New Beer Sunday (week 581)

After lots of careful consideration throughout the day, I finally landed on my evening brew thanks to @Josholson666 . And a very fine one it is-

I went with the '15 Surly Darkness to really get a baseline of the beer, so that I will hopefully be able to understand the barrel aged ones and older vintages a lot better. This is being served fairly warm, high 50s or so.

Right off the bat- dear lord, this is gonna be powerful; I can smell it as I'm pouring. Immediate sniff: holy crap, this is a hoppy stout! I love hoppy stouts!

Aroma is multi faceted with lots of complexity; I seem to get a different angle with each smell. Initially I get lots of dark chocolate roast, citrus oil and pine resin. This immediately begins morphing into prune, toffee, tobacco, smoke and ash, spices (nutmeg and vanilla), blackstrap molasses, espresso, even a touch of almond. It's amazing- all of these really heavy duty aromas taking turns with each other, yet the sum of the parts never overwhelms. If there is a constant throughout, it's the bitter dark chocolate.

And on the palate it's smooth, rich, and surprisingly tightly knit. Again, an amazingly harmonious blend of flavors for such a powerful beer. Toffee and dark fruits provide a solid platform from where the other elements nimbly move about. The spices play an incredible role as a conductor, too, seemingly present whenever I get the chocolate, espresso, nuts, citrus peel. Bitterness and alcohol are exactly where necessity deems them to be, keeping the whole thing sharp and exciting, but even not coming close to stealing the show. Great jumping crawdaddies!: power and finesse going hand in hand. This is a freakin' masterpiece of a beer, and I must admit that it bests my greatest expectations. A+ (4.85)

 

Founders KBS!!! I didn't expect to get my hands on this in South Dakota but nabbed 6 bottles. Other BBS's I have had and can compare to are BCBS, Dragon's Milk, and Central Waters. Fairly thick, decent brown head that stuck around, and opaque. Those expecting a bourbon-forward BBS will be under-impressed, as this is more coffee forward, with a lingering chocolate taste. I really like having a beer that has the coffee taste without the strong coffee bitterness many stouts have. Though this tastes quite different from the others, I like it as well as BCBS and Central Waters, and prefer it over Dragon's Milk. ABV aside, I could sit and drink a lot of these. As with most all stouts, this gets better as it warms. Based on other reviews I had half-expected it to be an OMFG experience, and though it's not that, it will go on my favorite whale list.

 

Darkness is one of the first beers that made me go Holy Shit! How can they do all these things with a beer. I wished I would have written a review.
I have a 15 I am going to open soon. Will definitely write a review this time.

 

And all the hype aside every Trillium beer I've tried has been outstanding.....and I don't like to to go
On bandwagons

 

Aw, comeon, don't be a tease!

The whole point of NBS is having a beer that's new to you and telling others what you think of it, not least because some people might not have had that beer and would like to know if it's worth seeking out. Think of it as an online beer tasting/party with a bunch of fellow BAs.

 

See that's interesting since I just reviewed and thought it not to be coffee forward. And I'm not a coffee fanatic. Glad you enjoyed though! Nice review

 

Damn. I've really go to get there. I just wish it weren't a 5+ hour drive, though, I do 5+ hour drives to go to the Rainy River to fish.

 

Founders Curmudgeon (Old Ale) | Founders Brewing Company
Reviews:
1,234
Ratings:
4,427
Avg:
3.98
pDev:
20.1%

Thank you @larryi86 ....Round 2 for the NBS Triple Threat BIF for today… Poured 12 oz into a snifter, beer poured rich and thick with a dark plum like color, minimal head that dissipated quickly with little to no lacing.

The aroma was of figs, raisin basically dark fruit. The oak flavor was mild yet balanced the fruit well. There is a slight alcohol taste that does not over power the earthy fruity flavor of the beer. Beer has a 9.8% ABV… the finish is nice with no bitter after taste. For me I grew to appreciate the beer more as it warmed.

The label presented this beer perfectly, rough and rugged meant for those who appreciated a stronger style Ale.

Look - Dark amber, almost brown color.
Smell - Oak, fig like, dark fruits like raisins and plums
Taste – Dark Fruit, almost plum juice like with oak and earthy flavors striking the palette.
Feel – Thick and smooth, the 9.8% ABV is present but not overpowering.

Overall – Good Beer, one to be sipped and enjoyed over time.

 

He's an Ohio State guy, they haven't always been the best at following rules

 

Zombie Dust is the bomb.... hope you enjoyed...

 

It has gained a reputation for a reason! I think you made the correct choice in going with the 15 first, as darkness with the bold hops is really the best, though you'll be surprised to see the hops don't fade much over time. I would recommend going with the BA first, then go 14, 13, 12, but that's up to you!

 

Last one tonight from @TongoRad 's BIF boxes.

This is Trinity's Magic Brett Tour #4. I have to admit that I was excited, intrigued, and scared to death of this one as soon as I saw it.

Really complex aroma and flavor that I'm not sure I have to vocabulary to articulate. Lemon, lime, and fresh cut hay. Perfect carbonation and soft mouthfeel that makes this surprisingly drinkable. What an excellent adventure!



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18120/179994/?ba=richj1970#review

 

Love the glassware... @larryi86 was able to hook me up with the same. Awesome. Enjoy the night cap!

 

Thanks- will do. I was leaning in the direction of BA first, but it's nice to get that confirmation. Damn- this is going to be my kind of wild ride!

 

Been about a year since I've had a bottle, nice review, thing I will have to open one of the few bottles I have left this week!

 

Well... can't speak for @JonB25 but Zombie Dusk is like great sex is a glass... Very Nice.

 

That might have been the source of his glass

 

It was nice to enjoy this one when I did, I will get a couple bottles here and let them season a bit and see if the taste changes... I think this is a good one to let sit for a bit.

 

Allright!!! I was looking forward to this. There's definitely something intriguing about that beer, so it's great to see someone else's opinion. Nice job on the review, and I think we picked up on the same thing.

Although: (from your review)
Complex earthy funk that is difficult to describe.
< the word I originally used was 'compost'>

Which really isn't that bad if you think about it. But the cool thing about it is all of the other stuff as well- incredible contrasts. Glad you enjoyed the ride, and clearly gave it a fair shot.

Now it seems like I'm the one who needs to write a review, which I will do on my next bottle. Cheers!

 

It's a great glass. I too got one from @larryi86 from NBS BIF#1.