Tag Archives: Heaven Hill

Endless Nameless by Cigar City

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12028748_10102826618919990_8601399048560632795_o 12017422_10102826619473880_7765847507134468512_oRating: 6/5

Endless Nameless by Cigar City is a ??% ABV Imperial Stout Aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels.

Label:
endless.
nameless.
imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels.

==Introduction==

A name used from a hidden track off of Nirvana’s album, Nevermind. Cigar city brings this very big whale of a beer off the depths of the Grunge Rock abyss. Simply put, the Nirvana tribute beer, this beer was released as part of the El Catador reserve release. Only those in that association would be allowed to get this one. I was able to snag this bottle as soon as I saw it on www.mybeercollectibles.com. Needless to say, that sit can be super pricey but luckily I got this at a decent price. I really got it since I wanted to bring it forth to the website and see how it is. Now, on with the show.

Aromas:
Smells like Beer Spirit, or its dark soul. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German & Belgian chocolate, bakers chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, Mexican 3 leches/Three Milks cake, flan, Dulce De Leche Caramel, Vanilla, Rich Bourbon, oak, marshmallows, grahama cracker smores, molasses, bananas, crème brulee, dark raisins, dark cherries, plums, mocha coffee, Kahlua, Irish cream, agave syrup, candi sugar, rock candy, pecan pie, leather, tobacco, brown sugar and hazelnut nectar.

Flavors:
Rich Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, Bananas, Flan, Vanilla, Bourbon, oak, Dulce De Leche Caramel, Mexican sweetened condensed milk, Mexican 3 leches/Three Milks cake, molasses, hazelnut nectar, tobacco, leather, rye, maple syrup, dark cherries, currants, plums, blueberries, raspberries, dark cherries, coconut pie, mocha, crème brulee, toffee, brown sugar, cotton candy, choco flan, candi sugar, rocky road icecream, almond joy, Kahlua, Irish cream, agave syrup, Yoohoo Chocolate Milk Shake, Chocolate cake and chocolate cheese cake.

Aftertaste:
Long lingering dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, flan, crème brulee, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hazelnut, dark cherries, marshmallow, pecan pie, coconut pie, bananas, bourbon notes and chocolate cake. Slight booziness but super subtle to keep stuff balanced and not detract from the flavors, beyond the endless and nameless darkness of the abyss body, smooth and sipping drinkability, silky, velvety and syrupy mouth feel.

Overall:
Essentially, this is the Black Tuesday of Cigar City and the East Coast. So many reminiscent flavors of Black Tuesday but leaning more toward milk candies and desserts. Either way, this is ridiculously balanced with the amount of complexity and alcohol. This is definitely a world class beer and a must get to add to your collection of super whales. A Nirvana whale is one beast of a while to collect for a special occasion.

Anime Corner:
Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill (one of my top 4 anime girls) was used in this pairing to pair mainly with the name of the song and the meaning behind it as well as the darkness the beer represents. In the series, Ryuko had to deal with turmoil and darkness. This beer represents that very chaos and attitude in her heart when stuff was not going well in her life during the sad parts of the show. She pulled through ofcourse! She didn’t lose her way! Just like the frustration Kurt Cobain felt as they said fuck it when recording Lithium! And created the song. The beer is dark as the endless abyss with no name.

Sources:
http://static.tumblr.com/3a0b53c0f68bfa5cdf6c584209ffd8f7/9dd108p/eSmn9wfk0/tumblr_static_cq0y11ev48owsg4ksow8okscc.jpg

Rexx by Clown Shoes brewing

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11060457_10102795643160660_1873927782144925610_oRating: 5.65/6

Rexx by Clown Shoes brewing is a 12% ABV Imperial Amber/Red Ale aged in Heaven Hill and Four Roses Bourbon Barrels.

Label:
We like dinosaurs. We especially like Rexx, our prehistoric pal who wears clown shoes, drinks bourbon, and spends his doomed days in exile from the other Tyrannosauruses, choosing to romp with friendlier beasts. Rexx, we dedicate this Imperial Red Ale aged in Heaven Hill and Four Roses bourbon barrels to you buddy.

==Introduction==

Clown Shoes releases another awesome Barrel aged beer. This time, Bourbon Barrel aged red. Granted, the last time a Barrel Aged Red was from Anderson Valley which was pretty good for the low ABV. Now we are dealing with a heavy hitter at 12% ABV. A style that is aged in any type of spirit is always welcome to the site. Especially Clown Shoes stuff which has been for the majority of the time, exceptionally great, just like the Blaecorn Unidragon series and its Beast Variants and more! Now let’s take a trip to the ancient past, to the time of the dinosaurs and study this, Amber Nectar. Cheers!

Aromas:
Rich bananas, caramel, vanilla, oak, bourbon, whiskey, toasted coconut, marshmallows, dark fruit raisins, cherry notes, Rye bread, flowery rose hints, lavender, hibiscus, earthy, citrusy and grapefruit hints, toffee, pecan pie, almond joy chocolate, milk chocolate, rocky road ice cream notes, hazelnut, very mild tropical fruit like prickly pear, passion fruit, papaya and mango notes.

Flavors:
Rich Rye, whiskey, bourbon, floral notes of hibiscus, lavender, rose petals, toffee, rich caramel, plantains, rich bananas, marshmallows, toasted coconut, earthy, citrucy, piney hops, rich grapefuits, pecan pie, almond joy chocolate, milk chocolate, rocky road ice cream notes, caramel, vanilla, oak, tropical fruit like prickly pear, passion fruit, mango notes, dragon fruit, sweetened condensed milk, flan, dark fruit raisins, cherries, cinnamon spice, brown sugar and hazelnut nectar.

Aftertaste:
Rye, earthy notes, grapefruit hops, lots of whiskey, vanilla, toasted coconut, caramel, marshmallows and banana notes are left in the taste. Slight booziness in the taste, crimson full body, smooth, creamy, velvety, mouthfeel, sipping drinkability

Overall:
An exceptionally bourbony, whiskey rye flavored Amber ale. The last time I tried a bourbon barrel amber ale was long ago. Come to think about it, this reminded me of the Bourbon Barrel aged Bock but this is a red so the flavorful hops do come out to play as well. It almost borderlines a certain Barleywine aged in Bourbon Barrels. The only thing to pick at is the boozeyness. I think with time this one will mature into something incredible. I still highly recommend it as is. Clown Shoes barrel aged beers have been extremely awesome!

Anime Corner:
Ranma Saotome from Ranma ½ was used in this paring to pair with the style of the beer (A Red Ale) but also to pair with the beers sweet flavors and rich complexity which are complemented by Ranma’s sweet and sexy appearance. She is pretty sweet in general but she is also a dangerous martial artists. You see, being the protagonist of the show, Ranma has shown immense strength and power which goes well with the ABV of the beer. Although Ranma can be hot headed at times, she means well which goes with the booziness of the beer. Give her sometime, she will age just right and be good to you. As for th T-Rex in the label, her colors complement it too but like I said before, this T-Rex can be hot headed just like Ranma. Give the T-Rex a beer, calms right down, just like Ranma!

Sources:
http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/37519/ranma5.jpg

Four Seasons of Mother Earth Series – Zingaro Autumn Ale by Mother Earth Brewing

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10371488_10102129194838440_8531359042055083546_n 1524406_10102129195257600_716354571762073793_oRating: 6/5

Four Seasons of Mother Earth Series – Zingaro Autumn Ale by Mother Earth Brewing is an 11.7% ABV Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels.

Label:
We have many names. Nomad, roamer, stray, deviant. Ostracized for free thinking. Asked to conform to conventions. Well, defiance breeds change. That’s why we stuck this imperial stout in oak barrels… Not because it should happen…because it shouldn’t.

Intense flavors of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and brown sugar meld beautifully with toffee and vanilla notes from wet oak bourbon barrels.

We have been told beer shouldn’t taste this… rEvolutionary. But we embrace a change in the seasons of life. They call us Bohemians. Then this must be the rhapsody, because not all who wander are lost. We are Zingaro.
___

Obtained this sucker from Craftshack.com as I was intrigued by the fact that Mother Earth brewing has a Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout. I have only have had some of their beers which have been good to amazing but this time, I take on their version of the bourbon barrel imperial stout.

Aromas:
Rich toasted coconut, marshmallow smores, graham crackers, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, rocky road ice cream, almond joy, banana notes, dark fruit raisins, figs, licorice, coffee hints, Irish cream earthy notes oak, vanilla, bourbon, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple and pumpkin spice hints.

Flavors:
Rich milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak, flan, rich toasted coconut, hazelnut nectar, rocky road ice cream, pecan pie, anise, molasses, pumpkin spice hints, maple, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, dulce de leche caramel, licorice, molasses, dark fruit raisins, figs, currants, earthy notes, Irish cream, coffee notes, almond joy, Kahlua coffee, marshmallow smores, graham crackers, dark cherry chocolate cake and crème brulee.

Aftertaste:
Leaving with a complex of goods of toasted coconut, oak, bourbon, caramel, vanilla, milk and dark chocolate, pecan pie and earthy notes. No alcohol in the taste, velvety and creamy mouthfeel, sipping yet smooth and somewhat easy to drink and a full pitch black body.

Overall:
Surprisingly, I was ridiculously impressed by this one. The rich complex coconut, chocolate, bourbon and dark fruit take the lead here adding some subtle hints of spicy notes like that of the pumpkin but very subtle. I highly recommend this one if you can find it for sure, you won’t be let down especially if you love bourbon barrel aged Imperial stouts.

Anime Corner:
Inoue Orihime from Bleach was used in this pairing mainly when I saw the label as the character of autumn, is pretty much Orihime right down to the pendant on her hair and the colors. Orihime herself has been added to some damn epic beers like Uinta Oaked Jacked which pairs with the fall colors and she has many abilities bringing me back to some of those epic beers. In fact, her mainly ability of healing is to bring back a living organism back to a state of time when they were not hurt before. Just like the seasons, dying trees come back to life in spring time bloom synonymous with that Orihime power. So the pairing just seem way to perfect in my mind and mother earth had the right idea. Orihime is mother earthy nurturing the world back to a state where it was healed. Inoue Orihime is rather, heavenly as much to say as mother earth or heaven hills bourbon have to say.

Sources:
http://orichie.deviantart.com/art/Orihime-470623586
http://static.zerochan.net/Inoue.Orihime.full.40536.jpg

2012 Hellshire II by Oakshire brewing

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10632832_10102056465673270_7864367582613823620_n 10450792_10102056467569470_4989196946291185721_n 10702021_10102056466476660_5956929276269596116_nRating: 5.35/5

2012 Hellshire II by Oakshire brewing is a 10.5% ABV Double/Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 7 months and bottle aged for 2 years

Label:
Deep within the recesses of the alcoves & antechambers of Oakshire Brewing lies another realm. It’s a place where carefully fermented beers are laid to rest in oaken sarcophagi. They slumber for aeons & emerge as wholly new & unique entities, fueling the malformed creatures that populate those blasted and eldritch wastes. That place is HELLSHIRE.
Hellshire II is an Imperial Stout aged for 6 months in freshly emptied bourbon barrels. Notes of vanilla, coconut, chocolate, roasted coffee, oak & bourbon intertwine with the beer’s complex malt flavors. It’s ready to enjoy now or can be cellared cool and dry for several years. Cheers! Mat Van Wyk, Brewmaster.
___

Like the Hellshire I, in 2012 I traded for this beer. Stories of lore told that this beer was infected and the brewery had apologized. Despite this, I had reviewed one which I enjoyed and aged another for to be drink 2 years later. I wanted to check on its status of infection, that is, if it really was true. It really wasn’t bad back then. Nothing different than what I would have had from a lightly soured Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura, except aged in bourbon barrels. So Now, 2 years later, I resurrect the angel of death to bring you forth the Hellshire II. As enjoyed the Hellshire III earlier this year which came out in 2013, let is see if this beer has completely gone bad or has evolved into something awesome. Cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, dark fruits like raisins, prunes, tart raspberry skins, dark cherry, currants and blue berry yogurt, musty notes, smokey oak, port wine, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, wine grapes, Kahlua, roasted coffee grounds, mocha, anise, chocolate brownies, earthy notes, molasses, bourbon, musty notes and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Dark fruits like Blueberries, blackberries, tart currants, wine grapes, raisins, prunes, figs and dark cherry yogurt, dark fruit raisins, mocha, rich dark chocolate, bourbon, port wine, caramel, vanilla, coconut, smokey notes, roasted coffee grounds, earthy notes, molasses, anise, flan hints, Kahlua, brownies, port wine, funky oak, smokey notes, milk chocolate, smokey oak, licorice hints and tart raspberries.

Aftertaste:
Blueberry yogurt, dark chocolate, caramel, earthy notes, vanilla, bourbon, tart dark fruit and dark cherries, mocha, roasted coffee and smokey notes. No alcohol in the taste, Very smooth despite the ABV, pitch black as night and death body, light to syrupy mouth feel.

Overall:
Absolutely wonderful!! Despite the fact that there is this sour notes, they are very well controlled. This is not your typical over puckering sour. Oh Hell NO! This is quite awesome. The Imperial Stout and bourbon aspects are the ones in controlled only letting a slight sour bitter taste enhance the dark fruits into an oblivion of like a tart dark cherry yogurt and oak. Think of Madrugada Obscura. I would highly recommend this one if you like sour stouts only. Seems like an acquired but regardless, I definitely realized, this one aged great.

Anime/Comic Corner:
Raven from Teen Titans was used in the original Hellshire II. I wanted to bring her back for the 2nd review to show her as a stronger and more flavorful Imperial stout than the original. Right away,m you should be able to tell that Raven pairs greatly with the all aspects of the beer like the darkness of pitch black, death, hell, the label colors, the flavors and the strength of the beer. The first art depicts of how even though she has become stronger, the markings on her body (depicting the infection of the beer) have not stopper her but rather have given here an immense flavor complex and provided a balance to what would have been a pure sour beer but instead focused on the balance overall instead. Great job to Raven!!

Sources:
http://ramy.deviantart.com/art/Raven-271528390
http://yuumei.deviantart.com/art/Raven-Teen-Titans-161642708

2011 Hellshire I by Oakshire brewing

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10653420_10102056444959780_1348526635417096660_n 10659332_10102056446476740_2725776183311675554_n 10700006_10102056448797090_5415215982118373812_oRating: 5.25/5

2011 Hellshire I by Oakshire brewing is a 10% ABV Barleywine aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels for 10 months and now bottle aged for 3+ years.

Label:
Deep within the recesses of the alcoves and antechambers of Oakshire Brewing lies another realm. It’s a place where beers are carefully laid to rest in oaken sarcophagi. They slumber for aeons and emerge as wholly new and unique entities, fueling the malformed creatures that populate those blasted and eldritch wastes. That place is HELLSHIRE. Hellshire I is an American Barley Wine Ale aged for nearly nine months in freshly emptied Bourbon barrels. Notes of vanilla, coconut, oak and bourbon intertwine with the beer’s complex malt and hop character. It’s ready to enjoy now or can be cellared, cool and dry for several years.
___

Long ago, I traded for this beer. I wanted to save one for cellaring and the other was reviewed in 2012. I decided to wait 3 years before trying this one again to see how it had changed. It seems that the beer has matured plenty and I wanted to give it a go since I had already tried the Hellshire III before. The only way to get this beer now is on online auctions or trading. I can somewhat recall what the experience with this one was like back in 2012 but I can only assume. Either way, I brought it back from the depths of NubiSanctum hell cellar to see the light again. Damn was Hellshire mad or what?! Either way, here we go!

Aromas:
Old Dark fruit forward like prunes, raisins, brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, musty oak, bourbon, toffee, fancy wine and cheese, old mango, old oranges, oatmeal, pecan pie, hazelnut, molasses, coffee cake, butterscotch, toasted coconut, rye bread, nutella notes, dark chocolate and maple syrup.

Flavors:
Dark fruits like prunes, raisins, figs, maple syrup, cherries, Caramel, Rye bread, coconut, vanilla, earthy notes, musty oak notes, bourbon notes, oatmeal, hazelnut, pecan pie, fancy wine and cheese party funky hints, rich pecan pie, toffee, pralines, old oranges, old mango, butterscotch, coffee cake, nutella hints, molasses, brown sugar, almond joy and dark chocolate notes.

Aftertaste:
Old Oranges,rye bread, nutella hints, caramel, vanilla, coconut, oak, bourbon, earthy and musty notes linger for a bit. No alcohol in the taste. Age has made this one smooth, medium to full body, mildy syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall:
Age has made this one very awesome . It reminds me a lot of the Stone Bastard in the Rye but with a dark fruit and caramel forward flavor profile than the hidden hop notes found in the fresh Stone one. It also reminds me of the Barrel Aged Blockhead Doppelbock from the Coney Island Series. Would I recommend this one? Yes!! It really gets better with age or at least at this point, aging has done this one some crazy magic. If it is hard to believe this is still 10% ABV, Call it an 11% better.

Anime/Comic Corner:
Mystique from Marvel’s Xmen as well as her posing as Ms. Marvel was used in this pairing since the original time I used her was when I posted my first try at Hellshire. She pairs well with the label as well as the aspect of the beer history in terms of her appearance of death and hell. The colors she represents pair well with the colors of the beer label as well as some of the flavors including the dark fruit, caramel, red wine, and citrus and mango.

Sources:
http://thequarterbin.com/wp-content/uploads/76_ms__marvel_48.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5ov8jjewq1rydvyko1_1280.jpg

Bourbon Coffee Porter by Smog City brewing

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10577203_10102026464026810_5844423787737602391_nRating: 5.25/5

Bourbon Coffee Porter by Smog City brewing is a 7.5% ABV Imperial Coffee Porter Aged in Heaven Hill, Jack Daniels and Four Roses Barrels.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

Coffee Porter aged in bourbon barrels.
___

Got this beer on tap at the local brewery, Smog City in Torrance California near work. They only have this for a limited amount of time. The original beer was something very special. A coffee porter that straight out tasted like really fancy coffee was one of the first beers I tried from Smog City. It isn’t often I bring a growler home, but when I heard they were releasing this one to the public and growler even, I definitely had to sign up for sure. So if they ever release a bottle or you are ever in the Torrance area, stop by and try some of this before it is gone!! So for now, I will bring this forth and let you know how it is. Definitely support local breweries wherever you are from and cheers!!

Aromas:

Really fancy coffee, mocha, Kahlua, java, bourbon, oak, floral notes, marshmallows, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, fudge brownies, Irish cream, fudge cake, dark fruits like raisins, plums, dark cherries, currants, hazelnut, pecan pie, maple syrup, earthy notes, milk sugar, cinnamon, rye bread, brown sugar, hints of plantain, clove spice and banana.

Flavors:

Rich fancy mocha coffee, java, frappuccino, bourbon, oak notes, Floral notes, marshmallows, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, fudge brownies, marshmallow, vanilla, caramel, Irish cream, fudge cake, dark cherries, dark fruit raisins, plums, currants, hazelnut, banana hints, clove spice, plantain, pecan pie, earthy notes, maple syrup, molasses, whiskey hints, coconut hints, rye bread, toffee, flan hints, anise, mint and milk sugar.

Aftertaste:

Coffee, mocha, caramel, vanilla, banana hints, dark chocolate and earthy notes. No alcohol in the taste, smooth drinkability, full body appearance, velvety mouth feel.

Overall:

Loved this one a lot. Even more complex than the original fancy coffee porter. No joke, not only does their porter taste like a cup of Joe, this takes it to the next level of complexity. While it may not be the best coffee beer ever, this is definitely exceeding my expectations even if by a quarter. They did an exceptional job and just the fact that they had it in growler was definitely worth not missing this one. Oh YES!! this one was not worth missing. So like I said before, if you are in town, go get this one for sure, I highly recommend it!

Anime Corner:

Rin Tohsaka from Fate Stay Night/Zero was chosen for this review because I wanted to pair some of the coffee and bourbon flavors with the colors of the artwork. I have another version of Rin but I will most likely use that one for the original beer, which is very awesome. This beer is exceptional for what it is and the flavors like in the artwork like the red and brown for cherry and coffee and the brown for bourbon definitely are revealed in this one. Especially in the deep crimson eyes which show some complexity.

Sources:
http://i32.tinypic.com/24pyla0.jpg