Epiphany No. 2
Black Oak Brewing Co.

 

This review was written a 3 or 4 months ago, just found it with some others and will post them too.

Pours a glowing clear gold with a gigantic frothy head that lasts forever and ever. Herbal, melon, leafy hop aromas and a malty sweetness. Herbal, citrusy, piney, berryish hops mix with a big cookie dough malt profile in the taste. Medicinal, fusel alcohol is prominent throughout – kind of like that cheap high gravity lager taste. The mouthfeel is relatively full bodied with a prickly carbonation and numbing effect from the booze. Moderate bitterness and booze in the finish.

I’d pass on this. The alcohol is way too immodest and the hops could be juicier and more intense.

 

Bomber from the LCBO; bottled Apr 24 2015 and served well-chilled. I've been interested in trying this beer since its release, but unlike No. 1 it wasn't brought in locally. With months having passed since then, I was starting to think I had missed the boat - but I was shopping in Waterloo last week and found a few bottles still hanging around.

Pours a bright, translucent golden-yellow colour, producing two fingers of foamy white froth at the surface. Good retention; the head lasts a little more than five minutes, settling into a lumpy, patchy cap and collar, and depositing a beautiful curtain of lace as it does so. This is a great-looking pale lager. The nose is rich with floral, earthy hops, with accents of peach, grapefruit and lemony citrus peel. The pale malt backbone comes off rather grainy, with a few biscuity, doughy-sweet undertones as well.

Hard to find too many faults with this one; it's a solid strong lager that definitely leans toward the hoppier side of this style. Doughy, biscuity malts, cereal grains and some caramelized sugar sweetness comprise the initial wave. This is followed by a few stone fruit flavours, but it's all hops from here on in - quite floral, with lots of orange/grapefruit citrus and a bit of grassiness. Finishes with an earthy bitterness that lingers on into the finish, alongside a decent amount of residual sweetness. Medium-full in body, with moderately low carbonation levels that provide a light crispness. This one has a smooth, substantial feel in the mouth - it is just satisfying to drink. I throw the term 'dangerously drinkable' around a bit too often, but this is one case where it is 100% deserved - there's no sign of the alcohol whatsoever, and it's almost as easy to drink as the Jever I had right before this.

Final Grade: 4.0, just eking out an A-. After brewing up a cherrywood-aged quadrupel for their first Epiphany, it would have been a challenge to come up with something 'bigger' for their second effort. Epiphany No. 2 - an imperial pilsener - was never going to pique the interest of beer geeks in the same way that No. 1 had the potential to. Still, there's no denying that this is a pretty impressive strong lager - nearly as heavily hopped as an IPA, with a masterfully masked abv. One bottle is enough for me, but I'm glad I had the chance to try it. Recommended for fans of those "India pale lagers".

 

650 ml bottle served just above fridge temperature into a pint glass. I thoroughly enjoyed Epiphany No. 1, if No. 2 is close to as good, it will be a resounding success. Purchased from local LCBO for $8.95 CDN.

Appearance - A cloudy but still transparent rich golden colored beer is poured. Plentiful carbonation and a big rocky two finger head. Some evidence of the head is left behind as lacing around the glass. Great retention too.

Smell - A big aromatic floral aroma with some leafy hop presence, grains are more hidden than usual for a pilsner (at least as far as I've found) making me believe this will be a hoppy pilsner.

Taste - Moderately bitter to start, the faint trace of caramel in there, before a return to leafy and herbal characteristics. Finishes bitter and a bit of a boozy flavor, enough to know that this isn't your average pilsner, although hidden well enough to be enjoyable. Candi sugar mid taste, is a little different and detracts from the consistent flavor I often find in pilsners from start to finish.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and well carbonated, great drinakbility for pilsner nearing 8%. The carbonation makes this a bit gassy, but it's not too rough. Not sharp notes on the tongue from the booze, which happens since the alcohol is harder to hide when there's not as many robust smells and flavors as there are in other styles.

Overall - A fine follow up effort that is certainly worth a try albeit on the pricey end of things. Considering this is a style with very little fanfare, I'm certainly glad I've tried it.

A: Rich golden colour. A little hazy. Pours a good finger of frothy head that settles pretty quickly.

S: Nose is full of citrus and a little grain.

T: Taste is full of grapefruit and citrus again. Bread and yeasty flavours come in a bit later. clean and bitter finish. The hopps really seem to take over, tasting a lot like a baby American IPA and leaving citrus peel on the palate in the finish.

M: Feel is pretty smooth and crisp. A heavy for a pils which takes a little away from the fresh feeling.

O: Overall pretty good flavours but the hopps drown out the classic pils taste and crisp freshness. Nice beer but feels like it would rather be an IPA than a pils.

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a light hazy beige color ale pilsner with a nice pure white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light cereal notes with light dry green hops notes. Taste is a mix between some light cereal notes with a dry light hoppy finish. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. A bit short on character overall but I enjoyed the way the residuals sugar was well balanced.

From notes

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice thick off-white head that dies down slowly and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of floral hops, fruity undertones, wheat, buiscuity malts and very faint perfume.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some floral notes upfront, a light grassiness, some fruity undertones, buiscuity malts and some wheat.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a very nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied by great flavors and aromas. Fantastic Pilsner!

Serving type: bottle

 

 

 

Bright golden orange with a touch of haze. Very well carbonated. The fingers worth of paper white head that sits on top is dense and displays excellent retention.

Lots of orange zest and a touch of lemon tartness. I pick on on some tropical notes as well; peaches and apricots most notably. It also has a fresh, green, leafy side. Its center is crackery, doughy, and biscuity. The nose is fairly tame relative to its ABV but I'm a fan.

There's plenty to chew on right away with a fresh doughy center coming through first. Peach skins and apricots blend with grass clippings and hay, all of which present themselves in a lively, fresh manner. The finish is long and drawn out, mixed between a cereal sweetness and a slightly grassy, earthy bitterness. Here is where I pick up on its ABV content.

Medium bodied and very well rounded. Tingly on the edges with its CO2 level and hop content. Refreshing and easy quite easy to drink.

This is only my second Imperial Pilsner I've had to date and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. What it lacked in complexity and strong flavors, it made up for in its sessionability, balance, and how well its ABV is hidden. I really enjoyed the tropical flavors imparted by the Wakutu hops they used, which I also found unique in for a Pilsner.

 

It's decent but it is overpriced