2017 Eclipse Mocha Imperial Stout in collaboration with FiftyFifty Brewing Co. and Craftbeerkings.com

December 29, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Angela, cacao nibs, Cold Toddy Coffee, Craftbeerkings.com, Doughnut, Eclipse, Eclipse Mocha, Fifty Fifty Brewing, honey, Imperial Stout, Mostra Coffee, Muffet, seiken densetsu, seiken densetsu 3, Undertale | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2017 Eclipse Mocha Imperial Stout in collaboration with FiftyFifty Brewing Co. and Craftbeerkings.com is an 11% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Honey, Mostra Cold Toddy coffee and cacao nibs

A bourbon barrel aged imperial stout brewed with cacao and cold toddy coffee.

Brewed with Mostra cold brew coffee, and released exclusively through Craft Beer Kings.

This is supremely amazing! Mixed Berry, mocha, chocolate cake and Dulce de leche. Also, has flavors of jelly doughnuts and lots of complexity that is definitely worthy of World Class. One of the best of this year!!!

Almond Flour Stout by Clown Shoes

December 29, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged almond flour, Almond Flour Stout, almond milk, Angel, Clown Shoes Brewing, Crasher in The Rye, Imperial Stout, marzipan, Mercy, natural flavors, Overwatch | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Almond Flour Stout by Clown Shoes is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Almond Flour and Natural Flavors.

Moooooooo! Moooooooo! Moooooooo! The cow is jealous, because this stout was made with her nemesis, The Evilness Itself: Almond Flour! Yes, we did it, we made a concoction out of water and almond flour, then had Angel and Crasher taste test it for us. Wow! It was good. So we brewed this Stout with it for you, California. Lactose-free! Mooooooooooooooooo!

Lots of almonds, marzipan, milk shake, dulce de leche, mocha and chocolate yohoo flavors. Definitely one to get!

Vindictive II by The Bruery

December 29, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged black berries, Black Tuesday, bourbon barrels, chocolate mousse, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, Fess Parker, Fess Parker winery, french oak barrels, Grenache Grapes, Grey Monday, Harvest Syrah, Imperial Stout, Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels, Kill-LA-Kill, Mardi Rouge, Mocha Wednesday, Mourvèdre grapes, New American Oak Barrel, Oak Puncheons, Petite Syrah, Ryuko Matoi, Ryuoko Matoi, Sans Liege Wines, syrah grapes, The Bruery, Vindictive, Vindictive II, White Chocolate, Wineification, Wineification III | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Vindictive II by The Bruery is 16.1% ABV American Imperial Stout blended with juice from Zinfandel grapes and Arroyo Grande Valley Wine.

California is renowned for producing some of the greatest zin and stouts in the world. We combine that pride and passion in this varietal of our Black Tuesday imperial stout, blended and fermented with juice from Zinfandel grapes from Old Potrero vineyard, a sustainable, dry-farmed, old vine vineyard in the Arroyo Grande Valley American Viticultural Area, thanks to our friends at Field Recordings Wine. After maturing for nearly a year in medium toast New American Oak puncheons, this release vanquishes the boundaries between wine and beer in a full-bodied foray of dark fruit, berries, jam, oak and spice.

Super complex Beer and Wine fusion. Love this version for the year!

2017 Black Tuesday – Port by The Bruery

December 28, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged best beers in the world, Black Tuesday, Black Tuesday Port, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, dark fruits, delicious, dessert, Grey Monday, Imperial Stout, Kos-MOS, kosmos, rich flavors, The Bruery, White Chocolate, Wineification, world class beers, Xenosaga | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2017 Black Tuesday – Port by The Bruery is a 17.8% ABV Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels and port wine barrels.

The economy fluctuates. The latest fads inevitably decline. Black Tuesday stands the test of time. This rare release of our storied imperial stout was aged in port wine barrels, adding vinous undertones with notes of berries and chocolate to our favorite day of the week.

Chocoaky Mustaberries….

Love & Maple Syrup by State Brewing Company

December 28, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged 2nd Craft Bourbon Aged Coffee Beans, aged in Bourbon Barrels, Astaroth, Astarotto, Coffee Beans, Imperial Stout, Love & Maple Syrup, Michigan Maple syrup, Shinrabansho, State Brewing Company | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Love & Maple Syrup by State Brewing Company is a 9.1% Imperial Stout Bourbon aged Coffee Beans and Michigan Maple Syrup.

Imperial Stout w/ 2nd Craft Bourbon Aged Coffee Beans & Michigan Maple Syrup, 9.1 % Our latest Breakfast themed Stout starts with a delicious Imperial base that is taken to the next level
with 80 lbs of 2nd Craft’s finest Bourbon aged and conditioned Colombian Coffee Beans. We then add
a healthy amount of Pure Michigan Maple Syrup from BLiS, Oaky bourbon, dark chocolate and espresso
hit big in the nose and on and the palate finishing into sweet, sappy maple heaven. Rich and up front yet
walking the fine line of balance. Enjoy and love one another.

Maple maple everywhere…. So much breakfast goodness to drink!

2017 Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist by Epic Brewing Co.

December 28, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Barrel Aged, Big Bad Baptist, Epic Brewing Co., Imperial Stout, Kos-MOS, rum, Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist, valkyrie profile, Whiskey, Xenogears, Xenosaga | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2017 Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist by Epic Brewing Co. is an 11.4% ABV Imperial Stout aged in whiskey & rum barrels with cacao nibs, barrel-aged coffee beans and barrel-aged coconut added.

Imperial Stout aged in whiskey & rum barrels with cacao nibs, barrel-aged coffee beans and barrel-aged coconut added.

Such a special whale.. Super coconut tiramisu macaroon deliciousness…

2016 Eclipse – Elijah Craig 12 by FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

December 27, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Bleach, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Eclipse, elijah craig 12, honey, Imperial Stout, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2016 Eclipse – Elijah Craig 12 by FiftyFifty Brewing Co. is an 11% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Honey aged in Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbon.

Matte purple wax

Coffee Bourbon Barrel Oil of Aphrodite by Jackie O’s brewing

October 12, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Belgian Candi sugar, Belgian Candied Sugar syrup, Black Walnuts, Bourbon Barrel Aged, coffee, Coffee Bourbon Barrel Oil of Aphrodite, Imperial Stout, Jackie O's brewing, Oil of Aphrodite, Ryoko, Ryoko Hakubi, Tenchi, Tenchi Muyo | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Coffee Bourbon Barrel Oil of Aphrodite by Jackie O’s brewing is a 12.1% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Black Walnuts, Belgian Candied Sugar syrup, Coffee and aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Label:

==Introduction==

The elusive ambrosia of gods! This is the first time I try this beer but also anything Jackie O. Back in the day, I would always see this beer and others from Jackie O to not be able to find them anywhere I would look. It was only recently that I got a chance to snag a bottle from one of the local shops who had it only limiting one. I guess it really must be a gift from the gods. The bottle shows that it is made with Belgian Candi sugar and walnuts, DAMN! Sounded amazing. Especially since I have brewed beer and ciders with all kinds of Candi sugar so it is a very special ingredient indeed. I’m surprised it is not in the Belgian category but hey, it’s Greek themed so I would call it a Greek stout. Anyways let’s see what the goddess of beauty has left us mere mortals, cheers!

Aromas:
Rich pecan pie, walnuts, maple, peanut butter, hazelnut nectar, pralines,trail mix, rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, dark fruits, dark chocolate, dark fruit, banana, piloncillo sugar cone, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, smores, oak, bourbon, leather, tobacco, mocha, Irish cream, toasted coconut candy, tiramasu and fruit cake.

Flavors:
Pecan pie, walnuts, pralines, macadamia nuts, hazelnut nectar, cashew butter, almond joy chocolate, peanut butter, marzipan, mazapan, maple syrup, port wine, rocky road ice cream, jamoca ice cream, toasted coconut, Belgian dark candi sugar, molasses, star anise, rock candy, bananas, grilled plantains, Irish cream, fancy coffee, mocha, Khalua coffee Liquor, dark fruit raisins, raisins, figs, plums, cherry cordials, rye bread, tobacco, leather,. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, double chocolate, cherry chocolate cake, cookie dough ice cream, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, whipped cream, flan, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallow smores, tiramasu, coffee cake, fruit cake and earthy notes.

Aftertaste:
Finishing flavors of dark fruit, banana, lots of mixed nuts, almond joy chocolates, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, cashews, dark chocolate, oak hints, bourbon notes, earthy notes, tiramasu, Belgian dark candi sugar, banana notes and port wine notes, No alcohol in the taste despite the 10% ABV, pitch black darkness supreme body, smooth, silky, creamy, velvity, chewy and syrupy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Nothing short of amazing! If this is what gods are drinking up in the celestial cosmos, this is damn insane! Truly like a love potion. Lots of rich nutty, chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, banana, bourbon and other special complex flavors. Describing this one would be to describe none other than a Bourbon Barrel Belgian Stout. Heck, One of my special brews “Sangrileche” edition 1 has elements found in this beer and even some aspects of edition 2. Simply glorifying!! If you love bourbon barrel imperial stouts, this one is definitely a must try if you can find or trade for it.

Anime Corner:
Ryoko Hakubi from Tenchi Muyou! Was used in this pairing to represent Aphrodite. A very beautiful woman. While some may disagree, beauty is skin deep. As you can see, Ryoko relaxing is like that of Aphrodite relaxing while her minions bring the oil. Heck in one of these pictures, Ryoko is literally covered in what appears to be oil so yeah, I think this overall pairing works well.

So Happens It’s Tuesday With Coffee by The Bruery

October 12, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bakuretsu Tenshi, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Burst Angel, Imperial Stout, Meg, Ryan Bros. Coffee, So Happens It's Tuesday, So Happens It's Tuesday With Coffee, The Bruery | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

So Happens It’s Tuesday With Coffee by The Bruery is a 14.6% Imperial Stout brewed with Ryan Bros. Coffee and aged in Bourbon Barrels

Description:
So Happens It’s Tuesday is a dark and delicious bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, with subtle roast and pronounced notes of oak, vanilla and chocolate. It harkens back to a simpler time, where stouts are cordial and more approachable than other days of the week. The addition of freshly roasted coffee beans from Ryan Bros. Coffee lends credence to the simple existential observation that this beer can be enjoyed in all of life’s moments and seasons.

Review:
Like Mocha Wednesday light… Still amazing!!!

2017 Serpent’s by The Lost Abbey

October 12, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Belgian imperial Stout, Bleach, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Dark Rukia, devil rukia, Evil Rukia, Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki, Imperial Stout, Kutchiki Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki, Serpent's, Serpent's Stout, The Lost Abbey, world class beers | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2017 Serpent’s by The Lost Abbey is a 13.7% ABV Belgian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels

Label:
Serpent’s Stout aged in Bourbon barrels

==Introduction==

Finally, the in between beer between the original Serpent’s Stout and Track 10 as well as the half portion of Deliverance finally in its own installment. Something I have not tried on its own in the past and was definitely one I needed in the books all the way spanning since 2010 when I first had Serpent’s stout. The Lost Abbey recently sold this one into the world online and those that got a chance to get it are most likely the only ones that have it. So if you have a chance for a trade you may want to look at this one depending on how this review goes. I have had the Track 10 which adds vanilla and cacao beans adding that extra level of awesomeness but this one being at that perfect in between spot might be onto something very different and we will only get a chance to see. The original evil evil beer now has escalated into another depth of hell so come with me as we journey into some crazy shit here, cheers!

Aromas:
Bubulubu chocolate, capirotada raisins bread pudding, Rich bananas, Flan, tres leches cake, vanilla, crème brulee, grilled plantains, platano burro, brown sugar, dark cherries, prunes, plums, currants, raisins, blackberries, vinous Caramel, dulce de leche caramel, rye whiskey, bourbon, marshmallows,oak, vanilla, Danish cream, Khalua coffee, mocha, leather, tobacco, pecan pie, Gansito Chocolate berry pastry, honey, graham crackers, waffle cone, stone fruit peaches, chocolate mangos, mature mangos and hazelnut nectar.

Flavors:
Rich oak, marshmallow smores, bourbon, rye whiskey, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, vinous caramel, toffee, mocha, roasted barley, fancy coffee, espresso, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, bakers chocolate, German chocolate, banana sundae, grilled plantains, platano burro, leather, tobacco, toasted coconut, pairotada raisin bread pudding, dark fruit prunes, dark cherries, raisins, currants, plums, Belgian dark candi sugar, , brown sugar, fruit cake, oreo cookies, port wine, Danish cream, Irish cream, chocolate mousse, Khalua coffee, liquer, raspberries, rocky road ice cream, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, prailines, rye bread, phenolic notes, almond joy chocolate, mint, anise, licorice notes, burnt candi sugar, Mexican pan dulce, flan, crème brulee, stone fruit mango, tres leches cake, honey, graham crackers, honey, waffle cone and Gansito cake.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with lots of complex chocolates, Gansito, mousse, Belgian, Dark, German, Milk, Mexican, Baker’s, cherries, raspberries, caramels, banana sundae, dark fruit, vanilla, oak, and dark candi sugar. No alcohol in the taste despite the 13.7%ABV, insane!! Pitch black dark abyss full body. Creamy, Smooth, velvety and chewy mouthfeel with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Of the many many bourbon barrel aged brews I have had before, especially from commons to whalez, this one is a huge slice in the toe to toe versus cake of competition and a bucket lister to me. So damn complex while still employing the great Belgian notes that I loved of the style but amped by a thousand. It’s crazy how these beers are the equivalent of next level evolution of the originals making them into something damn amazing. Surely, if you can get this one, get it!!!

Anime Corner:
Ichigo Kurosaki and Fade to Black Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach as well as many iterations of Rukia, Bankai, Devil, Hollow, Mugetsu and others were all used in the emphasis of showing evolution from the original beer that I love so much over to this new iteration that is super duper insane. The Adam and Eve theme of the beer is taken to an alternate dimension roles are reversed and Satan was the one that created the the world and it was God trying to tempt Adam and Eve into what is good. It’s a crazy beer.

The Full Pint DeLite collaboration by Stone Brewing and TheFullPint.com

October 12, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Collaboration Beer, Cookies, GSC Carmel DeLite, Imperial Stout, Ruby Rose, Rwby, Stone Brewing, The Full Pint, The Full Pint Delite, thefullpint.com, Weisse Schnee | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

The Full Pint DeLite collaboration by Stone Brewing and TheFullPint.com is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout

Description

Collaboration Imperial Stout that tastes like a GSC Carmel DeLite

Review:

Inspired by cookies and a cookie beer, this beer is very luscious and full of cookie and chocolate flavors!

I did it all for the Cookies !! 😂😂😂

Stone Berlin Groundbreaking Collaborations 07 Züper Magik w00tstout collaboration by Drew Curtis, Greg Koch and Wil Wheaton

October 9, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged 2016 w00tstout, 2017 W00tStout, abuelita chocolate, Aisha Tyler, Aliens, almonds, american whiskey, arrogant bastard, Assimilate, Asuka, Asuka Langley Shikinami, Asuka Langley Soryu, Asuka Shikinami Soryu, beer collaboration, beer geeks, Beer Hybrid, bourbon, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Bourbon Barrel Stout, bourbon barrels, caramel pecan pie, chocolate pecan pie, collaboration, Collaboration Beer, Collaboration beers, dark chocolate, Drew Curtis, Evangelion, Fark.com, flan, Geek Beer, Greg Koch, hazelnut, Hop Heads, Imperial Stout, Mari, Mari Illustrious Makinami, mocha coffee, Neon Genesis Evangelion, pecan pie, pecans, quadruple, Rei, Rei Ayanami, rye bread, rye toast, sci fi, Star Trek, star trek the next generation, Star Wars, Star Wars beer, Starwars, Stone, Stone Beers, Stone Berlin, Stone Berlin Groundbreaking Collaboration Series, Stone Brewing, stone brewing co, Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout, Stone Ground Chocolate, The Borg, Toasted Coconut, toasted pecans, toasted rye bread, w00tstout 2.0, w00tstout 3.0, w00tstout 4.0, w00tstout 5.0, wheat, Wil Wheaton, Xenomorphs, Züper Magik w00tstout | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Stone Berlin Groundbreaking Collaborations 07 Züper Magik w00tstout collaboration by Drew Curtis, Greg Koch and Wil Wheaton is a 10.1% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Hazelnuts, Pecans & Almonds and partially aged in Whiskey Barrels

Label:
Series 7 of 14

==Introduction==
In 2014, Stone was raising money to open a brewery in Berlin, Germany. It would be the first time an American craft brewery would open up a business in Europe. For Germany who has Bavarian laws on the beer making process, craft beer would no coincide with their laws. However, Stone being some crazy arrogant bastards were able to make their way into the market and were successful to open up shop. At the time, I had donated money on promised collaborations with different breweries. Mainly some of the ones I like such as Brew Dog, Lost Abbey, The Bruery, Surly and even Devil’s Gate/Will Wheaton. So, with the donations I made in that year, I was wondering if I would ever see a return on my investment. Long behold, Stone contacted me to inform that they were going to release the beers and so today I bring Züper Magik w00tstout.

The magic that is the same magic, bloodstream of the universe that flows and keeps existence afloat has granted me a chance to bring this beer here to the site. Ever since Stone wanted to make special batch of w00tstout, I was all in. W00stout, like many of my favorite stouts, has inspired me to make a blend using their original recipe with a Dark Lord and original twist giving way to Sangrileche 2 which was a special homebrewed batch of oak aged amazing beer. One that to this day seems to develop more and more. Heck, even the original Belgian Stout Sangri leche 2 still sits aging into newer heights. This special super magical space aliens and leprechauns riding unicorns of a beer was definitely something I didn’t expect to be released this year. The addition of all sorts of nuts to the original recipe definitely swings towards the infinity part of special collaborations that I don’t even think they have literature, comics or even elder scrolls on. Doesn’t matter though, we’re about to dive in and experience the magic first hand. Visit a local Stone Liberty Station or the main local brewery for a chance at this one, cheers!

Aromas:
Ddark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Belgian chocolate, oak, hazelnut necar, pecan pie, marzipan, almond joy coconut, rocky road ice cream notes, nutella, dark fruit cherries, raisins, currants, blue berries, raspberries, fruit cake, Khalua liquer, toffee, butterscotch, coconut, tiramasu, cherry corials, licorice, oreo cookies, flan, dark candi sugar, rock candy,blueberry muffins and ginger bread.

Flavors:
Super nutty chocolate bliss, nutter butter, Cocoa Krispies cereal, chocolate nutella, marzipan, mazapan, peanut butter, pecan pie, almond joy, cookie dough, chocolate chip cookies, hazelnut nectar, maple syrup, tiramasu, fancy coffee, banana split, dark fruit cherries, raisins, currants, blue berries, raspberries, raspberry Chambord, blue berry muffin, cherry cordials, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Belgian chocolate, chocolate mousse, bourbon and whiskey notes, chocolate smores, sangria notes, licorice, molasses, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, flan, crème brulee, three milks/3 leches cake, stone fruit peach, old mango hints, earthy notes, Khalua liquer, toffee, butterscotch, coconut, rocky road ice cream, cinnamon notes, dates, Pancho Pantera chocomil, rye bread, oatmeal raisin cookies, oreo cookies and cream, smokey oak notes and dark candy sugars.
|

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich notes of dark fruit, banana, super mixed nuts, almond butter, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, cashew milk, dark chocolate, oak hints, whiskey notes, earthy notes, roasted barley notes, wine notes and much more! No alcohol in the taste despite the 10% ABV, pitch black darkness supreme body, smooth, silky, creamy, velvity, chewy and syrupy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Heilige Scheiße!!! This is crazy crazy crazy. It has the original in spirit for sure but the mixing of all sorts of nuts into the beer makes for one extremely nutty brew that is on that level of nutella and more. Maybe it is just the wait I had to go through but this beer sure seems to be casting spells not just on the current verse of existence but even the theoretical verse of the quantum, essentially, the veil above reality. Crazy nuts makes anyone nuts. But I’m sure it would be welcomed by the masses who love the original w00tstout.

Anime Corner:
Mari Illustrious, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Sohryu Langley/Shikinami from Neon Genesis Evangelion were used for this iteration of W00tstout just like I have used them before in the past. This time around though, I wanted to show some extravagant to complement not only some of the German side like when they dressed up in the green synonymous with Oktoberfest but also some superstitious art like with them on what appears to be a tarot cart. I have used them in man iterations of W00tstout but this time, some of these are a bit different and out there. Kind of what I wanted in terms of showing what is so Zuper and Magikal!

Kuroi or Black (黑) by Mikkeller brewing

September 9, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Black, De Proef Brouiwerij, Hellsing, Imperial Stout, Kuroi, Mikkeller, Mikkeller Black, Seras Victoria, World Class Imperial Stout | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Kuroi or Black (黑) by Mikkeller brewing is a 16.8% ABV World Class Imperial Stout

Description:

Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij.

Ingredients: Water, malt, roasted barley, dark cassonade, ale yeast and champagne yeast.

==Introduction==
It’s literally been yeeaarrrsss since I have tried Mikkeller Black. At the time of trying different beers, even before Dog Fish Head Forte, 120 Minute IPA and even before the Bruery and Samichlaus, this was the first time I had tried a beer that reached ridiculous ABV levels. Originally purchased at my local shop, this beer is very common. It is in the long list of somewhat overlooked beers which the craft beers afficionados overlook sometimes. Well, I definitely like to take a dive to my roots from time to time and bringing this one back from a long time was definitely worth it. Black a the night, fast and smooth as ninjas, I still remember the crazy beer called Black! Let’s see how well this fairs, cheers!

Aromas:

Mocha, roasted coffee, earthy hops, dark fruits, smokey notes, dark chocolate, Belgian chocolate, vanilla, oak notes, wine grape hints, port wine, fruit cake, burnt sugar, molasses, anise, rye bread, pecan pie and pomegranate cordials.

Flavors:

Rich burnt candi sugar, roasted coffee grounds, mocha, smokey roast, roasted barley, rich dark fruit prunes, raisins, plums, cherry cordials, pomegranates, blackberries, currants, bananas, anise, molasses, clove spice, dark chocolate, earthy hops, port wine, chocolate wine, milk chocolate, burnt marshmallows, burnt cookie, Danish cream, Irish cream, dark chocolate truffles, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, rye bread, Chambord raspberry liqueur, wine hinting funk, Belgian chocolate, pecan pie, hazelnut, maple hints, fruit cake and three milks/3 leches cake.

Aftertaste:

Long lingering roast, smoke, dark fruit, earthy hop with lots of subtle chocolate, caramel, vanilla, cherry, banana and coffee complexities. Slight alcohol in the taste but not detracting from the already super complex flavors along with you guessed it, pitch black full body with a slight bloody crimson resonance under a certain light frequency which you only get a glimpse of. Smooth, creamy, velvety, syrupy mouthfeel and sipping drinkability.

Overall:

An exceptional stout! Full of everything I love about traditional boozy stouts and even Belgian stouts. Heck, this even reminds me of the Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin I had years ago as well. If you look deep enough, you can also find the Dark Lord Imperial stout in this one, No joke! Imagine that, a beer that is overlooked and yet is still supreme to this day, oh how we have forgotten. Sure won’t forget this one again. Go find this beer! Cheers!
Anime Corner:

Seras Victoria from Hellsing was brought back for this review as she was used to represent the absolute darkness. Her partner? Oh, it’s just Alucard, the alias of Count Dracula/Vlad The Impaler. God, the olden days must have been brutal. This beer may have put people in the right set of mind. Black as the Plague? Well, not sur eif this was the cure but it would of eased the pain.

Barrel Aged Unicorn Tears collaboration by Fremont brewing and Perennial Artisan Ales

August 10, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged #DRAGONSAREREAL, aged in Bourbon Barrels, Barrel Aged Unicorn Tears, beer collaboration, Carol Tea, cherries, collaboration, Dragons, Freedom Planet, Fremont brewing, Furry Waifu, Imperial Stout, Milk Stout, Milla Basset, Oatmeal Stout, Perennial Artisan Ales, Sash Lilac, Sweet Stout, water dragon | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Barrel Aged Unicorn Tears collaboration by Fremont brewing and Perennial Artisan Ales is a 12.9% ABV Imperial Oatmeal Milk Stout brewed with cherries and aged in Bourbon Barrels

Label:
We are a family-owned craft brewery founded in 2009 to brew artisan beers made with the best local ingredients we can find.

In the Time Before Light, Unicorns ruled the Universe. And Time passed. Until it stopped passing and began to make Beer. And it was good. But Time was Lonely, so it begat two Breweries. And thusly Fremont Brewing and Perennial Artisan Ales were spat into the World. And they made Beer. And it was good. When, Lo, one Day, they made Beer together and aged it in Bourbon Barrels for a long time. And then they added Cherries. And Aged it a long time. But it wasn’t good enough for their elevated taste. So, they added Unicorn Tears. And it was Good. Behold, Burst Forth into the World is Barrel-Aged Unicorn Tears. Enjoy only with those that are worthy. …Never Play Leapfrog With A Unicorn…Cheers! Matt & Matt and Phil & Emily.

==Introduction==

So, we have SangriLeche doppelganger in our site ey? Well then, only one thing to do here, time to step up to the plate. The ingredients seemed very close to what I used to make my homebrew except missing the vanilla and cocoa nibs but that is besides the point. A milk and oatmeal stout? Double smoothtness to the max! I have not tried anything Fremont but seeing as Perennial was involved, it can only mean the goodness. Essentially, when I first saw this beer locally, I had to grab it. Little that I know that it would soon be a super coveted magic potion with fairy dust (glitter engulfed) that many it would start to sell out everywhere. Yes it seems people went mad for yet another beer. This beer is literally covered in glitter which makes me wonder if glitter is one of the ingredients inside the beer. Even if its not it seemed amazing and I could not wait to bring it to the website especially now that I know people really liked this one. Well then, let’s see what this magical potion is all about, cheers!

Aromas:
Super cherry Cordial fluff and sparkling chocolates, banana split, dulce de leche caramel, pecan pie, Nutella, mint chocolate cake, Chambord Raspberries, port wine, dark chocolates, dark fruits, hazelnut nectar, blue berries, bourbon hints, cake frosting, grape jelly, Fondant pearl juice (sugar candy syrup) and more!

Flavors:
Hopes, Dreams, Clouds of marshmallows and 5th dimension ambrosia delights. That’s it… what? You wanna know more? Okay that was just the tip of the iceberg. SO then, it goes into an array of super choco chocolate goodness. Rich super milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cherry cordials, dark fruit currants, raisins, blue berries, raspberries, blue raspberries, cake frosting, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, bourbon, oak, banana split for days, cookie dough ice cream, molasses, mint chocolate cake, Chambord Raspberry Liqueur, port wine, Nutella, mocha, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, Cherry sunday, vanilla, crème brulee, tres leches cake, tiramasu, mocha, marzipan, mazapan, toasted coconut, marshmallow smores, rocky road ice cream, walnuts, pralines, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, butterscotch, chicka cherry cola, fondant cake glaze, chocolate cherry mousse and more!

Aftertaste:
Finishing with Cherry Choco Chocolate Cordial and raspberry frosting for days, Nutella, dark chocolates, dark cherries, vanilla, caramel, oak, bourbon hints, mocha, pecan pie and banana split cherry sundae. No alcohol here or anywhere despite the ABV. The body is fully pitch black and abysmal with a non human visual spectrum of dark matter, 80’s magic, He-Man, Thundercats and Rick and Morty season 9 residuals. The mouthfeel is very smooth, mildly chewey, velvety, creamy and syrupy. Who has time to sip? Come right in, the dark magical water is fine even though this brew was made to be sipped and taken with ease. You could literally finish in one sitting if you wanted to.

Overall:
Well then, pastry stouts are a go! Although DDB would disagree. This one is a definite bucket lister for me and is a crazy little potion that I would love to have over and over again. While I think this is a step up from many beers that I love including my own awesome Sangrileche, it is awesome to know mines can still go toe to toe with this pastry brew. Let’s face it, this is similar to the beer I made if it was filled with cake fondant. Super complex, sweet, smooth, dreamy, cakey, glaze and all that fairy tail crap they told you when you were a kid. It’s fucking great! Like a kid in a candy store drinking his sugar bottle. Would I recommend it? You bet your fucking ass I would! Go find this one damn it!

Anime Corner:
Lilac Sash from Freedom Planet was chosen for this pairing because while she is in no way a unicorn, she is just as legendary as one since she is a dragon. Since she fit so well with the colors of the beers, the flavors and ingredients I had to bring her to pair with this. She’s been a favorite of mine as of recently since I started playing the game and with her powerful strength and great hero personality, why not? Oh and about the tears part in the name? Those are years of joy and good feels. I kinda made a funny with the Lilac trying to drink enough milk tearing up dreaming to be the bikini babe. Anyways, She fit the awesome beer!

(Double Tasting) 2017 & 2016 Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout by Stone Brewing

August 10, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged 2016 w00tstout, 2017 W00tStout, abuelita chocolate, Aisha Tyler, Aliens, arrogant bastard, Assimilate, Asuka, Asuka Langley Shikinami, Asuka Langley Soryu, Asuka Shikinami Soryu, beer collaboration, beer geeks, Beer Hybrid, bourbon, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Bourbon Barrel Stout, bourbon barrels, caramel pecan pie, chocolate pecan pie, collaboration, Collaboration Beer, Collaboration beers, dark chocolate, Drew Curtis, Evangelion, Fark.com, flan, Geek Beer, Greg Koch, Hop Heads, Imperial Stout, Mari, Mari Illustrious Makinami, mocha coffee, Neon Genesis Evangelion, pecan pie, quadruple, Rei, Rei Ayanami, rye bread, rye toast, sci fi, Star Trek, star trek the next generation, Star Wars, Star Wars beer, Starwars, Stone, Stone Beers, Stone Brewing, stone brewing co, Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout, Stone Ground Chocolate, The Borg, Toasted Coconut, toasted pecans, toasted rye bread, w00tstout 2.0, w00tstout 3.0, w00tstout 4.0, w00tstout 5.0, wheat, Wil Wheaton, Xenomorphs | Leave a comment

(Double Tasting)
Rating: 6/6 2017 Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout 5.0
Rating: 6.35/7 2016 Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout 4.0

2017 Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout 5.0 (5th year release) collaboration is a 13% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with rye, pecans, wheat, hops, awesome (beer + sci-fi) *geek ideologies with a 1/4 of it aged in bourbon barrels.

2016 Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout 4.0 (4th year release) collaboration is a 13% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with rye, pecans, wheat, hops, awesome (beer + sci-fi) *geek ideologies with a 1/4 of it aged in bourbon barrels.

When Trekkies and Starnerds unify, you got some borg assimilation of flavors that cab only be complete in the dark side. Just like the previous years, the flavors get way better with age bringing more dark fruit out in place of banana split flavors. Both cases, very Epic!

Past Review:
https://animebeers.com/2016/08/02/double-review-2016-stone-farking-wheaton-w00tstout-4-0-and-2015-farking-wheaton-w00tstout-3-0-1year-aged/

(AnimeBeers On The Road Series) 27th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-Aged Double Chocolate Imperial Stout by Karl Strauss Brewing Company

August 10, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged 27th Anniversary, aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Double Chocolate, Imperial Stout, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | Leave a comment

Rating 6/6 (On The road series)

27th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-Aged Double Chocolate Imperial Stout by Karl Strauss Brewing Company is a 13% ABV Russian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Description:
A full-bodied Imperial Stout with an abundance of darkly kilned malts and a decadent helping of cocoa nibs. Aging for a year in American oak bourbon barrels brings out rich layers of smooth toasted oak and warming bourbon

A sudden delish! Choco bourbon vanilla encounter!!!! *battle music intensifies*

For this year’s Anniversary: https://animebeers.com/2017/06/18/28th-anniversary-barrel-aged-belgian-quad-by-karl-strauss/

2017 Imperial Biscotti Break by Evil Twin Brewing

August 10, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged almond joy, almonds, Bakuretsu Tenshi, Burst Angel, coffee, Cookies, Evil Twin Brewing, Imperial Biscotti Break, Imperial Stout, JO, Tiramasu, vanilla, vanilla beans | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.5/6

2017 Imperial Biscotti Break by Evil Twin Brewing is an 11.5% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee, Vanilla beans and almonds

Tiramasu, almond joy and sweet vanilla awesomeness…. Like cookies!

2017 Grey Monday by The Bruery

August 10, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Bankai, Belgian Chocolates, Black Tuesday, Bleach, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, bourbon vanilla, chocolate mousse, Chocolate Nirvana, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, dark chocolate, french vanilla ice cream, Grey Monday, Hazelnut Nectar, Imperial Stout, Kutchiki Rukia, Maple Syrup, molecular gastronomy, pecan pie, Rich Hazelnut, roasted hazelnuts, Rukia, The Bruery, world beers | Leave a comment

Rating 6/6

2017 Grey Monday by The Bruery is an 20% ABV World Class Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels with Hazelnuts.

The malty milkshake of Gods is only comprehensible to the ones that know the pure bliss…… This one brings all living creatures out to the yard….

Original Review: https://animebeers.com/2016/12/02/2016-grey-monday-by-the-bruery/

2017 System of a Stout by Beachwood brewing

July 30, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Adventure Time, american oak barrels, Armenian Imperial Stout, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Beachwood Brewing, Brandy Barrel Aged, Ellie, Imperial Stout, Last of Us, Marceline, Portola Coffee Lab, Raven, Starfire, System of A Down, system of a stout, Teen titans, World class, world class beers | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2017 System of a Stout by Beachwood brewing is an 11.2% ABV World Class Armenian Imperial Stout brewed in the Armenian Coffee way with cardamom, molasses and Portola Coffee beans aged in oak brandy barrels.

Label:
System of a Stout incorporates the ingredients of a traditional cup of Armenian-style coffee: cardamom, molasses, and a massive infusion of coffee from our good friends at Portola Coffee Lab in Costa Mesa, CA. This robust and flavorful brew is then oak aged, adding even more layers of complexity. Enjoy fresh or cellar at 45-55°.

==Introduction==

An awesome release that I haven’t tried in a while made in tribute to System of a Down. The last time I had it, it was very limited as you could only get it at the brewery. This year, many locations were able to receive this beer. Essentially, the public can now get the brew. I wanted to bring this one back since it was one of my favorite and well in the theme of System of the Down, I wanted to rock while drinking this one. There isn’t many beers made with Armenian ingredients and it is awesome to see that type of tribute many times as well. Let’s see how this one is this year, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, bakers chocolate, milk chocolate, Belgian chocolate, mocha, dark espresso, java, cappuccino, Irish cream, roasted coffee, fancy coffee, anise, molasses, rye bread, toasted coconut, marshmallows, brandy, tiramisu, fruit cake and pecan pie.

Flavors:
Dark espresso, java, mocha, cappuccino, Irish cream, roasted coffee, fancy coffee, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, oak, brandy notes, dark fruit cherries, plums, raisins, figs, cardamom, dark chocolate, bakers chocolate, milk chocolate, Belgian chocolate, pecan pie, flan, almonds, chocolate cake, bananas, anise, molasses, rye bread, toasted coconut, marshmallows, earthy spices, piloncillo sugar cone, rocky road ice cream, tiramasu, fruit cake, sweetened condensed milk, steamed milk, malted chocolate and Cadbury chocolate eggs.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with fancy coffee, marshmallows, dark chocolate dark fruits, dark cherry, caramel, vanilla, oak, brandy and earthy spicy notes. No alcohol in the taste, Dark abyss full body, smooth, chewy, creamy and syrupy mouthfeel and sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A supremely exceptional brew as before. Full of complex flavors, rich chocolate, coffee, oak, brandy and much much more. The kind that will definitely age for many years. I’m glad they started releasing this one again and this time to more hands than before. I just hope one day they release it more frequently. I highly recommend you get this one.

Anime Corner:
Marceline from Adventure Time as well as Raven/Rachel Roth and Starfire/Koriand’r were chosen for this pairing for many reasons. Marceline mainly since I used her in the original pairing to represent the rock and dark theme of System of a Down. This time, I brought Raven and Starfire using a pairing artwork from Sakimichan which goes well with the label. You can see how the blue sky and upper mountains are raven and the land and dessert are starfire. It was definitely something I really loved.

Sources:
http://artgerm.deviantart.com/art/Marceline-466739861
http://dandonfuga.deviantart.com/art/Marceline-648391984
http://en-so.deviantart.com/art/Marceline-the-Vampire-Queen-386640262
http://sakimichan.deviantart.com/art/Raven-Starfire-684968674

2017 Dark Lord Imperial Stout by Three Floyds brewing

July 25, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Bloodstained Ritual of the Night, Claire Farron, dark chocolate, Dark Lord, Dark Matter, Dark Matter Coffee, Dark Matter Dark Blood, Final Fantasy XIII, Imperial Russian Stout, Imperial Stout, Imperial Stouts, Lightning, Maple Syrup, Miriam, Russian Imperial Stout, syrup, Three Floyds, Unicorn blood, World class, world class beers, World Class Imperial Stout | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2017 Dark Lord Imperial Stout by Three Floyds brewing is a 15% ABV World Class Russian Imperial Stout brewed with Dark Matter’s Blood Lord/ BBA Unicorn Blood Coffee, Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar.

Description:
Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body.

==Introduction==

The time has come again! The presence of the Dark Lord has come again. Every year, or atleast when I get a chance, I love bringing this beer to the site. Since 2011, I have considered this one, the best Russian Imperial Stout I had ever tasted. While there are many players out there that have since overtaken the Dark Lord and many drinkers considering this one as one huge soy sauce bomb, I for one embrace what this beer has to offer even to this day. There aren’t many beers quite like this one and I think it can still hold a huge candle even to the greats of today. Let’s have a look at this one for old time sake, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark Fruits, molasses, soy sauce, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, brown sugar, maple syrup, peanut butter, dulce de leche caramel, marshmallows, rum notes, Irish cream coffee, Khalua Coffee Liqueur, vanilla, port wine, raspberries, dark cherries, smokey notes, hazelnut nectar and pecan pie.

Flavors:
Rich molasses, soy sauce, Rich dark cherries, burnt candi sugars, flan, crème brulee, peanut butter, richa dark chocolate, German chocolate, Baker’s chocolate, Belgian chocolate, rich bananas, plantains, banana split, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, cocoa crispies, dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, currants, raspberries, port wine, , Danish cream, Danish chookies, English cream, Cadbury chocolate cream, Mexican Abuelita hot chocolate syrup, Black cherry pie, blood pie, fruit cake, churros, chocolate empanada, rocky road ice cream, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, vanilla, choco maple, walnuts, marzipan, dulce de leche caramel, brown sugar, piloncillo sugar cone, milk chocolate oreo cookies, marshmallows, chocolate mousse, rum hints, smokey hints, Irish cream notes and Jamoca ice cream

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich mocha, dark fruit, chocolate, port wine, caramel, soy sauce, pilloncillo sugar block, toasted coconut, smokey notes, and vanilla. No alcohol to be found here, dark abyss hyper dimensional full body, ketchup syrup consistency, smooth, chewey, oily and velvety mouthfeel along with a ridiculously easy drinkability that is only worthy of ninjas.

Overall:
Existentially bucket listed! While I have not tried any variants except for Dark Lord De Muerte, this beer keeps coming back as a reminder as to what some of the best imperial stouts in the world should be. People may hate and call this one a soy sauce bomb, but even if it is hinted, well, so it is with many other dark beer and especially those that dare to tread into the dark strong territory like some of my favorite Belgian Dark Strongs and Stouts. Yes, This beer series was one of the basis for crafting my own barrel aged experimental homebrews using the same Dark Matter Coffee and to my surprise, they ended up being so damn close, especially Sangrileche 1 and 2. The amazement of this beer is the fact that it is so damn strong and yet so damn drinkable and a sinfully endless pleasure of pure multi dimensionally palatable complexity. I can taste things that are only unique to this beer. IF you are able to trade for this one or are lucky to go Dark Lord Day, do yourself a favor and go toe to toe with the dark lord of beers… it was meant to be!!

Anime Corner:
Lightning Claire Farron, from Final Fantasy XIII series was chosen in the previous versions of the Dark Lord and this is the second time I bring the new Dark Lord… Miriam, from “Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night” which is the new upcoming Kickstarter series by Koji Igarashi (Godfather of the Castlevania series). Based on the progress, artwork and tribute to the castlevania games, Miriam seems like a major bad ass. The game is set to release sometime in 2018 but like the previous time I used Miriam, I figure I pair her with the unholy World Class Dark Lord Imperial Stout. Her colors are a good representative of the gothic but also the occult mysteries and the straight up powerful.

Sources:
https://cdnio.luscious.net/slywalker_96/457/lusciousnet_lusciousnet_1437152598845_1294766462.jpg
https://colemono.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/iga.jpg
https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/013/270/588/6dba1fe9e91ddb5c70949778d05337d3_original.png?w=639&fit=max&v=1470277036&auto=format&lossless=true&s=832f8b008fe4dd58ce15905db6958cb4
http://i.imgur.com/U6MuVV9.jpg
http://orig11.deviantart.net/ef35/f/2016/306/b/c/bloodstained__ritual_of_the_night_by_phillydelphy-dan1vwe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/j9Fk2yV.jpg
https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/005/456/991/9fdd0517e9265b218087d7fd68d498c5_original.png?w=639&fit=max&v=1456871947&auto=format&lossless=true&s=f58957150f40be98063eba70d98fb047
https://i.imgur.com/qXeOdzx.jpg

Bourbon Barrel Old Strangler by Garage Brewing

June 2, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Bourbon Barrel Old Strangler, Cidney Aurum, ffxv, Final Fantasy XV, Garage Brewing, Imperial Stout | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Bourbon Barrel Old Strangler by Garage Brewing is a 12.1% ABV Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Label:
We believe in making our fresh craft beer from only the finest ingredients. And guess what? It’s really good! This flavorful beer developed from a recipe during our humble beginnings just got turned up a notch flavored in aged bourbon barrels.

==Introduction==

I have yet to try the Old Strangler but when I saw that Garage Brewing was making a Bourbon Barrel aged stout, I had to try it. I love different styles of beers but when those styles are married with different spirit based barrels, I always look to trying them as the majority of the time enhances the original recipe into new flavor heights. Since I have yet to try a Barrel Aged beer from Garage Brewing, this was the best opportunity for me to proceed. Let’s see how it is, cheers!

Aromas:
Dulce de leche caramel, oak, vanilla, whiskey, bourbon, mocha, roasted coffee notes, anise, licorice, earthy notes, dark chocolate, German chocolate, Bakers chocolate, dark cherries, raspberry, currants, almond joy chocolates, toasted coconut, crème brulee, pecan pie, leather, tobacco, marshmallow cream and hazelnut.

Flavors:
Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, German Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, Belgian chocolate, brownie batter, Irish cream, Danish cream, flan, crème brulee, dark fruits like raisins, dark cherries, raspberry, currants, plums, figs,vanilla, Oak, Dulce de leche caramel, toasted coconut, marshmallow smores, Khalua Liquer, mocha, roasted coffee, Licorice, Anise, Molasses, Whiskey, bourbon, leather, tobacco, rye bread, rocky road ice cream, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar notes, earthy notes, coffee cake, banana hints, sweetened condensed milk, graham crackers, tiramasu notes, almond joy chocolates and triple chocolate cake.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with lots of oaky notes, whiskey, anise notes, dark chocolates, toasted coconut, cherries, flan, mocha and vanilla. No alcohol in the taste, Dark full body, smooth, creamy, velvety and chewy mouthfeel with an easy to sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Damn exceptional! Like the many awesome bourbon barrel aged stouts I have had before. Whatever special barrels they are using in this one, I can tell it is unique almost like the High West barrels. The alcohol is not in your face and gives way to very awesome complexity. That being said, it is one that is definitely worth picking up and highly recommended.

Anime Corner:
Cidney Aurum from Final Fantasy XV was used in his pairing to mainly pair with the color of the label but mainly with the fact that she is mechanic and this beer looks as pitch black and viscous as motor oil. Essentially, bringing the theme of working on a car as well as needing a beer.

Sources:
http://att.bbs.duowan.com/forum/201703/16/021354bm6cibmltc6leism.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zggesWi.jpg
https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/328/364/large/frank-lee-cindy.jpg?1490231917

2017 Cappuccino Stout by Lagunitas brewing

April 30, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged American Imperial Stout, Asagi Igawa, Cappuccino Stout, coffee, Imperial Stout, Lagunitas, Taimanin Asagi | Leave a comment

2017 Cappuccino Stout by Lagunitas brewing is a 9.1% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee

I reviewed this one years ago but I wanted to bring it back to do an action figure pairing with Asagi Igawa from Taimanin Asagi which I had originally done the pairing with her in the original review.

https://animebeers.com/2012/10/19/lagunitas-cappuccino-stout/

(2017 Birthday Review) Home brew Project #29 SangriLeche Chapter: 2 – Hey You, Wanna Buy Some ChocoW00tCherries?!!? by Nubis Sanctum Ales

March 22, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Abobo, aged in Bourbon Barrels, Arkanoid, Asriel Dreemur, Beer Barrel Bourbon, Black Cherry, Black Tuesday, Blood Lord, Blood Lord Bourbon Barrel Aged Espresso Coffee Beans, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Bubble Bobble, Buster Bunny, cacao nibs, Cherry cordials, chocolate cherry, ChocoW00tCherries, cocoa crispies, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, Dark Matter, Dark Matter Coffee, Dark Matter Dark Blood, Dragon's Milk, FLCL, Fooly Cooly, Ganzo Donal, Gold Syrup, Haruko, Haruko Haruhara, home brew, Imperial Stout, Maker's Mark 46 Bourbon, Mario, Mario Bros, Megaman, Milk Stout, Negas, Niño Ratta, Nintendo, Nubis Sanctum Ales, Oak, Oak aged, Oblivixen's “Sangri-Leche” Maelstrom, Organic Cherries, Pacman, Peanut Butter Milk Stout, pecans, Pinchimono, Ready Player One, Rue D'Floyd, SangriLeche Chapter 2, Sans, Star Fox, Stone Brewing, Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout, sweet cherry puree, Sweet Stout, Temmie, The Bruery, Three Floyds, Tiny Toons, Undertale, Unicorn Blood Coffee, vanilla beans, w00tstout, Wanna Buy Some ChocoW00tCherries?!!?, Wil Wheaton | Leave a comment

Rating: 6.25/7

Home brew Project #29 SangriLeche Chapter: 2 – Hey You, Wanna Buy Some ChocoW00tCherries?!!? by Nubis Sanctum Ales is a 14% ABV Imperial Milk Stout brewed with Blood Lord Bourbon Barrel Aged Espresso Coffee Beans, Dark Chocolate, Cacao Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Sweet Cherry Puree, Gold Syrup and Pecans Oak aged in Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon.

Label:
SangriLeche, Chapter: 2 Hey You, Wanna Buy Some ChocoW00tCherries?!!?
Damn it all! This is what I get for listening to pink haired broads trying to sell me some goods off the streets. When people used to tell me not to take candy from strangers, I should have listened. Heck, you too! How the hell else you get a hold of this damn cursed bottle. I was but a pawn to this girl’s seductions. Trying to sell me a bottle of some magical cherries and now, I am stuck here. Going on these dumbass, fucking space adventures.
I heed you warning though friend, do not make the same mistake I made. Drinking this will only summon that cherry choco cordial selling girl with no remorse and you will be a slave to this like I have. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Don’t drink this BEER!

Imperial Milk Stout brewed with Blood Lord Bourbon Barrel Aged Espresso Coffee Beans, Dark Chocolate, Cacao Nibs, Vanilla Beans, Sweet Cherry Puree, Gold Syrup and Pecans Oak aged in Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon.

==Introduction==

Project #29 was inspired by everything that is awesome! Beer, Anime, Video Games and anything that celebrates geekdom. For the longest time, I always wanted to make a beer similar to the Bruery and Three Floyds Collaboration: Rue D’Floyd. An Imperial Porter aged in bourbon barrels with Vanilla, Cherries and Coffee. Since the days of Project #6 Oblivixen’s “Sangri-Leche” Maelstrom, I knew I wanted to make return to that beer. A beer that took a lot of experimentation, effort and time to essentially become, my first attempt at barrel/oak aging a beer. It was such a damn hit that it paved way for some of my other oak aged brews which I was very fond of and so were many of my friends. The return of the Sangrileche, however, was going to be different. Essentially, as I pondered about beer and geeky stuff, I remember how awesome and geeky Stone’s W00tStout was.

When I had heard that Wil Wheaton was awesome enough to share the recipe, I thought awesome I wanna brew that beer too. Then I thought, wait a second, What if I borrow some ideas from that W00tStout recipe and create my own new recipe . Essentially, it would not be a Belgian Stout, but many of the Sangrileche elements would make a return. Not in the way I imagined but very damn close. Heck, I wanted to make a W00Stout/Rue D’Floyd hybrid. Since Sangrileche already carried the vanilla, cherries and coffee like it did with Rue D’Floyd, why not, pay tribute and make it similar to that using some W00tstout inspirations of Pecans in place of peanut butter and add more dark chocolate and some sweeter cherries. What really put the “Cherry” on this dessert was when I brought the unholy grail of the Bourbon Barrel Blood Lord Coffee into the mix. Dark Matter’s Coffee beans, Unicorn’s Blood Coffee (Which were also used in the original Sangri Leche) aged in bourbon barrels that had “Three Floyds – Dark Lord Imperial Stout”. Yes, this coffee had a limited run but it was worth it to create this madness of a beer that would soon be the second coming of BloodyMilk (SangriLeche). So with that and a special Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon (Unfortunately I ran out of Dragon’s Milk Bourbon) which was referred to me by my friend Oscar, this beer was finally born.

W00h! That’s a mess, TL:DR. Essentially, it took me several months of aging but this beer made it just in time to bring it to the website and give my thoughts on my crazy creation. Why does it have so much game influences? Go Read or Listen to the “Ready Player One”, which is also narrated by, you guessed it, Wil MuddaFuckin’ Wheaton himself! Yes, that book has so many references to the 80’s and 90’s lore just like this beer has so much going on making it in my mind, one of the best video game beers and also one of the best home brews I have ever brewed to date. With that says, today marks my birthday so this is essentially a treat to myself and fans alike. Cheers and thank you for your support!!

Aromas:
Chocolate Cherry Cordials, Dark chocolate, earthy chocolate, Chocolate abuelita, Carlos V Mexican chocolate, oak, bourbon, vanilla, toffee, caramel, mocha coffee, dark fruit raisins, prunes, currants, blackberries, raspberries, pecan pie, flan, crème brulee, banana split sundae, rocky road ice cream, Khalua coffee notes, coconut hints, walnuts, Irish cream, chocolate cherry cake, milk sugar, chocolate port wine, Nutella chocolate, oatmeal cookies, anise, tobacco and leather.

Flavors:
Super Rich Dark Chocolate, Chocolate abuelita, Carlos V Mexican chocolate, earthy chocolate, almost like a mole spice, Milk chocolate, German Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla, Dulce de leche caramel, toffee, butterscotch, dark fruit raisins, currants, raspberries, blackberries, prunes, dark cherries, sweet cherries, port wine, Nutella chocolate, Chocolate Cherry Cordials, Banana split Sundae, whipped cream, marzipan, mazapan, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, walnuts, prailines, rocky road ice cream, almond joy chocolate, toasted coconut hints, flan, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa krispies, Kahlua coffee Liqueur, Irish cream notes, Cherry Chocolate cake, Tres Leches/ Three Milks cake, mocha, roasted coffee notes, fancy coffee notes, oak, bourbon, molasses, mint chocolate chip hints, oreo cookies and cream, raisin bread pudding, lactose milk sugar and chocolate cookie dough.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with Chocolates for days, Nutella, dark chocolates, Mexican chocolate, dark cherries, vanilla, caramel, earthy chocolate, oak, bourbon hints, mocha, pecan pie and banana split cherry sundae. For being my strongest beer to date at 14%, you can’t really any of the alcohol. The body is fully pitch black and abysmal like the previous iteration of Sangrileche. The mouthfeel is very smooth, not as chewey as the original sangrileche but velvety and syrupy. A major sipper for sure, but this brew was made to be sipped and taken with ease.

Overall:
Ridiculous. Really fucking ridiculous, oh did I mention, fucking ridiculous! While it is not as sweet as the original Sangrileche, its still a dessert though. Not cloying and very out there. The majority of the beer is like drinking chocolate syrup like some of the best choco vanilla barrel aged beers out there. The cherries really start to play when the beer warms up and more of the dark fruit flavors start to come out. While the beer does not have much head retention, it is expected at such a high 14% ABV. Now, the real question is, did I really succeed in making the ultimate hybrid geek beer. The answer is Yes and No. Yes because the flavors are similar to those on the Bruery and Three Floyds and W00tstout combined with some Dark Lord Imperial Stout. The No part really has to do with the fact that it is not those beers, its my own creation. It is something new but at the same time, it is a geek beer. I poured so much effort and fan splurging as I can possibly think of into this. Geekdoms are made by fans and Geek inspired home brews are made by fans as well. So yeah, it is a fucking Geek Beer in its own damn righr. A crazy one at that. Even so, as crazy as some of my other beer recipes have been in the past, this one truly takes the cake. Yes, how appropriate, cake for my birthday. Cheers!

Anime Corner:
Haruko Haruhara from FLCL/Fooly Cooly and many video game characters were all chosen in this pairing because for being an insane and really out there beer, I needed to bring an anime character from one of the most beloved franchises who is all about rock and is a space psycho. You really have to think, how crazy this beer is with all its ingredients, colors, strength, retro name and geekiness. Yes, recipe base of W00tstout inspired darkness is the embodiment of pure Beer and Geeky media! While Krystal Fox from Star Fox was the original mascot for this beer, I paid tribute to her as you can see from the label. Yes, I could think of no one better.

Sources:
https://ugc.kn3.net/i/origin/http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h476/santo969/501623.jpg?t=1298836348
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/5d/cb/5d/5dcb5ddbdf54b59cb498801cf17d272b.jpg
http://wallpapersonthe.net/wallpapers/l/haruko_haruharu_flcl_anime_vespa_haruko-8042.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I2yHaMXsWRs/WBU65zSeaMI/AAAAAAAADfI/jGUBAKYYpUsA2JD6ShTPtr76MBfEpIS6QCJoC/w426-h400/16%2B-%2B1
http://fanfics.frikitest.com/imagenes/foro/vD5hFVbG2taLxki.jpg
https://vamf.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/flcl-14.jpg
http://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.roosterteeth.com/uploads/images/2a699fb8-5fcb-433b-a439-2694a298c778/md/halo3paranod4b7cfec536a08.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/88/8d/03/888d035c3f1efdc54680b7d58c3868f5.jpg

2016 One Hitter Series High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout by Lagunitas brewing

March 17, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged 2B, aged in Bourbon Barrels, Coffee Beans, High West Rye Whiskey Barrels, High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout, Imperial Stout, Lagunitas Brewing, Nier Automata, No. 2 Type B, One Hitter Series, Whiskey Aged in Beer Barrels, YoRHa No.2 Type B/ 2B/ 2E “Executioner” | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2016 One Hitter Series High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout by Lagunitas brewing is a 12.2% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee beans and aged in High West Rye Whiskey Barrels.

Label:
There’s no shame in being a One-Hit Wonder. It’s hard to be right even once. This series of rare beers, brewed in our smallest fermentors all are experiments, liquid ideas, salubrious ruminations built on our 23 years of edgy brewing at the edge of brewing.

==Introduction==

Obtained this one at one of my local liquor stores in South Gate. I had heard great things about this beer and heard it also sold quickly. For a beer that was definitely up there with all the great spirit aged brews out there, I had to pick this one up. It was actually a surprised that I found it as I really believed they had sold out. For the ABV and the price of a 6 pack at what you would normally pay for a single 22oz or 12oz of some specialty whale (12-14$) this was a damn bargain. Sometimes, 6 packs maybe downplayed but when you realize you get more beer for your $, its insane. Especially when its something like this. Let’s take a look, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Bakers chocolate, Belgian chocolate, chocolate milk shake, oak, whiskey, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, Irish cream, mocha, roasted coffee notes, toasted rye bread, marshmallow smores, rocky road ice cream, almond joy, toasted coconut hints and sweetened condensed milk.

Flavors:
Dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, oak, Whiskey, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Bakers chocolate, Belgian chocolate, chocolate milk shake, mocha, espresso beans, Khalua, toasted coconut, rocky road ice cream, almond joy, hazelnut nectar, dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, Danish cream, Irish cream, flan, crème brulee, sweetened condensed milk, oatmeal cookies, marshmallow smores, malted milk balls, waffle cone, chocolate cream cake, toasted rye bread, mint chocolate chip notes, molasses, dark cherry chocolate cake, dark cherry ice cream hints, whipped cream and hints of smoke.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich mocha notes, vanilla, caramel, rye whiskey, oak, rocky road ice cream, Irish cream, marshmallow smores, caramel bourbon, smokey notes and roasted espresso coffee. No alcohol in the taste despite the 12.2% ABV, pitch black full body, smooth, creamy, chewy and velvety mouthfeel, as well as a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Damn exceptional brew! Like drinking Bourbon County Rye or a specialty Rye whiskey barrel aged stout. The flavors are amazing displaying a ton of complexity and the rich deliciousness of the rye barrel. For them to sell it at such a price is something I wish they didn’t have it in a limited run and more of a yearly beer. This is why I think its called the One-Hitter series as it really is hit! They spent a lot of time making this one an awesome brew and I highly recommend people check this one out.

Anime Corner:
YoRHa No.2 Type B/ 2B/ 2E “Executioner” from Nier: Automata was chosen in this pairing as I wanted to choose a bad as character that also pairs with the label colors, beer colors and beer strength. She has a blindfold to represent the obliviousness that people have toward common brews which can can actually be on par with the likes of many of the awesome whales I have had before. Yes, this is worthy of a challenge!

Sources:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6PbQw0VUAAZkyK.png
https://kazasou.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/konachan-com-233374-criin_659503-nier-nier_automata.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5Lie57UcAEGKkJ.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2c6n0EVQAEGy02.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6b1OFEXQAISXJ9.jpg

Speedway Stout by Alesmith

March 12, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Alesmith, bakers chocolate, black currants, chocolate flavors, dessert, Dessert in a botle, food, french vanilla coffee, Imperial Stout, Inc, King of Fighters, KOF, Leona, Leona Heidern, Ryan Bros. Coffee, Speedway Stout | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5
Speedway Stout by Alesmith is a 12% ABV World Class Imperial Stout brewed with coffee.

While I have reviewed this beer in the past, I wanted to bring the dark wheel Rim looking can which fits perfectly with the whole racing aspect. Check out my old review here.
https://animebeers.com/2013/04/19/speedway-stout-by-alesmith/

2017 Deliverance by The Lost Abbey

February 25, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Angel Share, Barleywine, Beer Hybrid, Bois Bourbon Barrel Aged, Bourbon Barrel Aged Serpent stout, brandy, Brandy Barrel Aged, Brandy Barrels, cuvee, Deliverance, Garterbelt, Imperial Stout, Panty & Stocking, Panty Anarchy, Panty and Stocking, PSG, Scanty, Scanty and Kneesocks, Scanty Daemon, Serpent Stout, Serpent's Stout, The Lost Abbey, The Lost Abbey Deliverance | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

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2017 Deliverance by The Lost Abbey is a 12.5% Angel Share (Brandy Barrel aged Barleywine) and BBA Serpent Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout) hybrid/cuvee.

Label:
Whether you’re a “Lead us not into Temptation.” or a “Deliver us from Evil” son of person matter not. The end of the world is no longer near. It’s Frigging upon us! Apocalypse. Doomsday and Armageddon have all converged on earth rendering it one gigantic volcanic lake of pestilence. Free will caught the bus out of town and Salvation can only be found in the outstretched hands of His Redeeming Angel’s. It’s sad but true. Our lots were cast long ago and Judgment has arrived. There is nothing we can do to improve our standings. They don’t offer cuts in the Line of Heaven. So stop trying to “Love thy neighbor” and join us as we kick back waiting for our souls to be fetched. In honor of civilization’s end, we put together your own personal Deliverance in a bottle. It won’t save you from Satan’s grasp. But sin tastes good. So, bottom’s up. Or is it down?

==Introduction==

Another favorite of mine. Possibly even more than the Serpent’s Stout, the Deliverance Ale. A brew I once travelled over several hours on several busses to and forth to a store that had this beer. This was my first experience with a “Double Barrel” or “Double Spirit aged” beer blend. A blend of a stout and barley wine. It was also hard to find way back then and was one of the beers responsible for my passion of collecting beer artwork along with the other Lost Abbey beers. So when they updated the label and brought it back to the marketplace, I had to bring it to the site. A pricey little bottle but in my opinion, worth all the pennies. So let’s go and embrace the amalgamation of the liquid consciencecial turmoil, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit raisins, figs, currants, prunes, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries, Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, dulce de leche caramel, crème brulee, flan, vanilla, Bourbon, Brandy, oak, Chocolate Ice cream, Cadbury cream eggs, port wine, notes, sweetened condensed milk, dark candi sugar, bananas, clove spice hints, banana sundae, Danish cream, Irish cream, capirotada raisin bread pudding, mocha and coffee notes.

Flavors:
Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, dulce de leche caramel, crème brulee, flan, vanilla, Bourbon, Brandy, oak, toasted coconut, chocolate mint ice cream, tobacco, molasses, leather, anise, rocky road ice cream, Cadbury cream eggs, port wine, notes, sweetened condensed milk, dark candi sugar, bananas, clove spice hints, banana sundae, Danish cream, Irish cream, capirotada raisin bread pudding, dark fruit raisins, figs, currants, prunes, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries, marshmallow chocolate smores, waffle cone, rye bread, toffee, roasted coffee, mocha, espresso, Kahlua coffee liqueur, brown sugar, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, Chambord raspberry liqueur and red wine notes.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with toasted coconut, oak, chocolate, hazelnut, brandy, bourbon, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, banana, dark candi sugar hints and coffee. Despite the ABV, the alcohol is not burning but the barrel oak of the spirit is greatly displayed. Dark abyss full body, smooth, cream, velvety, chewy and syrupy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Simply because I say so, this beer I consider a bucket lister. There maybe greater beers that blend 2 spirits, a good and evil spirit, but none that had some crazy influence to me when I first started reviewing beers. This beer was damn elusive at the time. In some cases, it still is an elusive beer. Regardless, this one still packing those great and rich bourbon and brandy complexities over dessert. Yes, the actual flavors of from the spirits are present while not giving alcohol in the flavor. Beers like these are ones I wish they made in 750ml bottles. Regardless, I highly recommend this double barrel aged brew, cheers!

Anime Corner:
Panty and Stocking Anarchy as well as Scanty and Kneesocks Daemon from Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt were all used in this pairing as it makes sense to use Angels versus Demons. Although this was the original ideal I had since I first reviewed this beer and one that I have expanded upon as I brought the beer to the site oh so long ago. That has not changed but I added more awesome pictures that work well with the pairings. So much love for the series and this beer.

Sources:
http://orig03.deviantart.net/e4da/f/2011/181/d/8/d8c4a943377c5d7258a73c5ea9a9eda6-d3kisoy.jpg
http://orig07.deviantart.net/eb8b/f/2011/134/3/2/panty_vs_scanty_by_lo_wah-d3gcxis.jpg
https://images.ttcdn.co/media/products/508428-5cc0a8ab0fdc4de8994c672cd8746854/s/tmilhouse/panty-and-stocking-0.jpeg
http://static2.fjcdn.com/comments/5072993+_3d8fb7e9b4b9a639485ec6ea921d06ad.png

2015 Dragon’s Milk Reserve “Double Dragon” Triple-Mashed Stout by New Holland brewing

February 7, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Double Dragon, Dragon's Milk, Dragon's Milk Reserve, Imperial Milk Stout, Imperial Stout, Milk Stout, New Holland Brewing, Sweet Stout, Toriel Dreemurr, Triple-Mashed Stout, Undertale | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2015 Dragon’s Milk Reserve “Double Dragon” Triple-Mashed Stout by New Holland brewing is a 14% ABV Imperial Milk/Sweet Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels.

Label:
“Double Dragon is triple-mashed Dragon’s Milk, aged in New Holland Artisan Spirits oak barrels. Intense malt character is paired with the toasted notes of American White Oak, Robust, yet balanced, Double Dragon is an experience all its own.

Pairings: The stinkiest cheese, darkest chocolate and a day off.

==Introduction==

Aged for two years hiding in the depths of the ends of the earth not to be disturbed until recently. The dragon has awoken. Well, it was not really found in some remote spot, but the excitement to get a chance to try the fabled, Double Dragon is definitely awesome. Since the first time I tried Dragon’s Milk, all those years ago, it was a beer that was my first and favorite from New Holland. I went out of my way to try to find the variants such as the raspberry and the coconut rum one and even the actual Bourbon that was made from this Beer. It was the inspiration and ingredient used In 2 of my special homebrews which came out awesome. So I feel that bringing this to the website is a damn honor for sure to one of my favorite beers. Will it hold up the original, let’s see, cheers!

Aromas:
Cadbury cream chocolate caramel eggs, Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate, Chocolate milk shake, Chocolate mousse, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, hazelnut nectar, mocha coffee, espresso coffee, Kahlua Liqueur, Jamoca ice cream, Irish cream, fruit cake, sweetened condensed milk, tiramisu, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, bourbon, Nutella, dark fruits like raisins, prunes, figs, blackberries, plums, raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, currants and toasted rye.

Flavors:
Rich Rocky Road Ice cream, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, crème brulee, flan,Dark Chocolate, milk chocolate, Chocolate milk shake, Chocolate mousse, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, hazelnut nectar, Nutella, oak, bourbon, toasted coconut, marshmallows, Major Dark fruits like raisins, prunes, figs, blackberries, plums, raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, currants, mocha coffee, espresso coffee, Kahlua Liqueur, Jamoca ice cream, Irish cream, molasses, anise, tobacco notes, leather, steamed milk, Cadbury cream chocolate caramel eggs, peanut butter notes, cocoa crispies, fudge chocolate, toasted rye, brown sugar, fruit cake, Danish cream, pecan pie, truffle chocolate, tiramisu and sweetened condensed milk.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with Rich mixed Chocolates, Caramel, Rocky Road, vanilla, oak, bourbon, earthy notes, marshmallows, nutella, coconut and cadbury cream eggs. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV. Aged has smoothed it out. Dark crimson full body, smooth, creamy, velvety and mildly syrupy mouthfeel and sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A dragon unlike any other. A rare dragon like the three headed Final Fantasy Dragon, Tiamat. In liquid form. A bucket lister which I wish I had more of. For such a 12 ounce beer, much care and time must be taken. The flavors are super complex with an overall sweetness that lingers for a while. Nothing cloying but a malty complexity that can only be described as damn! A ton of roasty, oaky, bourbon and malty dark fruit comeplexity. I know there is a 2017 version of this beer that is even stronger but for this aging over 2 years, it is insane! It sure matured into a grand dragon for sure.I highly recommend getting this one!

Anime Corner:
Toriel Dreemurr from the Undertale series was chosen not for the fact that she is not a dragon (a caprine), but for the characteristics of a dragon. When I thought of milk from a dragon, especially reserve as well as dessert, I could think of no other character. In the game, she makes butterscotch or cinnamon pie and pie goes great with milk. So essentially, the beer pairing I think works well as a dessert. The fact that this was a stronger version of my favorite beer, I also had to choose a strong character.

Sources:
http://www.deviantart.com/art/undertale-welcome-my-child-606651582
http://68.media.tumblr.com/c9ae1b6af9d9deb890918e913e59980a/tumblr_ogpz5ccqrf1snoswqo1_500.png
https://static1.e926.net/data/3f/32/3f3263449063a40f0cc2dfa4dbf9ddf3.png
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5rfmzGL-7xU/maxresdefault.jpg
http://pm1.narvii.com/6184/cf822a41c85a11d8a565d5e239bf0c3409db2fe9_hq.jpg
http://orig05.deviantart.net/c524/f/2016/181/5/8/toriel_pin_up__undertale__by_catcouch-d9dp09r.jpg

2017 Serpent’s Stout by The Lost Abbey

February 7, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Belgian imperial Stout, Bleach, Dark Rukia, Evil Rukia, Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki, Imperial Stout, Kutchiki Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki, Serpent's Stout, The Lost Abbey, world class beers | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2017 Serpent’s Stout by The Lost Abbey is an 11% ABV World Class Belgian Imperial Stout.

Label:
From the beginning of time, it was so decreed, “From the this Tree of Knowledge, you shall not eat this fruit”. Soon enough, the Serpent slithered through the Garden convincing Eve to taste the nectar from this forbidden fruit. Once bitten and shamed, she then tempted Adam. Together, their actions brought Original Sin upon our world.

Discontent to rest on his laurels the Serpent continued his cunning ways bringing forth more temptations. Ultimately, he foisted upon the world his own Serpent Stout – a liquid so dark and viscous that all who tasted soon fell victim to this evil incarnate. Some turned to false prophets seeking advice. None of it mattered. Each struggle revealed the battle between Good and Evil. And now that you are holding a bottle of this liquid, it is certain he has tempted even you… So, welcome to our Darker Side of Life – home of the Serpent Stout’s Original Sin and the tastiest beers known to man.

==Introduction==

It has been years since I last did a review on this beer. Being one of my top favorite brews of all time, I wanted to bring it back as it is sporting an awesome label design with some of my favorite colors. Therefore, I definitely took the opportunity to show that beer some love. One of the strongest stouts I had when I first started trying different beers and once that stuck to me, I was hooked on trying more. An evil looking brew with a pitch-black darkness that would seem malevolent but regardless is still very good. Even with the release of so many special stouts that would try to rival this one, to me, this can still go toe to toe despite others being barrel aged. Heck, Box Set Track #10 (Bat Out Of Hell) is the answer to that as it is the bourbon barrel version of this with coffee and chocolate. Anyways, tribute to the roots is always something I love doing, let us see what this is like after many years, cheers!

Aromas:
Roasted coffee, espresso, Khalua coffee liqueur, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate,marshmallow chocolate smores, toasted coconut hints, rocky road ice cream notes, Oak, tobacco, leather, dark candi sugar, anise, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, earthy hops, dark fruit raisins, currants, plums, figs, bananas, Danish cream and capirotada raisin bread pudding hints.

Flavors:
Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, Oak, tobacco, leather, dark candi sugar, anise, molasses, dark fruit raisins, currants, plums, figs, bananas, mild phenolics, marshmallow chocolate smores, toasted coconut hints, rocky road ice cream notes, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, brown sugar, toffee, earthy hops, roasted coffee, espresso, Khalua coffee liqueur, raspberry notes, port wine hints, sweetened condensed milk hints, flan, capirotada raisin bread pudding, Danish cream, Irish cream coffee and chocolate mousse.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with lots of earthy notes, dark chocolate, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, oak, banana and dark candi sugar. No alcohol in the taste despite the 11%ABV. Pitch black dark abyss full body. Creamy, Smooth, velvety and chewy mouthfeel with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A truly exceptional brew that is surely lasting the years. The flavors are just as complex, if not better, from what I remember. I may not remember every detail, but still an awesome beer. Lots of roasty notes, dark chocolate, dark fruits and flavors of Belgian dark stout and oak. It is not barrel aged but it has that aged oak feel to it. I highly recommend this one as it is definitely still one of my favorites out there.

Anime Corner:
Ichigo Kurosaki and Fade to Black Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach were the perfect pairing back then when I did a review for this beer still continuing the tradition are used to pair the Adam and Eve label. The aspect of Adam and Eve relate to Rukia and Ichigo since Rukia was possessed by evil twins and Ichigo tries to fight Rukia to try to save her from the possession. As you can see in the picture where Rukia attacks Ichigo, it is synonymous with Eve trying to lure Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Crazy idea I had back then but damn it works. Hell, Serpent’s Stout is pitch black like the “Fade to Black” version of Evil Rukia. Definitely one of the best pairings I have for one of the original beers that started me into craft beer. Cheers!!

Sources:
http://images6.fanpop.com/image/polls/1133000/1133279_1350862708265_full.jpg?v=1350863217
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/8bhxW4w4wQdPdIWEkPIsXeRZcPU.jpg
https://images3.alphacoders.com/827/82715.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/39/4a/df/394adfd598e65b1debc3a17f03ceda18.jpg

Michigan Maple Jesus by Evil Twin brewing

February 2, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Evil Twin Brewing, Imperial Stout, Maple Syrup Barrels, Michigan Maple Jesus, Pyrrha Nikos, Rwby, World class | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Michigan Maple Jesus by Evil Twin brewing is a 12% ABV World Class Imperial Stout aged in Maple Syrup Bourbon Barrels

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Imperial stout aged in Maple Syrup Bourbon Barrels. Produced and bottled for Evil Twin Brewing at Dark Horse Brewing Co, Marshall, MI.

==Introduction==

It has been years since I last tried the Even More Jesus from Evil Twin. I have heard a lot of great things from their variants and have also heard that it is hard to find these beers sometimes. Lucky for me I was able to find this one. A little bottle indeed, but something I really wanted to bring to the sire specially since it was in the series. I had also heard that this one was insanely coveted as well, so even more of a reason to bring it to the site. Although, I would of liked a 22oz. of this. Nevertheless, the show must go on, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, Belgian chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, crème brulee, maple syrup, pancakes, anise, molasses, smokey notes, BBQ, marzipan, pecan pie, almond joy, toasted coconut, mocha, Irish cream, dark fruit cherries, plums, currants, raisins, raspberries, blackberries, marshmallow smores, bourbon, whiskey, rich oak, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel and rye bread.

Flavors:
Rich Maple Syrup, molasses, anise, licorice, Smokey, BBQ, smokey campfire notes, toasted coconut, marshmallow smores, bourbon, whiskey, rich oak, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, rye bread, leather, tobacco, brownie batter, dark fruit cherries, plums, currants, raisins, raspberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, Belgian chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, crème brulee, grilled bananas, rocky road ice cream, almond joy chocolates, Kahlua Coffee liqueur, almond milk, pecan pie, hazelnut nectar, marzipan, roasted coffee, mocha, Irish cream coffee, Danish cream, cookies and cream and candied bacon.

Aftertaste:
Finishing Maple rich, dark fruit, anise, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, oak, coconut, bourbon, mocha coffee, sweetened condensed milk and almond marzipan. No alcohol in the taste, pitch black dark abyss body. Rich, velvety, smooth and creamy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A definite bucket lister. I had no idea of the crazy potential from this one. Rich maple, chocolate and super fancy coffee complexity taking things to a different level. It is a step above the original as the maple brings in some new characteristics to the table causing the original to shine even more. While this is only a small bottle, it is a kicker. Although me being me, I would have loved a 22oz. It will age very well. I highly recommend getting this one.

Anime Corner:
Pyrrha Nikos from RWBY was chosen for this pairing as I wanted to pair with the colors of the label mainly and maple syrup colors of red. The other part is the name of Jesus being used in the beer as I see is as representing something Christian and therefore angelic. While this beer in itself maybe a spoiler to some fans of the RWBY show who are not past RWBY Vol. 3, it was necessary for me to elaborate why Pyrrha as an angel works for this beer in relation. The beer gets you closer to the divine if it is not divine itself.

Sources:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6c/1d/2b/6c1d2b0068892293128804399f16589c.jpg
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/205/017/3a5.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cy8reIJVQAARaur.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Crny-55UEAI4__k.jpg
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/152/522/0e5.jpg_large

Papa’s ‘601 Figure 8 (∞) Racin Rocky Road Stout by Brew Rebellion

January 16, 2017 by cloudx30 tagged Asmodeus, Astaroth, Brew Rebellion, Imperial Stout, Papa's '601 Figure 8 (∞) Racin Rocky Road Stout, rocky road ice cream, Rocky Road Stout, Shinra Bansho | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Papa’s ‘601 Figure 8 (∞) Racin Rocky Road Stout by Brew Rebellion is a 10.1% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Rocky Road

Label:
None!

==Introduction==

Obtained this one at Mr. K’s liquor near the Bruery. When I first saw this one with all the nuts on the wax, I was genuinely intrigued. Just like their previous use of cereal on the wax with their other beers, this one had wax with nuts on it. The label read that it was a Rocky Road Stout. I had to reread it again. Rocky Road Stout!? Like, actual ice cream flavors? Not Rocky road flavors derived by complex barrel aging or the use of special nuts, vanilla and chocolate? This I had to see. Especially with their success of the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal beers which regardless of using natural flavors and/or the real deal, I still love them. Yes, I am not that picky and generally open to a lot of beers as long as they are flavorful So with that said, I decided to bring this one home with me. While a being pretty new brew, I have not seen this one elsewhere but a brew that is specifically geared to the awesome marshmallow, chocolate and nutty flavor I am all for it. Let’s a have a look, cheers!

Aromas:
Danish cream, Oreos Cookies and cream, cookie dough ice cream, almond joy, coconut, coffee, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, marshmallow, Jamoca ice cream, pistachio ice cream, Marzipan, dark cherry, sweet cherries, rich vanilla, white chocolate, rocky road ice cream, dulce de leche caramel, trail mix, mazapan, brown sugar, dark candi sugar and dark fruits.

Flavors:
Rich Rocky road ice cream flavors, Marzipan, dark cherry, sweet cherries, rich vanilla, white chocolate, almond joy, coconut, coffee, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, marshmallow, Jamoca ice cream, pistachio ice cream, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, Bubulubu Raspberry marshmallow chocolates, crème brulee, brown sugar, dark candi sugar, dark fruit currants, earthy hop notes, graham crackers, toffee, Danish cream, Oreos Cookies and cream, cookie dough ice cream, almond red velvet cake, peanut butter mazapan, trail mix, macadamia nuts, cashew butter, walnut ice cream, prailines, dulce de leche caramel and chocolate capirotada bread pudding.

Aftertaste:
Finish with still lingering rocky road ice cream, vanilla, dark cherries, coffee, crème brulee, dark fruit, mixed nuts and trail mix. No alcohol in the taste. Dark full body appearance, smooth, creamy and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
An exceptional beer that I would certainly say was amazing. There so much rich flavors from the rocky road but there is a lot of complexity coming out reminding me of all sorts of nuts, chocolate, sweets, dark fruits and much much more. I think this should actually be a bucket lister really simply because I enjoyed it way too much. Just because of that. Yes, it is exceptional on its own because they got the flavors to be simply like a liquid ice cream but mainly because I enjoyed it too much. I need another bottle and highly recommend you get one too!

Anime Corner:
Asmodeus and Astaroth from Shinra Bansho were chosen in this beer not for any specific reason other than the flavors, dark label and infinity flavors. A dark bottle which no apparent evil yet dark. Sounds amazing to me especially since these demons are not evil. Asmodeus primarily is the one I use the pairing with though as she seems very mysterious. Also, infinity and figure 8 can represent an eternity.

Sources:
http://i1.pixiv.net/img-original/img/2015/03/02/21/29/09/49054468_p0.jpg
http://i1.pixiv.net/img-original/img/2015/06/06/01/23/59/50742436_p0.jpg
http://i3.pixiv.net/img-original/img/2015/11/16/23/59/13/53593662_p0.jpg
http://img0.reactor.cc/pics/post/full/Anime-shinrabanshou-asmodeus-astaroth-2190628.png

2016 PB & Thursday by The Bruery

December 31, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged best beers in the world, Black Tuesday, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, dark fruits, delicious, dessert, Emeralda, Emeralda Kasim, Grey Monday, Imperial Stout, Kos-MOS, kosmos, Mocha Wednesday, PB & Thursday, Peanut Flour, rich flavors, The Bruery, White Chocolate, Wineification, world class beers, Xenogears, Xenosaga | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7* Final Review of 2016

2016 PB & Thursday by The Bruery is a 19.8% ABV Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels with Peanut Flour.

Label:
SAMMICH

We claim the days of the week Sparingly With this release , we spread it on thick. This is our kind of Thursday.

Check The Forecast, down a cup of coffee, grab your backpack and pack something special to enjoy later on. Might we suggest this bottle? It is Thursday, after all. PB & Thursday – a peanuty variant of Black Tuesday. It won’t stick to the roof of your mouth, but it will impart layers of peanut butter character and bourbon-laced fudge notes to our storied imperial stout.
==Introduction==

Released to the Hoarders Society only, I had to reach out to my sources and definitely pull some beer leverage for this one. There was no way I could not pass up on this one and well, things paid off and now I have the next edition to the Weekday Series from The Bruery here to the site. For this being the last beer of 2016, it is only fitting. I did Grey Monday as the last beer of 2012 when I first started posting to my website. 4 years later and a new Weekday addition has come. This time, the Bruery has decided to add a Peanut butter beer as their Weekday. Peanut butter has really been exploding in the craft beer industry and I can’t blame them. Ever since Karl Strauss Peanut Butter Cup and Terrapin Liquid Bliss, it has been a damn staple in some of the best beers. Heck, even my first Experimental Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout was made with peanut butter. Granted, some breweries add peanut butter flavoring and other manage to add real peanut butter or powdered peanut butter, the Bruery went with Peanut flour. I actually added something similar called PB2 to my brew, a ton of it! Also, the Bruery has made a peanut butter beer before called Elvis Tuesday which was Peanut Butter and Bananas. They also made one called PB & J which was peanut butter powder and boysenberry puree. I think with this however, the emphasis on more of a peanut and chunky peanut butter beer, they decided to go with peanut flour. This is definitely quite the honor and specially a great way to end this year. For many it has been decent but over all its been up and down. Let’s have a beer and celebrate for a better tomorrow! Cheers for another year of Anime and Beer reviews!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Belgian chocolates, Peanut brittle, toffee, dulce de leche caramel, oak, vanilla, marshmallow, bourbon, Reese’s pieces peanut butter cups, Nutter Butter Cookies, Capn’ Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch cereal, roasted peanuts, Cocoa Krispies, dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, dark cherries, raspberries, currants, pomegranates, crème brulee, flan, sweetened condensed milk hints, Rocky Road Ice cream, chocolate mousse, peanut butter and chocolate chip ice cream, Bananas, and clove spice.

Flavors:
Rich Reese’s pieces peanut butter cups, Nutter Butter Cookies, peanut brittle, roasted peanuts, peanut butter fudge, Capn’ Crunch Peanut butter crunch, oak, bourbon, marshmallows, peanut butter and chocolate smores, Cocoa Krispies, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Baker’s Chocolate, German chocolate, Belgian chocolates, dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, dark cherries, raspberries, currants, pomegranates, flan, dulce de leche caramel, cotton candy, Irish Cream, Danish Cream, molasses, anise, maple syrup, rocky road ice cream, graham crackers, peanut butter cereal, port wine, crème brulee, tobacco, leather, mocha, Bananas, clove spice, oreo cookies, coffee cake, hazelnut nectar, toffee, piloncillo sugar cone, waffle cone, peanut butter chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butterscotch, almond joy coconut,peanut butter chocolate mousse, 3 leches/ 3 Milks cake, sweetened condensed milk and pecan pie.

Aftertaste:
Finishing Rich in dark fruit, peanut butter, dark chocolate, marshmallows, oak, bourbon, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter fudge and Reese’s peanut butter chocolate and rocky road ice cream. Slight booziness but mainly sweetness in the aftertaste and not even detracting from the flavors. Crimson Dark full body, velvety, smooth, creamy, syrupy and chewey mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability. Although there was times I wanted to just drink it all in one sitting.

Overall:
An Exceptional, Grandiose and supremely delicious addition the series of great beers. A bucket lister simply because I am a nut for peanut butter. This beer, just like Grey Monday did for Hazelut, Chocolate Rain for Chocolate, Wineification for Wine, Mocha Wednesday for Coffee, White Chocolate for Vanilla and Chocolate, this brand new day takes everything I loved about peanut butter and brings it full force. This is not peanut butter flavoring in any way. This is as close to real peanuts, roasted peanuts and real peanut butter as it gets. It definitely is closer to my peanut butter home brew but also the Sweep The Leg Peanut Butter Stout I got from my friend Aaron Mendiola in Texas. However, it is like take that peanut butter and the Gods of the universe named Black Tuesday rose you up to the heavens and said from this day forth, you are now, PB & Thursday. I’m sure it was damn magical when they finally decided to promote the Black Tuesday to become a new day of the week. They chose damn right. This special beer is definitely righteous to hold its place as such. I am hoping we see a release of this next year for us Reserve members as well as Preservation members, this one is definitely one for the book and one I recommend you try it especially if you are Black Tuesday.

End of The Year Statement:
I want to thank each and every one of you who have made this year special. Not just for keeping up with these wacky reviews, sometimes mistyped words and overall defender of many beers where people rate beers too harshly. I thank you for getting this far if you are new to the site or even been a fan for years. To all my readers, lovers, haters, Facebook, Untappd, SomethingAwful.com linkers and Twitter followers, regardless, thank you so much. I really appreciate the love and support from everyone and all the breweries that have contributed to my site growth, to my friend Aaron Mendiola from BeerMetalDude.com, to my fellow homebrew brothers, to the BeerBumz and to you, the reader, lover of beer and anime, KANPAI!

Anime Corner:
Emeralda Kasim from Xenogears was chosen in this review as I wanted to a make favorite character part of the awesome Bruery series. You see, KOS-MOS is the original Black Tuesday for Xenosaga/Xenogears. Rukia Kutchiki who I chose for Grey Monday was from Bleach, same as Yoruichi Shihouin who I chose for Chocolate Rain. Temari is my favorite top from Naruto and I chose White Chocolate. So for Mocha Wednesday, my next favorite who fit perfectly with the colors was Konan from Naruto as well. So that being said, I had not chosen another favorite character from the Xeno series aside from my top which was KOS-MOS. So that is when I decided to go with Emeralda. She is a hidden character and one of the most powerful in the game. Some might argue, she is the KOS-MOS of that series subsection as she is an experiment. KOS-MOS is an advanced cybernetic android, Emeralda is a shape shifting biological weapon that grows up later in the series. So, it was definitely a fit for this beer. You can easily tell I was going for colors of the label as well as colors of the flavors with crimson and and peanut butter colors representing Emeralda. The green of her hair is like that of the origin of peanuts, green. Essentially, this beer is like remembering one’s roots. Like Peanuts remember their green origin, one remembers the Black Tuesday origin and this special beer here will forever be that… very special, like Emeralda!

Sources:
http://img1.joyreactor.cc/pics/post/full/Anime-xenogears-emeralda-kasim-583773.jpeg
http://static.zerochan.net/Emeralda.Kasim.full.872819.jpg
http://static.zerochan.net/Emeralda.Kasim.full.334009.jpg
http://charaud.com/wp-content/uploads/xenogears/emeralda_kasim01_03.jpg
http://i4.pixiv.net/c/1200×1200/img-master/img/2016/06/12/17/47/01/57362703_p0_master1200.jpg
http://orig15.deviantart.net/80c6/f/2015/201/6/3/emeralda_by_pechan-d91veif.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/X6dbA2V.jpg

2016 Vindictive collaboration by Sans Liege Wines and The Bruery

December 31, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged black berries, Black Tuesday, bourbon barrels, chocolate mousse, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, Fess Parker, Fess Parker winery, french oak barrels, Grenache Grapes, Grey Monday, Harvest Syrah, Imperial Stout, Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels, Kill-LA-Kill, Mardi Rouge, Mocha Wednesday, Mourvèdre grapes, New American Oak Barrel, Oak Puncheons, Petite Syrah, Ryuko Matoi, Ryuoko Matoi, Sans Liege Wines, syrah grapes, The Bruery, Vindictive, White Chocolate, Wineification, Wineification III | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2016 Vindictive collaboration by Sans Liege Wines and The Bruery is a 14.9% ABV Black Tuesday (Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels) with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes aged in New American Oak Puncheons

Label:
A NEW ERA

If some of the best wines are blends of several grape varieties, imagine what could be achieved when applied to beer. This Black Tuesday varietal is a blended and fermented with must from 75% destemmed and 25% whole cluster Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes from Sans Liege. After nearly a year in oak, this release vanquishes the boundaries between wine and beer.

==Introduction==

Released to Hoarders and Reserve society as a single bottle, this version of their Wineification/Mardi Rouge, in the Bruery’s attempt to wineify beer, is the latest in the series. After trying Wineification I, II and III, this was essentially IV. However, it looks like they amped up their wine game by using different species of grapes and instead of French Oak Barrels they are using New American Oak Puncheons. This is definitely going to be something else I am sure. The previous iteration have tought me that it is possible to blend and create a wine/beer hybrid and based on what I had heard about this one it looks like they might have actually successfully made it. Heck, even their mini commercial for it shows all the other beers praise this one as the new god among beers. Let us see if the hype is real and see just how much closer they truly are to the wine beer hybrid. Cheers!

Vindictive Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIyIR324QNM

Aromas:
Rich oak, Dark fruit figs, raisins, plums, prunes, currants, blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries, wine grapes, Concorde grapes, white grapes, port wine, chocolate, vanilla, sangria, green apples, stone fruit apricots, dulce de leche caramel hints, brown sugar and fruit cake.

Flavors:
Very rich oak, wine grapes, red grapes, Concorde grapes, peppercorns, flowers, hibiscus, dark fruit figs, raisins, plums, prunes, currants, blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries, strawberries, port wine, red wine, sangria, bourbon, vanilla, rocky road ice cream, dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, mocha, Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, bourbon, dulce de leche caramel, Chambord Raspberry, white grapes, sauvignon blanc, stone fruit peach, green apples, gamey meat notes, blood hints, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, sweetened condensed milk, flan, piloncillo sugar cone, brown sugar, fruit cake, graham crackers, bananas, cherry cola, almonds, rye bread and leathery notes.

Aftertaste:
Finishing super dry, rich oak for days, dark fruit, gamey meat hints, stone fruit and fruit cake. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV. Dark Crimson and Deep Blood Red clear body under certain lighting. Smooth, rich, creamy and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
The only reason this beer is not a bucket lister but is still up there with the best ones like Black Tuesday, Winefication I,II and III, White Chocolate, Chocolate Rain and the other Melangè brews and days of the week series is because it is still exceptionally supreme. The gripe is mainly that it really is super super dry. The other Winefications were not as dry and the flavors linger. I also totally understand that in order to finally meld the borders between beer and wine (which this achieves it phenomenally) is that you have to make a beverage that pleases both sides. This is the key! Now I understand why people love their wine and can differentiate themselves from beer drinking. I appreciate the love there is for wine because there are many I love especially meads and heavy ciders. For me though, super dry is something I am not used to. I can actually start to appreciate why sommeliers and wine connoisseurs have the jobs they do. Its hard to review wine the drier it becomes. Granted I can still review this one well, but with lots of dryness involved to not be able to discern flavors as fast as you can with beer, it truly is a challenge. That’s why I highly recommend this one to beer and wine lovers alike. This one is even more unique than the one’s in the past. It kicks ass!

Anime Corner:
Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill makes a return once again to pair with many of the different aspects of the beer. This time, in the fourth installment, I am using her third and most powerful form, the Golden Hair/Super Saiyan-esque Senketsu Kisaragi form just like I did with Wineification III. While the alcohol is lower, the brew is definitely hit the marks on wine. Ryuko is one of my favorite characters in Anime right next to my other top 3 (Kos-mos, Yoruichi and Temari). The reason I did not use her second “Junketsu” form was due to the fact that I never got around to putting the beer to the site, although I did have Winefication II at the Bruery’s Black Tuesday party. Like the original installment of Winefication, the colors pair perfect with Ryuko’s hair, the background, her eyes and her outfit as well. If this was a candidate for Mardi Rouge (Red Tuesday) then even more the reason to use her for this pairing. This time around, I found an awesome picture of Ryuko with a cloak. A cloak to represent the extra oak and grapes to get the beer to that wine level even more. The complexity of the flavors showcases her unpredictable characteristics. She always has a plan up her sleeve. She is deadly and sexy which best describes how smooth the beer goes down. The beer is dark but it is a blood red dark as you get closer to finishing the glass. Her suit Senketsu (Fresh Blood) describes this as she needs to let senketsu take some of her blood in order to unleash a higher power. Perfect for that red wine aspect and the color as I mentioned earlier. Heck, even the gamey meat like flavor is proof of blood in this beer. Ryuko is strong and tough minded, but she does have her sweet,warm hearted and loving side which she shows to the people she cares about. The sweet chocolate and berries is what best places this category. Her Kisaragi form is what is new from Wineification III and being that it is her ultimate form, there was no doubt why I wouldn’t use that form once again here. Take it easy with her though, you won’t find one like her again, maybe. Especially since people only got 1 bottle. Either way, it will be a very memorable experience.

Sources:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P8xlGMmI-Q8/VhgpvCfIIMI/AAAAAAAEYfo/sMWS8Rq02ow/w1156-h1700/heels%2Bkill_la_kill%2Bmatoi_ryuuko%2Bsakimichan.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Rvm3bFP.jpg
http://img15.deviantart.net/47fd/i/2016/224/c/7/ryuko_matoi___final_form__by_phasechan-dadmlef.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eRF7kiu.jpg
https://www.filepicker.io/api/file/jCgJq2a5SK65v4QQGPda

6th Anniversary Hazelnut Chocolate Imperial Stout by WestBrook brewing

December 31, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged 6th Anniversary, cocoa nibs, Hazelnut Chocolate Imperial Stout, Hazelnuts, Imperial Stout, The Testament of Sister New Devil, vanilla beans, Westbrook Brewing, Zest | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.75/6

6th Anniversary Hazelnut Chocolate Imperial Stout by WestBrook brewing is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout with cocoa nibs, hazelnuts and vanilla beans added

Label:
Our 6th Anniversary beer is rich and chocolatey imperial stout matured on cocoa nibs, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla beans.

==Introduction==

This is the second time I try a Westbrook beer and for it being their 6th anniversary at that, it was definitely a damn fine pleasure to bring this one to the site. I was able to find this one when I was looking for the Mexican Biscotti Cake. I love hazelnuts and I definitely had to bring this one to the site. The last time I tried a hazelnut beer aside from Rogue’s Hazelnut Nectar was the Bruery’s Melange 12 which had the same ingredients like chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut like this one. This was a great opportunity to bring another awesome beer to the site especially for the end of 2016, their 6th Anniversary, and a chance to try more Westbrook. I hear great things from them. Let’s have a look at this one, cheers!

Aromas:
Roasted coffee, mocha, marshmallows, hazelnut nectar, Baker’s milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, German Chocolate, tobacco, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruits, cookie dough, mint, bananas, vanilla, almond joy chocolate, pecan pie, flan and Irish cream.

Flavors:
Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Chocolate brownies, vanilla, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, bananas, clove spice, dark fruit raisins, currants, cherries, raspberries, plums, mint, anise, molasses, almond joy chocolate, flan, Irish cream, Danish cream, coffee cake, brown sugar, tobacco, Triple chocolate cake, marshmallow smores, mocha, fruit cake, mild plum sauce, rye bread with raspberry preserves, pillow mints, macadamia nuts, maple syrup hints, dulce de leche caramel, chocolate mousse, cookie dough ice cream, chocolate cherry cordials and piloncillo sugar cone.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with a mint chocolate flavors, dark chocoalte, hazelnut, earthy hop notes, dark fruits, banana notes, clove spice and tobacco. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV. Dark full body, smooth, creamy and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
An exceptional brew that was very delicious and chocolatey. There was a lot of complexity going on but I think the flavors that stood out the most was the some what mint flavors. The beer itself is still worthy of praise as I still got many of the flavors from the ingredients used and the vast complexity. The only thing was that the beer definitely seemed to have a roast mint chocolate flavor through and through. For the beer overall I highly recommend you try and get this one, it is damn amazing!

Anime Corner:
Zest from The Testament of Sister New Devil was chosen in this pairing as I mainly wanted to go with the colors of the label but also the ingredients of the beer which actually fit well with Zest as she has the colors of the label and the colors of the ingredients such as the browns for chocolate and hazelnut and the light colors for vanilla. Overall, she is technically a devil which works for the dark aspects of this beer.

Sources:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CzGQPUCVIAENa40.jpg
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/shinmai-maou-no-keiyakusha/images/0/00/Volume_V.png/revision/latest?cb=20140820104756
https://k60.kn3.net/BDC4DF9BD.jpg
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/anime-characters-fight/images/4/46/Zest.png/revision/latest?cb=20150512165550&path-prefix=ru
https://k30.kn3.net/taringa/1/6/3/6/9/3/90/juampinie/0EB.jpg
http://2static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Random_b89889_6045838.jpg

2016 Big Hugs by Half Acre brewing

December 31, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged Ark Angel Mithra, Ark Angel MR, Big Hugs, Chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, christmas beer, coffee, coffee company, collaboration, Collaboration Beer, dark chocolate, dark fruits, Dark Matter Coffee, fancy coffee, Final Fantasy XI, half acre, half acre brewing, Imperial Stout, Kisha, mecha hugs, Mithra, Spices, spicy aroma | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.75/6

2016 Big Hugs by Half Acre brewing is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Dark Matter Coffee

Description:
This beer is a thug. Big and chock full of tender embrace.

A specialty brew. Grab it when you see it. 10% ABV.

…Big Hugs has grappled with natural order and twisted the pillars of existence. While you hang in the balance, steal time to sit steady and spill this black rumble into your center. Big Hugs Imperial Stout is liquid char scraped from the bowels of eternity, soaked with the free spirit of an adolescent feline. Heed him and rejoice.

The time has come to release our annual homage to the accidentally violent, disastrous fly swatter we call Big Hugs. In its 8th year, Hugs has managed to break through the worm hole and find itself up against the real monsters – human kind.

==Introduction==
As a huge fan of this crazy Kaiju Cat, I feel it is my duty every year to bring forth news of the return of a monster. A giant cat that can only suit its feels with hugging and massively destroying to the human race. Of course, he is loved by many. Who wouldn’t? Which makes me wonder how he would fare against Godzilla. To be honest, they would just be the best of friends. Who knows, maybe Big Hugs is Godzilla’s cat and no one knew it. Regardless, this one is one that you have to embrace. Take it on like a quest of dragons…err… cats. Like previous years, I hope to bring the beer to the site. Even if it is just the basic one. I think they do something different every year. Also, since I bought this years Dark Matter Coffee with Pink Himalayan Salt, I wonder if it will actually have that. Although, there is a version like that already. Anyways, let’s take on this Catastrophe!, Cheers!

Aromas:
Chocolate milk shake, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, fudge chocolate, roasted coffee, mocha, fancy coffee, espresso, dark fruit raisins, plums, prunes, currants, dark cherries, blueberries, coconut hints, tobacco, molasses, anise, leather, toffee, pecan pie, mild peanut butter and banana hints.

Flavors:
Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Baker’s Chocolate, German Chocolate, salted dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, toasted coconut hints, dark fruit raisins, plums, prunes, currants, dark cherries, blueberries, roasted coffee, mocha, fancy coffee, espresso, vinous grape notes, Kahlua Liqueur, brownies, pecan pie, bananas, malted chocolate, chocolate mousse, oatmeal cookies, smokey notes, anise, port wine, earthy notes, cookie dough ice cream, pecan pie, toffee, rock candy, salted chocolate, tobacco, leather, brown sugar, fudge chocolate, hazelnut nectar and pralines.

Aftertaste:
Finishing rich with caramel, sea salt, vanilla, dark chocolate, peanut butter, Fancy Coffee roast, spicy coffee complexity earthy notes and dark fruits. No alcohol in the taste, Dark like the abyss of nothingness dark body, Smooth, velvety and creamy mouthfeel and almost easy to drink despite the ABV.

Overall:
I find it very interesting that this version of Big Hugs, while very exceptional and delicious as always, it had some salty notes like that of the Salted Chocolate version of the beer. It is interesting because the actual coffee does have Pink Himalayan salt, yes, the little baggie in the pictures. Makes wonder if they did use the same coffee as they did in the past years or if this is a new blend. Needless to say, still one of my favorite beers and the salty notes surely does add some complexity to the beer. Now while I did love this one, I am sure the variants are even better ofcourse. This one should still be seeked though as it is the original. Here watch this Cat Video from them to find out why you need this beer in your life. LOL Cheers!

Big Hugs from Meredith Anderson on Vimeo.

Anime Corner:
Ark Angel MR or evil Mythra from Final Fantasy XI was used in this pairing as I used her in the last pairing. The original idea had to do with the whole Big Hugs. Since she is a gray cat lady with crimson eyes, it would have fit with the Mecha Hugs Label from back in the day. The fact that she is an Ark Angel, she fits even more perfect with the evil Big Hugs and the whole Big Hugs as she squeezes the orange Mythra representing the colors of the original Big Hugs cat.

I also included original character Kisha the furry cat (character created by Kisharra of DeviantArt.com) as her color represent Christmas. This beer is released for Christmas so I figure this would work out since I found a picture of her hugging another furry cat on Christmas. Also, with that sensual stare, who wouldn’t want to hug up against a warm cat. Ofcourse, just like Big Hugs, big cats in real life are dangerous, just like the ABV on this one.

Sources:
https://brewerianimelogs.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/564b9-chp6jf56bks039cj.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OqDjeY-4Tco/VkYAtgys6-I/AAAAAAAAdq4/8PD6QB9JRlM/w1602-h895/furry-%2525D1%252584%2525D1%25258D%2525D0%2525BD%2525D0%2525B4%2525D0%2525BE%2525D0%2525BC%2525D1%25258B-furry-art-furry-feline-1828652.png
http://tbib.org/images/3267/1b28a1e0f2f2b5d828c92ed0744d0309599c850f.png
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_E5x9oEAUbI/WAyX6gKIN6I/AAAAAAAACyQ/KpGw1qUkCCg3qGdScYywQgg-VgZ2YTSWACJoC/w1044-h1980/AYvf2nGehqw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2qwyCtD.jpg

Stone Give Me Stout or Give Me Death collaboration by Stone Brewing in Virginia

December 20, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged Ardent Craft Ales, blackberries, collaboration, Collaboration Beer, Commonwealth of Virginia, Hardywood Park Brewery, Imperial Stout, Kancolle/Kantai Collection, Kantai Collection, Raspberries, Richmond Virginia, Stone Brewing, Stone Give Me Stout or Give Me Death, Tenryuu, Terry McAuliffe, Virginia | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Stone Give Me Stout or Give Me Death collaboration by Stone Brewing in Virginia is a 9.5% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Raspberries & Blackberries from the commonwealth of Virginia

Label:
Virginia Commemorative Collaboration

An Imperial Tribute to Richmond & the rise of craft beer independence.

Just as Patrick Henry once stood addressing the city of Richmond in 1775 to spur resistance against the tyrannical British Empire, 20 years ago we were stirred to join the cry for resistance against the tyrannical oppression of industrial beer. And now, the opening of our Richmond brewery is yet another shot in the salvo that has been fired on behalf of American brewing independence. If we wish to brew free, if we mean to retain our identity and preserve the privilege of access to independent craft beer, we must recognize it is a group effort. We do not stand alone. And so, on our new brewing grounds, we gathered with fellow craft breweries and “His Excellency,” Governor McAuliffe, to join together in force. A group cry of freedom & independence! Consider this aggressively hopped imperial stout, jam-packed with Virginia raspberries and blackberries, a testament to our passion and unwillingness to settle or sell out! We think Patrick Henry would be proud, and hope you will be too.

Our Collaborators
Ardent Craft Ales
Hardywood Park Brewery
His Excellency Terry McAuliffe, Virginia Governor.

==Introduction==

The first brew I get to try from Stone in Richmond Virginia. To commemorate their opening, they brewed this stout using local blackberries and raspberries. The fact that it was a fruit stout was we really got me to go find this and bring it to the site. Many stone outlets sold this one early and will be hitting national distribution. So expect to see this one near you. Stone stouts tend to be somewhat aggressive but very delicious. Which makes me wonder how this one will go since it is using fruit. Let’s have a sip, cheers!

Aromas:
Roasted Barley notes, coffee, earthy hop notes, tobacco hints, anise, dark fruit cherries, raspberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, marshmallow smores, smokey notes, fruit cake, brown sugar and hazelnut hints.

Flavors:
Deep Dark Chocolate mixed berry cordials, dark fruit raisins, blackberries, plums, raspberries, cherries, marshmallow smores, smokey notes, grassy, piney and earthy hop notes, tobacco, anise, molasses, roasted barley, roasted coffee, mocha, pecan pie, crème brulee, flan, stone fruit peach hints, brown sugar, fruit cake, mild soy sauce, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, chocolate brownies, chocolate raspberry cake, hazelnut nectar, rye bread with boysenberry preserves, raspberry and blackberry yogurt hints.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with dark chocolate, earthy hop notes, dark fruit hints, mixed berries, vanilla, caramel, molasses, roasted barley and coffee notes. No alcohol in the taste. Dark full body. Smooth, creamy, velvety and chewy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A perfect stout. This one was definitely more in terms of bring out the rich full stout flavors. While I did not increase the rating anymore as the berries are mainly there for support and balance out the flavors, on its own it is super damn amazing. Yes I do believe with more fruit forward and chocolate forward flavors I would have been moved to give it the higher grade but this is just enough to really say it is perfect enough. It is also very hoppy too but will probably release more chocolate and fruit with age. I will definitely need to try and get more of these bottles to cellar. I think they have an awesome winner here that I highly recommend!

Anime Corner:
Tenryuu from Kantai Collection (KanColle) was chosen for this pairing was chosen for this pairing as I wanted to match some of her colors with that of the label and the ingredients. Her attitude to perceiver I think works well with the name. Give Me Stout or Give Me Death is a strong statement that seems very demanding. Just like Tenryuu’s character. She doesn’t look like she gives a damn and will mess up anyone that gets in her way.

Sources:
https://k60.kn3.net/taringa/3/6/D/0/4/C/zDystopia/64C.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp88CcAW8AECMas.jpg:large
http://img0.joyreactor.cc/pics/post/full/tenryuu-(kantai-collection)-Kantai-Collection-Anime-Опасные-Няшки-1985236.jpeg
http://img0.reactor.cc/pics/post/full/Anime-Kantai-Collection-Tenryuu-920580.jpeg

Lizard of Koz by Founders brewing

December 12, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Blueberries, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Chocolate, Founders Brewing, Imperial Stout, King of Fighters, KOF, Leona Heidern, Lizard of Koz, Metal Slug, SNK, vanilla | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Lizard of Koz by Founders brewing is a 10.5% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Blueberries, Chocolate and Vanilla aged in Bourbon Barrels.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
This one is near and dear to our hearts. Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki wanted to make the birthday of his little sister, Liz, a special one. So he did what he does best and brewed a stout using a few of her favorite ingredients: fresh Michigan blueberries, rich chocolate and vanilla aged in bourbon barrels to round out those beautiful flavors. Liz was floored and we think you will be too.

==Introduction==

Founders does not release many barrel aged brews but the ones they do release are bad ass! KBS and Backwoods Bastards are no exceptions to these rules as both are world class beers. This one comes towards us like bat out of hell or a Godzilla rising out of the water ready to start a fight with some bitch ass monsters. Oh wait, it is a lizard on the label. The name Lizard of Koz can have many meanings. Koz as in the 7th division head priest or according to the urban dictionary, a word you can use any way you want and it will still make sense. The only thing that makes sense right now is this brew review so let’s show the world what this blue berry radiation from Godzilla’s spines is all about, cheers!

Aromas:
Rich Blueberries, vanilla, bourbon, oak, caramel, anise, molasses, dulce de leche caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, coffee cake, Kahlua liqueur, dark fruit raisins, blueberries, currants, pomegranates, raspberries, blueberries cheese cake, blueberry marshmallow smores, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate and toasted coconut hints.

Flavors:
Rich dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers Chocolate, German Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, dark fruit raisins,blueberries, currants, pomegranates, raspberries, blueberries cheese cake, blueberry marshmallow smores, blueberry mint ice cream, anise, molasses, tobacco hints, bourbon, oak, pecan pie, bananas, coffee cake, Kahlua liqueur, fruit cake, licorice hints, maple syrup, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, cookie dough ice cream, Danish cream, steamed blueberry milk, blueberry yogurt, blueberry preserves on toasted rye bread, mocha, sweetened condensed milk, crème brulee and toasted coconut.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with rich dark fruits, blueberry yogurt, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, banana hints, marshmallows, Danish cream and brown sugar. No alcohol in the taste, dark full body, smooth, creamy and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Another Barrel aged bucket lister hitting the list right next to BBA Smashed Blueberry by Shipyard and Birra Artigianale Draco by Birrificio Montegioco. This one definitely lets the blueberries, chocolate and vanilla drive the point forward long with a rich complexity provided by the base beer and the bourbon oak. They were for going for a damn decadent rich blueberry dessert and damn, the achieved gold! This literally hits you flat on your face with rich flavors. I highly recommend you get this one!

Anime Corner:
Leona Heidern from SNK’s King of Fighters/Metal Slug series was chosen not only because they relased a bad ass brew, but because sometimes you just need a bad ass character to make a bad ass representation. Leona gives the manliest of men blue balls not just by her looks but by kicking the shit out of her opponents and them saying thank you and coming back for more. Leona don’t take shit from no one and just like this beer is ridiculous, so is she. Can you really dominate this brew? Good fucking luck!!

Sources:
https://k61.kn3.net/taringa/2/7/8/2/1/0/95/zangetsuariel/8DB.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bc/5f/59/bc5f59ab5c12b200f5caba427e38a594.jpg
https://cdnb3.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/003/013/155/large/mu-hyeon-seong-.jpg?1468492529
https://yt3.ggpht.com/-o9yX4hZJKRY/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/Pimj5zsj1fg/s900-c-k-no-mo-rj-c0xffffff/photo.jpg
http://img0.reactor.cc/pics/post/king-of-fighters-Игры-leona-heidern-taroimo-(00120014)-3340752.png

2016 Share This: Molé by The Bruery

December 8, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged ancho chilies, cacao nibs, Chipotle Peppers, Cinnamon, Free Wheelchair Mission, Imperial Stout, LEND A HAND, mexican beer, Overwatch, Share This Molé, sharethisbeer, Sombra, The Bruery, vanilla beans | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2016 Share This: Molé by The Bruery is an 11.1% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Ancho Chilies, Chipotle peppers, Cinnamon, Vanilla Beans and Cacao Nibs

Label:
LEND A HAND
Share This beer and be part of bringing mobility to our friends in Mexico – the Source and inspiration of select ingredients in this beer. For every bottle we produce, Free Wheelchair Mission receives one dollar. #sharethisbeer

Share This is a series of beer that spotlights unique ingredients and important causes. This rich mole-inspired imperial stout collaboration with Chef Anne Conness supports the work of Free Wheelchair Mission in Mexico.

==Introduction==

Released to the public as the second beer for charity from the “Share This” series. This time they obtained inspiration from Mexican cuisine, the awesome dish of Molé. The last time the Bruery made an awesome Molé beer was when they made the Smoking Wood variant which was a tap only release. It was definitely awesome and one I would love to review one day if it is re-released. This series is definitely awesome as it does donate a dollar for every bottle sold to the cause of the Free Wheelchair Mission. Yes, it is not much money but this is a microbrewery after all. It’s good to see breweries who do more not just for communities but for causes that really help people. Let’s see how this one is, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit raisins, prunes, cherries, raspberries, capirotada Mexican bread pudding, vanilla, flan, crème brulee, dulce de leche cajeta/caramel, Pan Dulce, chipotle, guajillo, ancho chiles, cinnamon, nutmeg, rich chocolate abuelita, Kahlua liquer notes, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, German Chocolate, piloncillo sugar cone, grilled bananas, anise, coffee and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Super rich chocolate abuelita, Kahlua liquer notes, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Bakers chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, German Chocolate, piloncillo sugar cone, grilled bananas, chipotle, guajillo, ancho chiles, cinnamon, nutmeg, dark fruit raisins, prunes, cherries, raspberries, capirotada Mexican bread pudding, vanilla, flan, crème brulee, dulce de leche cajeta/caramel, Pan Dulce, apple pie, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, Danish cream cookies, marshmallow smores, graham crackers, burnt candi sugar, waffle cone, molé spices, champurrado, molasses, anise, 3 leche/ 3 Milks cake, coffee cake, mocha, java, steamed milk and Mazapan.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with rich notes of chocolate abuelita, dark chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, peppery hints, dark fruits, marshmallows, flan, earthy notes and champurrado. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, dark body, creamy, velvety, silky, syrupy, chewy and viscous mouthfeel and a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
An exceptional breaking brew. Easily, a new favorite Molé, or in this case, the best Molé beer I have ever had that was more about Molé, not Mexican chocolate, as that is another story best told in a previous review. For a Molé beer though, this is damn insane and delicious. Definitely a step above some of the other Molé beers I have tried in the past. The chocolate and spices are there but not overly spicy and sweetness is not overwhelming either. Everything just comes together very well and complex. Definitely a highly recommended brew.

Anime Corner:
Sombra from Overwatch was used in this series not necessarily for the label colors but for the use of a Mexican anime/video game character. Sombra, or Shadow is a hacker who uses her skills to manipulate the corrupted systems of power for the greater good. While her colors and ethnicity go well with the flavors of the brew (like dark fruits) and the culture of the cuisine, the “doing something for a good cause” is what I liked about this pairing as this beer is all for a good cause.

Sources:
http://img0.reactor.cc/pics/post/full/Blizzard-фэндомы-Sombra-(Overwatch)-Overwatch-art-3415270.jpeg
https://brewerianimelogs.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/fa99b-sombra.jpg
http://img1.joyreactor.cc/pics/post/full/Sombra-(Overwatch)-Blizzard-фэндомы-Overwatch-art-3471483.jpeg

Botanicals & Barrels Series: Vanilla Bean Stout by Avery Brewing

December 2, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Anna Marie, Avery Brewing, Botanicals & Barrels Series, Bourbon Barrel Aged, Imperial Stout, Marvel, Rogue, Vanilla Bean Stout, vanilla beans, Xmen | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Botanicals & Barrels Series: Vanilla Bean Stout by Avery Brewing is an 11% ABV Imperial Stout with vanilla beans aged in bourbon barrels.

Label:
A double dose of vanilla derived from both fresh Bourbon barrels and the trio of Tongan, Ugandan, and Mexican whole vanilla beans is complemented by the essences of chocolate, caramel and molasses to round out this luxurious silky stout.

==Introduction==

I have heard great things about this brew. There have been many times that I had the opportunity to grab it but didn’t passing it up for other beers. Now that I saw it once again, I decided to bring it to the site. I have tried many vanilla stouts and barrel aged vanilla stout. Some are more awesome than others but generally, they are all definitely very good. It is not often I have vanilla stouts by themselves as sometimes you will have your vanilla bean and cacao nib beers that are very delicious but plain vanilla is definitely a great feat. Especially when trying to make beers like flan or crème brulee like. Let’s see how far this one will go, cheers!

Aromas:
Lots of vanilla, marshmallow smores, oak, bourbon, rocky road ice cream, almond joy chocolate, fruit cake, brown sugar, crème brulee, flan, sweetened condensed milk, Jericalla Jaliscan custard, burnt sugar, dark fruit figs, prunes, raisins, cinnamon, coffee, mocha, rye bread and molasses.

Flavors:
Rich vanilla, oak, bourbon, marshmallow smores, dulce de leche caramel, toasted coconut, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bananas, clove spice, plantains, mint chocolate chip ice cream, crème brulee, flan, sweetened condensed milk, Jericalla Jaliscan custard, burnt sugar, dark fruit figs, prunes, raisins, hazelnut nectar, maple notes, cinnamon, capirotada raisin bread pudding, rye bread, coffee, mocha, rocky road ice cream, oatmeal cookies, almond joy chocolate, vanilla and chocolate brownies, fruit cake, brown sugar, piloncillo sugar cone hints, hazelnut nectar, macadamia nuts and chocolate cherry cordials.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with smooth vanilla, bourbon, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, oak, chocolate, mint, anise, flan, Jericalla custard and crème brulee hints. No alcohol in the taste, Dark full body, syrupy, smooth, creamy and velvety mouthfeel and a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Exceptional vanilla decadent beer. Lots of vanilla, complex and balanced flavors and not too over powering. It can be soft at times and is not too sweet either. Almost like a semi sweet ice cream. Then again most craft beers are like liquid ice cream in general. This one is no exception to the rule. Very enjoyable brew for all BBA brew lovers. I highly recommend it.

Anime Corner:
Rogue/Anna Marie from Marvel’s X-men was chosen for this pairing mainly to go with the colors of the label with the green, white, yellow and red. Her hair colors pairs well with the vanilla plant from the picture shown on the label. I figured this would make a nice pairing by just getting the colors right. Also, Rogue is a character that absorbs people’s strength, memories and powers. Basically, this beer will own you!

Sources:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6d/c7/7d/6dc77d95fb3628ff685bb31d90548d15.jpg
http://65.media.tumblr.com/05c284d4df2a9b5a3fc6effc0028820e/tumblr_o75dpwtems1sxptq1o1_500.jpg
https://brewerianimelogs.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/7677d-16.jpg

Imperial Biscotti Break Raspberry Umami by Evil Twin Brewing

December 2, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in oak barrels, Coffee Beans, Evil Twin Brewing, Imperial Biscotti Break, Imperial Biscotti Break Raspberry Umami, Imperial Stout, Oak, oak barrels, Pyrrha Nikos, Raspberry, Raspberry Umami, Rwby | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Imperial Biscotti Break Raspberry Umami by Evil Twin Brewing is an 11.5% Imperial Stout aged in Oak Barrels with Coffee Beans and Raspberry

Label:
None!

==Introduction==

Obtained this one on my way to the Bruery when I visited Mr. K’s liquor. It literally is in front of the Bruery and they do have a lot of awesome stuff. When I saw this, I definitely had to pick it up. 2 reasons, one is because their Doughnut Break was one of the most awesome beers I have ever had. Even the “Imperial Biscotti Break Natale – Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top” was one of the best as well. So surely, the raspberry coffee one was definitely one I wanted to bring to the site. Now, with that in mind, let’s have a look shall we? Cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit raisins, currants, plums, boysen berries, cranberries, dark cherries, Rich Raspberries, Raspberry cordials, port wine, wine grapes, butterscotch, dulce de leche caramel, fruit cake, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mocha, roasted coffee, coffee cake, molasses, anise, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, sweetened condensed milk, crème brulee, Irish cream, rocky road ice cream, toasted coconut hints and pomegranates.

Flavors:
Rich Raspberries, port wine, wine grapes, butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mocha, roasted coffee, coffee cake, dragon fruit, passion fruit, dark fruit raisins, currants, plums, boysen berries, cranberries, dark cherry cheesecake, pomegranates, sea salt, oak, vanilla, toasted rye bread with raspberry preserves, molasses, anise, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, sweetened condensed milk, crème brulee, Irish cream, rocky road ice cream, toasted coconut hints, marshmallow smores, brown sugar, fruit cake, dulce de leche caramel, fudge and raspberry cake, walnuts, chocolate truffles, raspberry cordials and jelly doughnuts.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich raspberries, oak, dark fruit, vanilla, mocha, anise, caramel, dark chocolate, and wine notes. No alcohol in the tasted, Dark Crimson Full Body, very smooth, creamy, rich and velvety mouthfeel and easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
Ridiculously delicious. This came to me as a surprise. This beer actually reminded me so much of the beer I made, which was the Raging Passion Lactus Raspear Dragons which was aged in oak with raspberries but other fruits and lactose other than coffee. The flavors were very similar but my brew was fruitier. The fact that I was able to pick up the punch of chocolate raspberries made me realize that the brew I had made was definitely worthy to be commercial like this one. Regardless, this one is definitely worthy of praise and should sought out, I highly recommend this one.

Anime Corner:
Pyrrha Nikos from RWBY was chosen in this pairing as I wanted to bring her into the site for the longest time. Her colors represent the raspberries but also the strength and kindness goes well with the ABV and the complex flavors of the beer which are generally sweet.

Sources:
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yakuza-mob-roleplay/images/b/bc/1YMRPBio.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150817231753
https://i.redditmedia.com/AzMrFtjvoe9rT4DCKQFUsn7LBXtZt9XPX0cumhrq0Os.jpg?w=400&s=9529acd0c6185460df4823133cd923d6
http://i.imgur.com/xooKCtJ.jpg
http://76.72.168.19/images/2016-02-24-813002.jpeg

2016 Grey Monday by The Bruery

December 2, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged Bankai, Belgian Chocolates, Black Tuesday, Bleach, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, bourbon vanilla, chocolate mousse, Chocolate Nirvana, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, dark chocolate, french vanilla ice cream, Grey Monday, Hazelnut Nectar, Imperial Stout, Kutchiki Rukia, Maple Syrup, molecular gastronomy, pecan pie, Rich Hazelnut, roasted hazelnuts, Rukia, The Bruery, world beers | 1 Comment

Rating: 6/6

2016 Grey Monday by The Bruery is an 19.8% ABV World Class Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels with Hazelnuts.

I had done a reviewed this one in the past so this year, I am leaving it to a previous review to take care of the recommendation. Each year it is more awesome and the ABV seems to climb higher and higher. Cheers!

https://animebeers.com/2015/06/25/2015-grey-monday-by-the-bruery/

2016 So Happens It’s Tuesday by The Bruery

December 2, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Bakuretsu Tenshi, Black Tuesday, Burst Angel, Imperial Stout, JO, Session beer, So Happens It's Tuesday, The Bruery | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.75/6

2016 So Happens It’s Tuesday by The Bruery is a 14.7% ABV Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels

I had done a review earlier this year and The Bruery released another on October 2016 so to check out the review I did click the link below. While this version is slightly stronger, they both are awesome!

https://animebeers.com/2016/02/27/2016-so-happens-its-tuesday-by-the-bruery/

2016 Black Tuesday by the Bruery

December 2, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged 2016 Black Tuesday, best beers in the world, Black Tuesday, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, Chocolate Rain, creme brulee, dark fruits, delicious, dessert, Grey Monday, Imperial Stout, Kos-MOS, kosmos, rich flavors, The Bruery, White Chocolate, Wineification, world class beers, Xenosaga | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

2016 Black Tuesday by the Bruery is an 20.3% ABV World Class Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels.

I have reviewed this one many times so this year, I am leaving it to a previous review to take care of the recommendation. Each year it is more awesome and the ABV seems to climb higher and higher. Cheers!

https://animebeers.com/2015/12/05/2015-black-tuesday-by-the-bruery/

Dragon’s Milk Reserve Coconut Rum Barrel Stout by New Holland brewing

October 31, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged coconut, Dragon's Milk, Dragon's Milk Reserve, Dragons, Freedom Planet, Imperial Stout, New Holland Brewing, Rum barrel aged, Sash Lilac, Toasted Coconut | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Dragon’s Milk Reserve Coconut Rum Barrel Stout by New Holland brewing is an 11% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with coconut and aged in Rum Barrels.

Label:
Coconut complements the roasted chocolate flavor of Dragon ‘s Milk, coaxing flavors that are reminiscent of lazy summer days. Rum barrels add a tropical character and a distinctive twist on tradition.

==Introduction==

The time has come again, with another variant of the awesome Dragon’s Milk. I have tried this one several times and done many reviews as well. Today, I bring you the Coconut and Rum version of the brew. The only other dragon I have tried was the raspberry one and since I loved that one so much, it inspired me to make a raspberry and tropical fruit version of that same beer. So basically, the Dragon’s Milk and I go way back and the love for this beer keeps going. So with that being said, let’s take a look at the white whale of a dragon we have this time around. Cheers!

Aromas:
Mocha, Coffee Cake, Rich Almond Joy Coconut Chocolate, rum, vanilla, oak, dulce de leche caramel, capirotada raisin bread pudding with coconut, coconut and pecan pie, Danish cookies, hazelnut nectar, coconut chocolate truffles, fruit cake piña colada notes, dragon fruit, passion fruit, kiwi, choco flan, lactose milk sugar, crème brulee, toffee, dark fruit raisins, cherries, figs, currants, blackberries, fudge chocolate cake, rocky road ice cream and chocolate milk shake.

Flavors:
Liquid almond joy chocolates, toasted coconut, cocada Mexican candy, macaroons, oak, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, rum, flan, crème brulee, toffee, dark fruit raisins, cherries, figs, currants, blackberries, fudge chocolate cake, rocky road ice cream, choco flan, lactose milk sugar, capirotada raisin bread pudding with coconut, coconut and pecan pie, marshmallows, peanut butter hints, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate milk shake, Irish cream, steamed coconut milk, coffee cake, espresso coffee hints, tobacco, leather, rye bread, anise, molasses, Danish cookies, mocha, hazelnut nectar, coconut chocolate truffles, fruit cake piña colada notes, dragon fruit, passion fruit, kiwi and lychee.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with super rich with coconut, tropical rum, vanilla, flan, almond joy chocolate, flan, crème brulee, fruit cake, rocky road ice cream, marshmallow, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, toffee, and smokey notes. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, pitch black dark full body, creamy, smooth, syrupy and velvety mouth feel and an easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A definite bucket lister. As much as I love the original or even the raspberry one which I believe are some of the best beers and a staple in my list of favorite bourbon barrel stouts, this coconut rum is simply another level altogether. There has been a trend for me with beer variants and it seems that coconut beers have been definitely out of this world. I definitely loved this one so much, I had to get several and I highly recommend you do the same and try the coconut deliciousness.

Anime Corner:
Sash Lilac from Freedom Planet and original character art by Tofu93 were chosen to be the dragons that go with this beer. As I mentioned before, the beer is a rarity like, like a white whale. Although, this one is a white dragon instead. So the under the sea part in the picture as Sash rises from the water represents that part. The other pics just complement as they are both dragons.

Sources:
http://img12.deviantart.net/6be7/i/2015/006/5/5/freedom_planet___lilac_vs_spade_by_banzatou-d8ctqec.png
http://img12.deviantart.net/018e/i/2016/051/a/d/sash_lilac_by_dansyron-d9shnt6.png
https://i.imgur.com/bRycwv9.png
http://orig05.deviantart.net/7b18/f/2014/219/a/e/fan_art_____sash_lilac_by_articaartes-d7u31gf.png
http://orig04.deviantart.net/1768/f/2014/207/c/8/rouken_ych_by_tofu93-d7se6ee.jpg

2016 Hoarders Cuvée by The Bruery

October 14, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, American Strong Ale, anniversary ale, Beer Hybrid, Black Tuesday, Bourbon Barrel Aged, cacao nibs, cuvee, Hoarders Cuvée, hoarders society, Imperial Stout, Melange, Old Ale, Raspberries, The Bruery, vanilla beans, Yoko, Yoko Littner, Yoko Ritona | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

2016 Hoarders Cuvée by The Bruery is an 18.5% ABV American Strong Ale/Old Ale/Cuvée hybrid aged in bourbon barrels, raspberries, vanilla beans and cacao nibs.

Label:
An invitation to join The Bruery Hoarders Society is the ultimate nod in how far you’ve come in your craft beer journey. Each year as a member, you get access to some of the most elusive and exclusive beers (such as this) and one-of-a-kind experiences, like going toe-to-toe with your peers in blending sessions exclusive to Hoarders.

This Cuvée is the icing on the cake – literally – as it took top honors in the Hoarders Cuvée blending tournament to be produced by The Bruery in 2016. Featuring a nearly equal blend of our most storied bourbon barrel-aged beers – Black Tuesday and our anniversary ale – with additions of raspberries, vanilla beans and cacao nibs, this beer was designed by Hoarders Society member, Paul Moore, and his teammate, Luis Barriga, to embody the ultimate cupcake. It’s the first fruited beer of its kind out of The Bruery, and a fitting release for the first installment in the newly minted Hoarders Cuvée series.

==Introduction==
Exclusively released to Hoarders Society only, unless you can trade for another Hoarders member or there is a special someone that is a huge fan of the site to donate! They basically made a special edition Mélange X (by X I mean some kind of number given to Mélange beers that mix Black Tuesday, Anniversary Ales and other ales or ingredients). I’ll be honest, there would be no way I could get my hands on this unless I buy it in the special online sites or trade. This website has slowly been grabbing a small trend of followers of which I especially admire. They were able to donate this one to me seeing as I love lots of the Bruery beers. As a Reserve member I can only bring so much to the table to help those that look for these beers. So they decided to make some kind of raspberry cupcake beer. It is very interesting as my last home brewing experiments with raspberries lead to a crazy fruity beer about “DRAGONS”. Interesting stuff for sure but this is the first time they release some Hoarders exclusive beer. Seems very special to and one I am happy to have you guys to thank, my readers and fans to provide this one to me. Let’s have a look! Cheers!

Aromas:
Super Rich Raspberry chocolate, cake, oak, bourbon, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, Banana Split Sundae, pecan pie, fruit cake, hazelnut nectar, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows, raspberry cheesecake, flan, crème brulee, dark fruit raisins, blackberries, currants, plums, blueberries, red velvet cake, berries and cream, raspberry indulgence candies, Danish cream, dark chocolate, cherry chocolate cordials and Chambord raspberry liqueur.

Flavors:
Super rich berries and cream, Raspberry indulgence candies, red velvet cake, strawberry short cake, raspberry chocolate cup cake, dark fruit raisins, blackberries, currants, plums, blueberries, dragon fruit, passion fruit, raspberry yogurt, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Baker’s chocolate, Belgian chocolate, rich Chambord raspberry liqueur, cake icing, raspberry cobbler, cherry cobbler, Danish cream cookies, dulce de leche caramel, marzipan, mazapan, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, banana split sundae, cherry cordials, flan, crème brulee, double chocolate raspberry cake, raspberry cheesecake, vanilla, marshmallows, oak, sweetened condensed milk, campfire smores, raspberry preserves on toasted rye bread, and almond joy ice cream.

Aftertaste:
Finishes in rich raspberry chocolate cake goodness, flan, crème brulee, raspberry sweetened condensed milk, Danish cream cookies, dark fruit, vanilla, cheesecake, raspberry preserves, dark cherry yogurt, fruit cake, bourbon, oak and dulce de leche caramel. Despite the 18.5% ABV, this ends with subtle to no alcohol in the taste. Crazy right? Begins Deep Dark full body but as you sip more of it, it starts to look more like a crimson deep dark body. Smooth, velvety, creamy, syrupy and chewy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
A bucket lister in its own damn right. Reminding me in some ways of my own creation, the Raging Passio-Lactus Raspear Dragons but basically missing the chocolate and vanilla and very important, the awesomeness of Black Tuesday and their Anniversary Old Ale. Essentially, my brew is still leagues away in complexity simply due to what I was going for. Nevertheless, the interesting combination of Raspberries, Chocolate and Vanilla are definitely something I plan to focus on. Essentially, this bucket lister gave me more ideas for another home brew. What can I say, when you home brew, you have a bit of knowledge which is power to make similar great beers. Even so, I still help local breweries to share info on them from the site. As far this raspberries chocovanille buttercup goes, I extremely recommend to those who definitely want to seek it. I have tried so many great beers and this is hugely, one of a kind!!!!

Anime Corner:
Yoko Littner from Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan was previously chosen when I did the review for Cacaonut. She was used in that special Bruery beer but sadly, the beer was short lived due to lactic infections in the beer. Since then I had not used her in another beer pairing. However, seeing as a beer that used raspberry and chocolate as well as vanilla in a Bruery beer, I had to bring her back. Especially since I had done an awesome review with her in my first Raspberry bourbon barrel-aged stout. Although that one did not have chocolate and vanilla and was more about the emphasis on tropical and exotic fruits. As I drank this though, some flavors of the beer did remind me of my home brew, so there was definitely a need to bring her back to the mix. Besides, for a special brew like this, I have to choose some of the best characters.

Aside from the colors of the ingredients like vanilla and raspberry which can be easily seen through her colors, the armored dark dragon knight armor she wears with her holding the fireball represents something important about the name “Hoarders”. Essentially, I think, which may not be true but, if you are a Hoarder (especially Hoarders Society) and feel really awesome about your status, you are represented by unlimited power as shown by Yoko. However, with great power comes great responsibility as Uncle Ben from Spiderman once said to Peter Parker. Essentially, enjoy that society has given you the ability to enjoy something that the few can only understand but do not forget where you came from. Absolute Power can corrupt Absolutely. Love your beer friends, share a beer or whatever you hoard. Let others know you can still be humble. Yoko despite her hardships still knew how to help others and was a selfless character, Hot anime girl appearances aside. Definitely check out Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan.

Sources:
http://i.imgur.com/x6kW2EV.jpg
https://brewerianimelogs.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/fdb44-digitalartbyyuewang23.jpg
http://move.loveisover.me/foolfuuka/boards/e/image/1437/49/1437496106755.png
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Zm7UfYc9NsE/VicaGg344cI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Z-xggTktIfQ/w800-h800/maid_ritona_render_by_ichigo_mazapan-d510np7.png
http://i.imgur.com/d5lIIqb.jpg
http://orig10.deviantart.net/650b/f/2012/323/3/a/yoko_littner_sexy_outfit_2_by_mactain-d5lh7wt.jpg

N10 Anniversary by Ninkasi brewing

October 6, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, American Imperial Stout, American Strong Ale, Ami Mizuno, Amy Mizuno, Barleywine, Critical Hit, cuvee, Imperial Maiden the Shade, Imperial Stout, Imperial Total Domination, india pale ale, IPA, Lita Makoto Kito, makoto, Mina Aino, Minako Aino, N10 Anniversary, Ninkasi, Ninkasi Brewing, Raye Hino, Rei Hino, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Sailor moon, Sailor Venus, Serena, Serina Usagi Tsukino | Leave a comment

Rating: 6.25/7

N10 Anniversary by Ninkasi brewing is a 10% ABV American Strong Barrel Aged Hybrid Cuvee / Blend Ale.

Label:
Please See Image Below

==Introduction==

It has been quite some time since I tried a Ninkasi brew. When I first heard that they wanted to release a beer that was essentially a Cuvee of other beers in their profile, I was all for it. I figure this would be a great opportunity to see how it compares to other great Cuvees like Firestone Walker’s Anniversary ales. Essentially, they do the same process, blending different beers to create a special hybrid of a brew that can exceed expectations. This one uses 2 IPAs 2 Stouts and a Barleywine. Almost reminds me of some of the Bruery Melange beers too. So for me, that is awesome enough to bring it to the website. Let’s take a look at this monstrosity of a beer, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit currants, raisins, prunes, blackberries, raspberries, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, German Chocolate, Chocolate milk shake, bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel, smokey campfire, marshmallow smores, chocolate mousse, bananas, clove spice, almonds, rocky road ice cream honey, rye bread, leather, tobacco, tropical fruit mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, strawberries, kiwis, papaya hints, guava, anise and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Belgian Chocolate, German Chocolate, Chocolate milk shake, bourbon, oak, vanilla, caramel, smokey campfire, marshmallow smores, chocolate mousse, cookies and cream, oatmeal cookies, citrus, grapefruit, herbal, super dank piney, grassy and earthy hops, dark fruit currants, raisins, prunes, blackberries, raspberries, mild toasted coconut, tropical fruit mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, strawberries, kiwis, papaya hints, guava, anise, molasses, rock candy, candy sugar, Stone fruit apricot, peaches, plums, red velvet cake, chocolate oranges, coffee cake, Irish cream, port wine, bananas, clove spice, almonds, rocky road ice cream honey, rye bread, leather and tobacco.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with lots of hoppy and malt forward flavors such as chocolate, caramel, earthy, citrus, dank grassy hops, dark fruit, tropical fruit, stone fruit, bourbon, marshmallows. Grapefruits, caramel and vanilla. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, Dark full body, creamy, silky crisp, refreshing and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Above exceptional! Granted, I do love certain versions of the FW beers, this one deserves to be up there as well. There was so much complexity in this one where you know it has stout and IPA characters blend so well. Some aspects remind me of the Jewbelation brews from Schmaltz brewing which uses several different types of malts and hops. It seems some American Strong beers do use that method but the blending of different beers is altogether very different and if you love American Strong ales, you will find the difference in this one. It’s awesome! I highly recommend it.

Anime Corner:
The 5 Sailor Scouts, Serena/Usagi Tsukino, Amy/Ami Mizuno, Raye/Rei Hino, Lita/Makoto Kito, Mina/Minako Aino from Sailor Moon were used in this pairing to go with the different colors of the ingredients, flavors holographic labels and the 5 beers that were used to blend this brew. Rei is the Stout, Mina is the Barrel Aged stout, Lita the Total Domination IPA, Amy the Maiden the Shade and Serena the Critical Hit. All the colors and complexity were what I was going for when I decided to go with team Sailor Moon.

Sources:
http://i.imgbox.com/FKN2Dzst.jpg
http://i99.beon.ru/static.zerochan.net/Bishoujo.Senshi.Sailor.Moon.full.1746357.jpg

Mélange 15 by The Bruery

October 5, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, American Strong Ale, Barleywine, Black Tuesday, Bourbon Barrel Aged, cacao nibs, Claire Farron, cuvee, FFXIII, Final Fantasy XIII, Imperial Stout, Lactose, Lightning, MASH, Mélange 15, Melange, pecan pie, The Bruery, vanilla beans, walnuts | Leave a comment

Rating: 7/7

Mélange 15 by The Bruery is is a 14.8% ABV American Strong Ale Cuvee blend of an Imperial Stout (Black Tuesday) Barleywine (Mash) and old ale (Anniversary Ale) brewed with lactose, vanilla beans, cacao nibs, walnuts and aged in Bourbon barrels.

Label:
Nuts & BBLS

We play with nuts and BBLs in this winning blend of barrel-aged beers. Designed to mimic the flavors of rocky road, this mélange took top place in our 2016 staff blending competition.

Our Mélange series is a playground for exploring flavors that cannot be achieved outside of the art of the blend or by any one beer. We had a particularly good time playing with nuts and BBLs in this winning blend of barrel-aged beers from our 2016 staff blending competition. Fueled by cheeseburgers and inspired by rocky road, we folded walnuts, cacao nibs from TCHO and vanilla into rich, bourbon barrel-aged barleywine and old ale to mimic the flavors of the rich, nutty dessert. Lactose was added to impart a marshmallow character and an extra creamy mouthfeel. We’re pretty nuts about it, and we think you will be too.

==Introduction==

Released to the public and all societies, this the first time since Mélange 3, that a Mélange series beer is released outside of the societies. What an awesome release at that. Knowing the Mélange series pretty well, they are some of the best beers the Bruery has ever released. With this one being liquid Rocky Road Ice Cream in a bottle, I can only say that this is going to be gold. How can I say that without trying it? Well, my track record for reviewing these Mélange beers has shown that they keep pushing the bar with every release and I can only push so far up the bucket list. Yes, indeed, even before I review this one, I can safely say, it is going to be a bucket lister. The best part, now the public can get their hands on as many bottles as they can. Let’s delve into this shall we? Cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Chocolate Milk Shake, German chocolate, Belgian chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker smores, toasted coconut, rich rocky road ice cream, rich walnuts, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, macadamia nuts, nutter butter cookies, rich nutella spread on toasted rye bread, prailine ice cream, dark fruit raisins, figs, dark cherries, currants, blackberries, figs, plums, mocha, coffee, Khalua liqueur, almond liquer, Chambord raspberry liqueur, bananas, clove spice, cookie dough ice cream, Tres Leches/3 Milks cream, sweetened condensed milk, Danish cream, flan, and crème brulee

Flavors:
Super rich rocky road ice cream, rich walnuts, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, macadamia nuts, nutter butter cookies, rich nutella spread on toasted rye bread, prailine ice cream, mocha, coffee, Khalua liqueur, almond liquer, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Chocolate Milk Shake, German chocolate, Belgian chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker smores, toasted coconut, cotton candy, almond joy ice cream, salted caramel, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, dark fruit raisins, figs, dark cherries, currants, blackberries, figs, plums, Tres Leches/3 Milks cream, sweetened condensed milk, Danish cream, flan, crème brulee, molasses, anise, grilled bananas, clove spice, cookie dough ice cream, rocky road cheesecake and Chambord raspberry liqueur.

Aftertaste:
Lots of Rich chococaramellow nuts and Nutella remain, walnuts, dark chocolate, marshmallows, dark fruits, Danish cream, flan, bananas, clove spice, smores and sweetened condensed milk over rocky road ice cream. No alcohol in the taste despite the high ABV. Dark Crimson medium to full body, smooth, creamy, chewy, syrupy and velvety mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Definitely without question, this is a major bucket lister. Since Mélange 12, I have not seen any other one top it and I honestly thing this one definitely tops that one even though the 12th was my favorite followed by the 3rd. This one just speak volumes and volumes. Like pieces of the best Black Tuesday variants like Chocolate Rain and Grey Monday are here. If you have a self-indulgence, guilty pleasure or a problem when it comes to something like Nutella or Rocky Road Ice Cream, this beer may be your devil’s water. But you know, you really have to take it all in sometimes and enjoy yourself once and awhile. Go get this bottle barrel aged and dessert beer lovers. Do it before it is gone!! You will not regret it!!!

Anime Corner:
Claire “Lightning” Farron from Final Fantasy XIII was used in this pairing to mainly go with the rich flavors of the beer although some of her colors do match with the colors of the beer. It has been a long time coming and I wanted to use Lightning in a Bruery beer but deciding which one was definitely the challenge. I wanted to choose a special occasion for a worthy beer pairing and now that I have seen what this is capable of, I set my eyes on her for this beer. A bad ass beer definitely deserves a bad ass character and art pairing.

Sources:
https://cdn.luscious.net/images/slywalker_96/457/lusciousnet_lusciousnet_1437152598845_1294766462.jpg
http://i99.beon.ru/s017.radikal.ru/i437/1507/fe/5fb4ecd4d9d3.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJ3_R8dUsAARpT1.jpg:large

The Dark Ages Barrel Series Imperial Stout by Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co.

October 5, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged aged in Bourbon Barrels, Barrel Series, Bourbon Barrel Aged, cognac, Cognac Barrels, Dark Saber, Fate Stay Night, Imperial Stout, Kentucky Bourbon, Saber, Saber Alter/Dark, Tahoe Mountain Brewing, The Dark Ages | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.75/6

The Dark Ages Barrel Series Imperial Stout by Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. is a 10% ABV Imperial stout aged in Kentucky Bourbon and Cognac Barrels.

Label:
Aging Imperial Stout in both Kentucky Bourbon and Cognac Barrels brings complex flavors and a rich oak character to this big beer made with a variety of roasted malts.

==Introduction==

This is first brew that I try brew from Tahoe Mountain brewing. I always feel that some time digging into the stronger beers from a brewery can say a lot about how complex and awesome a brewery can be. It may not say much about how great the brewery is, just how well they can make the type of beers that I like. This one was a very intriguing beer as it was aged in both Bourbon and Cognac. Essentially, a double barrel aged brew. Sometimes, double, triple or even quadruple barrel aging takes beers to whole new levels to where a beer has never been to before. This is a definite must for the site, let’s take a look, cheers!

Aromas:
German chocolate, Baker’s chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, tobacco, leather, dark candi sugar, dark fruit currants, prunes, raisins, dark cherries, currant yogurt, pomegranates, almond joy chocolate, anise, licorice, wine grapes, juniper berries, pecan pie, piloncillo sugar cone, marshmallows, chocolate smores, molasses, smokey oak, hazelnut nectar, sherry, raspberries, port wine notes, grilled plantains, bananas, clove spice, roasted coffee notes and mocha.

Flavors:
Rich Barrel Oak, bourbon, whiskey, cognac, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, dark fruit currants, prunes, raisins, dark cherries, grilled plantains, bananas, clove spice, roasted coffee notes, mocha, burnt marshmallows, chocolate smores, molasses, smokey oak, hazelnut nectar, sherry, raspberries, port wine notes, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, German chocolate, Baker’s chocolate, tobacco, leather, dark candi sugar, currant yogurt, pomegranates, almond joy chocolate, anise, licorice, wine grapes, juniper berries, pecan pie and piloncillo sugar cone.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with nice notes of oak, bourbon, oak dark chocolate, dark fruit, vanilla, roasted coffee, port wine and tobacco hints. No alcohol in the taste, pitch black dark full body, smooth, creamy and chewy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
An exceptional brew almost taking it to the level of exceptional perfection. The lower score has to do with a slight unbalance in the flavors but overall, the complexity is way above perfect. There is so much going on here and it is super solid. These dark age beers are definitely something to try out and definitely highly recommended.

Anime Corner:
Dark Saber from Fate Stay Night was used in this beer to go with the dark ages aspect as well as dark knight armor and helmet as shown in the label. The colors she represents are just some of the complex color and flavor pairings of the beer.

Sources:
http://niji-moe.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/fate-saber-01-16.jpg

Blackwater Series Choklat Oranj by Sourthern Tier

October 4, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged American Imperial Stout, blackwater series, Bleach, Chocolate, choklat, Choklat Oranj, Imperial Stout, natural flavors, orange peel, Southern Tier, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Blackwater Series Choklat Oranj by Southern Tier is a 10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Chocolate, Orange Peel and Natural Flavor.

Label:
Color: BLACK Body: HEAVY. Bitterness: MODERATE. Pair: roasted or smoked foods, chocolate desserts. Store: Dark upright, <48°F | Serve: Snifter

The Blackwater Series first made waves when we introduced Choklat in 2007. Through experimentation and willingness to venture into the unknown, our quest to brew the perfect stout has continued ever since.

Our love for dessert-like beers has led us down interesting paths – from the classic fusion of coffee and chocolate in Mokah to the rich vanilla and lactose sugar Creme Brulee – and now here to Choklat Oranj.

ORANGE YOU GLAD?

The flavors of oranges and chocolate have been a sweet treat for millenia, it’s fitting that these kindred spirits should meet in this way.

Enjoy Choklat Oranj in a snifter on its own, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a float. Cheers!

25° plato; 2-row malt; caramel malt; debittered blackmalt; chocolate malt; orange peels; bittersweet Belgian Chocolate; columbus hops; natural flavor.
42° F

==Introduction==

Just when I finished with a Southern Tier Blackwater series beer, Salted Caramel, I was graced with this one. Chokolat Oranj? Like Chocolate and Orange beer? There have been plenty of chocolate orange sweets I have tried before but an actual chocolate orange beer, I think I have not. This is a great idea for a beer and as always, the Blackwater series being more desserts than beer, it surely is great. Let’s take a look and see if this one can hold its own, Cheers!

Aromas:
Citrus, Tangerine preserves, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate milk shake, orange chocolate shake, cocoa powder, cinnamon, coriander spice, peppercorn spice, mocha, coffee cake, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, flan, Fruity Pebbles note, creamsikle, Rocky road ice cream, Jericalla Mexican Custard, sweetened condensed milk, tapioca pudding, anise, molasses, Baileys Chocolate and Orange Irish Cream.

Flavors:
Super Rich Chocolate covered orange dessert, Fruity Pebbles, creamsikle, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel, flan, Citrus, Tangerine preserves, rye bread, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate milk shake, orange chocolate shake, cocoa powder, cinnamon, coriander spice, peppercorn spice, mocha, coffee cake, Danish cream, orange tang, chocolate mango, marshmallows, chocolate smores, graham crackers, earthy hops, Rocky road ice cream, Jericalla Mexican Custard, sweetened condensed milk, tapioca pudding, anise, molasses, Baileys Chocolate and Orange Irish Cream, Danish cream pastries, hazelnuts, peach cobbler and Tres Leches/3 Milks cake.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with lots or orange citrus, dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, marshmallow smores, hazelnut nectar and earthy hop notes. No alcohol in the taste, super dark pitch black body, smooth, creamy, velvety and syrupy mouthfeel with a moderate to sipping drinkability.

Overall:
Another awesome exceptional and supremely delicious beer. Like those Chocolate Orange balls, this is that special dessert but in liquid form. Sometimes I wish Southern Tier had released some stuff out here in the West Coast. Although I have seen a few of their beers like Crème Brulee and Mokah in one specialty store, I would like to see more in many stores. These beers are like what Belching Beaver and Brew Rebellion is to us here in the west. There is a world of flavor fusions that they can come up with. I highly recommend this one.

Anime Corner:
Yoruichi Shihouin from Bleach was chosen in this pairing because she is one of my favorite anime characters but I also chose her mainly to pair with the label and ingredient colors of the beer. In which case, the orange and black it well with her attire and the chocolate dark fruit aspects as well. Her unleashing using her God of Thunder II version is how I felt that this beer experience was. This beer unleashed so much awesome stuff. I also like how in one of the pics, the God of Thunder lightning is orange like the oranges used in the beer as well.

Sources:
http://img01.deviantart.net/0a39/i/2015/059/6/3/bleach_fan_art____yoruichi_shihoin_by_djinay-d8jw01y.jpg
http://rocky-ace.deviantart.com/art/Yoruichi-Shihouin-615735590?q=gallery%3ARocky-Ace%2F26324613&qo=7
http://img12.deviantart.net/7e0a/i/2016/043/2/4/shihoin_yoruichi_by_guilhermessj-d9rhb4u.png
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Yoruichi-429536105
http://charaero.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/shihouin_yoruichi-bleach-004.jpg
http://img08.deviantart.net/1daa/i/2016/055/1/3/bleach_663___shunryuu_kokubyou_senki_yoruichi_by_arteemis-d9sz5cp.png

Blackwater series Salted Caramel by Southern Tier

October 4, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged blackwater series, Caramelized Sugar, Ghost Sweeper, GS Mikami, Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Imperial Stout, Mikami, natural flavors, Reiko Mikami, Salted Caramel, Souther Tier | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/6

Blackwater series Salted Caramel by Southern Tier is a10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Caramelized Sugar & Natural flavor.

Label:
Color: BLACK Body: MEDIUM. Bitterness: MEDIUM. Pair: roasted or smoked foods, chocolate desserts. Store: Dark upright, <48°F | Serve: Snifter

Salt has long been an important part of civilization. Although it is now a ubiquitous household mineral, it has not always been easy to find. Salt was once so valuable that Roman legions were sometimes paid with it.

WORTH OUR SALT

Rich, dark malts are combined with caramelized sugar and Himalayan pink sea salt to make Salted Caramel a perfect combination of sweet and salty. It’s a delicious dessert beer and 10% ABV put it squarely into Blackwater Imperial Stout Series. How does all of this measure up? Definitely worth its salt.

25° plato; 2-row malt; caramel malt; barley flakes; chocolate malt; Himalayan pink sea salt; caramelized sugar; natural flavor.
42° F
==Introduction==

It has been a long time since I tried the Blackwater series of beers from Southern Tier. I have tried the majority of them including the Chocklat, Pumpking as well Mokah, Crème Brulee and Warlock. Thanks to my friend Aaron from BeerMetalDude.com for some of those that I got to try. This beer should be no different other than awesome, or at least that is what I can assume. The choice to go with Salted Caramel is quite unique. There a few brews that have taken this approach and those were very good. The fact that Southern Tier took it upon themselves to create this style, they will surely be better than what I have had before. Let’s see if this is true, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark Chocolate, Milk chocolate, Toffee, Butterscotch, pecan pie, Rich vanilla, crème brulee, Tres Leches/3 Milks cake, coffee cake, toasted cashews, peanut butter, piloncillo sugar cone, Danish cream pastries, Chocolate caramelized Turtle Truffles, Baileys Irish cream, Dulce de leche caramel, Rich flan, salt, earthy hop notes, dark fruit raisins, currants, dark cherries, blackberries, raspberries, walnuts, hazelnuts, rocky road ice cream, maple syrup, marshmallows, Irish cream, mocha, chocolate pudding and Jericalla Mexican Custard.

Flavors:
Dulce de leche caramel, Rich flan, salt, earthy hop notes, Dark Chocolate, Milk chocolate, Toffee, Butterscotch, pecan pie, Rich vanilla, crème brulee, dark fruit raisins, currants, dark cherries, blackberries, raspberries, walnuts, hazelnuts, rocky road ice cream, maple syrup, marshmallows, Irish cream, mocha, chocolate pudding, Jericalla Mexican Custard, sweetened condensed milk, tapioca pudding, anise, molasses, bourbon hints, rum hints, Chocolate milk shake, chocolate mousse, Burnt Caramel, Tres Leches/3 Milks cake, coffee cake, toasted cashews, peanut butter, piloncillo sugar cone, Chocolate caramelized Turtle Truffles, Baileys Irish cream and Danish cream pastries.

Aftertaste:
Rich vanilla, flan, dulce de leche caramel, salted after taste, dark chocolate, hazelnut nectar, pecan pie, burnt sugars and earthy hints. No alcohol in the taste, Pitch Black sludgy full body even light barely penetrates, syrupy chewey and creamy mouth feel, and moderate drinkability despite the ABV.

Overall:
An exceptional brew! Just like the other Blackwater brews in the series. They seem to be able to bring flavors forward for the type of idea they are going for. Due to this, I have yet to have a brew that was not very delicious or exceptional. This is one definitely had the caramel salted ice cream flavors forward along with lots of other chocolate dark fruit complexities making it closer to a nutty pie. The point is, pure dessert in a bottle and if you have tried any of the previous beers in the series, you will love this one. Highly recommended!

Anime Corner:
Reiko Mikami from Ghost Sweeper (GS) Mikami was chosen in this pairing to go with the amber color of caramel. Her colors resonate with that of caramel and dark fruits just like the beer. Her love for money is not synonymous with duty but that and her attitude toward Yokoshima, her partner, is one that is salty. Especially since Yokoshima is a pervert. The thing that works for her with this beer is slightly umami. The sweet, salty and bitter combination of the beer is the key here. The combination of those taste experiences creates something out of nothing. Like the ghosts that she destroys. Definitely a pleasurable experience that she makes much better in this pairing.

Sources:
http://lohas.nicoseiga.jp/thumb/756281i?
http://76.72.168.19/images/2013-11-28-620117.jpeg
http://cdn.9cloud.us/images/30/look_back___1_1952703634.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/P0orrx3.jpg