, and bakers chocolate. The coconut is rather mellow, which is a positive but there's also a chalkiness that's rather off-putting. The mouth feel is on the thin side for an Imperial Stout. The carbonation is lively and the 10.2% ABV is not readily apparent. Overall, this Stout needs some work. UPDATE 3/10/2023: I had it on draught at the brewery and there’s a marked improvement, particularly in the taste and mouth feel. Much more depth of flavor and the feel is quite viscous. I increased my rating accordingly.