Adroit Theory: Eat the Rich

The Ghost number for Adroit beers is mostly a recipe number, though what constitutes a new recipe could be something quite small. And since they, like other breweries, are constantly tweaking recipes, it’s almost more like a batch number. The craziness the confusion caused on this site for beer entries is why I stopped reviewing their beers here a long time ago.

That said, your review rings true to my experience with AT. They can do some crazy pastry stout things, but they have a solid footing in the base beer style, too.

 

rich. dark dried stone fruit in aroma with a ton of bakers cocoa. coacoa & chocolate fudge lead the flavor. very dry - a surprise for the heft. excellent.

 

I just got the Extreme Beer Box from Beer Advocate and I want to try this one first because of the incredible artwork on the label. Looks like a fancy upscale dinner party of some zombie characters eating a disemboweled carcass of someone i presume was rich. Nothing short of fantastic artwork. I can also appreciate that there are cheese pairings and cigar pairings printed right on the side of the can. Not going to indulge that far, but I love the aesthetic already. Pours out inky black into a skull snifter, with a full one inch darkest brown head. Most heads i see are khaki or white, but nope this one is dark brown. Smell is of malt and molasses, maybe some chocolate and nut. Taste is quite malty and roasted. It's profile is closest to black coffee I would say, at least as bitter as coffee is. There is a slight metallic taste as well, but and overwhelming roasted flavor. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and mildly carbonated. Overall tastes like I just poured a cup o joe into my mug without even adding any milk or cream, and I'm taking it to work to sip it slowly over the course of a morning. Not a bad brew, but lacks a punch of uniqueness that would earn it my top marks. However, respectable nontheless and a standout amongst all the other beers for the wonderful artwork adorning the can. Better keep that artist on the staff.

 

Interesting you mention the artwork, as it is very often cited as a positive point by people I sent their beers back in the day. I have always felt it was a big part of Adroit's identity from the very beginning, and it seems validated by the video in the original post.

Anecdotally, when AT was originally starting to expand beyond its taproom (and I'm pretty sure before they started contract brewing), it showed up at my favorite retail store. I never bought any there because I visited the brewery often enough, but the staff indicated that, while the beer was awesome, it was priced too high for a fair swath of their patrons. They alluded to attributing the higher cost to the amount Adroit spent on the artwork, right or wrong.

I tend to think at the time, they were onto something, but the brewery found a way to make it work over time. Side note that I also like the information and pairing suggestions they put on the side, though I can't say I've ever actually followed up on any of them

 

Had this last night. First sip seemed a little astringent, but mellowed as it warmed. Nice roasty character. Good non-adjuncted RIS.

 

This was delicious. Seems like a prime example of a RIS. A nice roasty stout with a hint of sweetness. I may have a slight bias as I really like adroit theory even though it's hard for me to get here.

 

Extreme Beer Box #3 for me. Can dated 12/22/22, into pint glass I get roasted malts, dark chocolate, wood char, and black coffee. Definitely not sweet (which is a refreshing return to RIS roots.)
Adroit Theory makes some excellent NEIPAs and DIPAs - looks like they can crank out some decent RISs too!
(And AT has some of the most imaginative can art I've seen.)

 

Totally digging the entire experience of this beer! Everything about it is special, from the exclusivity of the batch to the Cannibal Corpse album cover looking art.
Cheeeeers!

 

Are the people at the table eating one of their own? Did he commit some transgression against the group? Or did he lose a lottery?

Or are the people at the table fed up former servants of the main course?

Intriguing label and a great beer.



Dry overall with plenty of char character, lots of cocoa powder and spent coffee grounds primarily. Maybe a little molasses and raisin peeking through. Really nice old school stout.

 

Another winner from the Big Stouts box, I've liked what I've tried in the past from Adroit Theory and this might be the best one. Just a great imperial stout!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31535/629984/?ba=bluejacket74#lists





Cheers everyone!

 

My first thought after drinking a sip: "this tastes like dark". Roasty, intense, something that's been simmered/concentrated down all day, coffee in the bottom of the pot, etc. It's very intense without being incredibly bitter.

I know this is sacrilege, but I really want to save half of it to make a chili or a Japanese curry. I feel like this would be a stunning addition to either of those.

 

Pours dark with a good amount of head.
The aroma is chocolate and a hint of charred notes. Tasting brings chocolate with roasty notes for a very stout-y taste. There is some coffee and bitterness at the end. Mouth feel is reasonably light and it definitely drinks light-much lighter than the color would indicate. As it warms the bitterness increases some. Overall, a solid stout entry.

 

My 8th sample out of the EBB: Big Stouts. I think Violentvixen hit the nail on the head… tastes like “dark” without being offensive. Ruby brown with a light brown head. I got a significant tinniness out of the can. After it dissipated, the aroma is a nutty brown roast. There is a surprising sweetness on the palate. But it’s not overly sweet, it’s subtle. Surprisingly mild roast coupled with a surprisingly subtle sweetness. It all fits within the style. But nothing stands out as amazing. Expertly done, but I can’t ignore the tinniness out of the can

 

Solid notes of dark chocolate, fruit and espresso on the nose and palate. A bit of tar and leather make their way in there as well. Subdued sweetness is well balanced with the bitterness, making for a more on-the-money RIS. Would have liked more heft on the mouthfeel, but a very tasty stout nonetheless!
As the late great Lemmy Kilmister once said: "Come on baby, eat the rich
Put the bite on the son of a bitch
Don't mess up, don't you give me no switch
Come on baby, and eat the rich!"

 

Very dark, very rich, a great imperial stout. I don't know about "prune esters", but it's solid all the way around.

 

The description from Adroit didn’t really pan out for me. I didn’t catch the fruit esters. The early taste of chocolate faded rather quickly. It drinks light for a big, heavy beer. I just didn’t find a lot of depth in the finish.

 

Second take: I was a little hasty in my earlier comment. This is a clean, dry representative of the Russian Imperial Stout style. Nice. Alcohol is very well hidden.

 

Dry, bitter roast for sure. Probably the most malt roast forward of the bunch without any specific association to coffee or cocoa, but maybe a burnt toast note, just not as enticing.

 

Alright, based on can art alone, I was really looking forward to this, but... yeah.

3.92/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L - the foam/color impact is solid, maybe its strongest suit (well, that and the can, quite direct)
S- not much other than roast and knowing that you're drinking a stout but really doesn't smell like its ABV (12)
T - Perhaps the least notable aspect of this particular stout - not crazy about it - good, solid stout, but almost comes across the palate as an export stout in an RIS stout. Had I tried this I might have guessed 8%, if I were tasting blind. Nope - so there are some RIS qualities to it, but mostly some roast, some vague meaty notes, some dark malt, not ... much else.
F - Balanced, as hell, actually for 12% but doesn't have much palate impact. The antithesis to both FLUX and PB Fusion Technique that were also part of BBoS 2023 - just doesn't have any distinct character.
O - A solid, well balanced, stout but I wouldn't have picked up on the ABV at 12% or any other secondary characteristics. One of the most subtle, boozy, and one-dimensional stouts I've ever had.

 

Finally getting to the damn near local from the box:


A nearly hidden thread of sweetness underlines the solidly roasty stout profile than many have noted. The nose has a little more coffee/high percentage dark chocolate with a hint of marshmallow if I inhale deeply vs the taste’s earthy cola sideways lean from the straight and narrow.

I’m pretty much in agreement with those that enjoyed this as a solid, pretty straightforward imperial stout offering.

 

That was my thought too. It got much better when it warmed up.

 

Poured jet black with a creamy head. Not much of an aroma. Taste of coffee and a little bitterness. Mouthfeel is thin, which is surprising given the 12%ABV. Overall not bad but not a little disappointing. 4.0

 

I'm sure this will be my favorite from the Extreme Beer Box, it seems the brewers forgot to screw this one up, no peanut butter, no chocolate, no coffee, no ghost peppers, no persimmon....a beer without added junk, who'da thunk it!

4.35/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Just lovely, almost black, big brown head fades to a ring. Snot machine says roasted stuff, malts, coffee. Taste buds say there's some fruit back there, plum, maybe cherry, some chocolate on the back end. Thick, but not quite chewy. I certainly will look for this.

 

A little bit of confusion here trying to track down this beer in the database - thank goodness there was an explanation about the numerical confusion.

Anyway, I enjoyed this straight up RIS. For the style, I am always looking for some dark fruit in the profile and, on that front, this beer really delivers as it has a fruit and chocolate profile that complement each other quite nicely. At first, I picked up an charred, ashy character that dominated but that faded as the beer warmed.

 

L: Black with nice frothy head.
S: Wood, charcoal, leather
T: Sharp alcohol with some metallic, acidic bite. Leather notes too which were nice.
F: Creamy with medium carbonation.
O: This took a long time to figure out. I'd probably have to drink it again to keep going with it. I had trouble with what I perceived as a metallic taste and acidity. But then I loved the leathery and charcoal taste. A nice late-night sipper. I have to say this is the most interesting beer out of the Extreme Beer Box: BIG STOUTS (2023). Also, the artwork is completely bonkers and I loved all the detail on the label. All those pairing suggestions is cool. Appreciated the extra details on the coding, etc. too. I'd love to try more from Adroit Theory.

 

Excellent for longer term sipping. Not much for aroma but the taste is big with dark roasted chocolate malts. Higher ABV% is noticeable in both the nose and the taste but does not burn the mouth. Smooth in passage. Most interesting and graphic label.