Gegen Den Strom Knupp
Against The Grain Brewery

From a 16oz can into a tall glass. Deep mahogany, slightly cloudy, the head is nice and recedes to a film; Has a good rich aroma, not strong; The carbonation is low to moderate - the bubbles seem tiny - it's mildly sparkly. The sparkliness subsides.; The taste is somewhat rich and full bodied, but not strong.

I had never heard of this one before. A nice beer - I wish it were more carbonated, but I certainly wouldn't turn one down, though apparently I wont get the chance. This beer is retired.

Against The Grain Brewery "Gegen den Strom - Knupp"
16 fl oz can coded "160213 FL #24

Notes via stream of consciousness: The first thing that caught my eye about this beer is that it's a "traditional German style Imperial stout" - I had no idea there was such a thing. So, OK, it's poured a massive head of tan foam atop an opaque brown-black body. I'll have to wait for the head to settle before I can begin. It's currently taking up more than half the glass. In the nose it's chocolatey and somewhat nutty with just a hint of roastiness. On to the taste... similar, as expected, but maybe a little more roasty. Lots of floral hops. no fruitiness, or very, very little. A very firm bitterness back it and brings it to a dry conclusion. It's interesting that the hops are limited, I was expecting some herbal character, or maybe some spiciness. Excellent head retention and lacing. Medium-full body with an almost effervescent, fine-bubbled carbonation that bristles at first but then warms to become smoother. It's an enjoyable Imperial stout, and the alcohol never shows.
Review# 6,344

 

The seCANd half of Sunday's Happy New Against the Saugatuck Grain Beer Sunday (Week 699) left me with several more CANs to be added to The CANQuest (tm). Once I CANplete their reviews & ratings, they will become an entry in the current WBAYDN thread.

From the CAN: "Gegen den Strom [Against the Stream] A Project of Tradition"; "An Against the Grain & Freigeist [Free Spirit] Brewery Collaboration"; "Knupp[:] A Traditional German Style Imperial Stout"; "Art & design by robbydavis.com"; "EXTRA! EXTRA!"; Louisville, Kentucky, USA"; "A Tradition Resurrected"; "It was 1918 when Dark made his noble mark. His pride took him outside the city walls of Cologne to scour the dense forest. High in a tree he found the white flower, pinned it upon his chest and proved himself a true soldier, but on his return, he came upon a bind of flowers so beautiful he died. Dark has returned, a ghost of his former self, to harvest the finest floral hops in all of Germany to adorn his barrels filled with traditional German stout just as imperial as himself."

As both @Greywulfken & @DIM remarked upon, is there a tradition of German-style Imperial Stouts? I do not know, either, but what I do know is that this year, on Su, 11 November 2018, we will mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI, a day we now observe (on a weekend) as Veterans Day! 100 years! Just think of all that has transpired in such a short period of time!

I celebrated this last offering in my backlog from AtG by Crack!ing open the vent. I followed this magisterial action with a heavy-handed, but not inverted, Glug into the awaiting glass. I was back to a glass since the verbiage did not mention a boot. A pseudo-cascade resulted, slowly settling from a massive load of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head into just over a finger with excellent retention. Color was Very Dark Brown to Black/Opaque (SRM = > 34, < 44) with just enough light penetration so that it could not be called strictly "Opaque". Nose was roasty, kind of coffee-like with hints of anise and dark chocolate. Mouthfeel was medium, a little light for this style. The taste was very much of dark chocolate with anise, a light charcoal smokiness and even a cool peppermint flavor as it warmed. Mmm. Finish was dry, but it also had a coolness which was both surprising and welcomed. This was an interesting take on the style.

 

 

Sooo...what is a traditional German stout exactly? Regardless of where in Europe it traces it's evolutionary roots, das ist sehr gut. It is very dry with deep toasty char throughout and hints of coffee and licorice.

Against the Grain collab with Freigeist, a traditional German imperial stout... I don't have a valid reference for a "traditional German imperial stout," but this was a damn fine beer, brewed with - ready? - water, barley, hops, and yeast... Black body topped with a dark tan head... Roasted malt impressions suggested some coffees and chocolates, but this was very clean, balanced stout, drying and medium-bodied... Some char and smoked wood, some herbal anise and sweet anise... Bitterness on par with the sweetness... A superior drink all around... Best by canning date of 2/16/19...