Big Shot Seasonal Ale

Thanks to the Smith twins for bringing over a bottle of this a couple months ago. I invited them over recently so we could all taste it together. Enjoyed alongside Angry Cedar's Chocolate porter, and several others. I found it difficult to get in a lengthy review when company is over.

Appearance: Dark red amber color with a high accumulation of bubbles on the side of the glass. Head is off white and cream color. Pretty well retained. Lacing cascades down the walls of the glass. partial color inhibitory haze, but generally quite clear
Aroma: Sweet and full of a malt based scent. Very rich. Caramel malts run rampant through the smell. Nutty and briefly roasted. In combination, it all comes down to a toasted scent.
Taste: Floral  bight and very nutty, especially in the finish. The sweetness borders alongside brown sugar, but complimented with a caramel malt bill and a rich toasted malt finish. The end is a lot more bitter than other beers I've had, but this still boasts a nice malt bill to balance it out. I don't get any spices in this beer, which actually makes me appreciate it even more, since its emphasis lies primarily on the malt base.
Mouthfeel: Bigger bodied, and definitely smooth. Both refreshing and heavy. Large hop finish helps round out this beer. The mouthfeel is creamy and rich with a velvety texture. Carbonation really helps push the flavors into a maximal complexity
Overall Impression: I liked the richness of the malt, backed up by a brief bitterness and an alcohol to balance. Rich, smooth and creamy. My definition of a winter warmer!

Kidd Black Lager

Tasted following a 5 mile tempo run at 5:40/mile through Davenport. It was rainy and cold.

Appearance: Clear brown pour with a foamy 1 finger head. The tan head was quick to dissipate into a film with a soapy bubbly consistency at point. Black in color with zero transparency. Some carbonation visible on the sides as it accumulates upon the side of the glass. To the light it administers a reddened hue with a clarity about it.
Aroma: Toasty and clean with a mild nuttiness and licorice undertone. Some chocolate sweetness and a drying lager element. Some roasted barley makes its way to the nostrils to round out the scent.
Taste: A strong coffee and roasted appeal to this beer. It is clean and crisps with some chocolate sweetness at the forefront. Mid taste draws some toasted elements which quickly transition into a burnt but hoppy bitterness that further complements the beers overall flavor profile. Some woodiness and herbal earthy character as well. The aftertaste is somewhat drawn out with the impurities of molasses to taste as well as some roasted burnt flavors and nut shell tannins. Nevertheless it nicely integrates a wealth of complexity to the palate with a bittersweet flavor.
Mouthfeel: A very lean feel with a sparkly and bubbly body as the carbonation repels the liquid causing a spike to the roof of the mouth as it exits down the throat. The beer leaves a glossy and sticky feeling to finish with a remaining roasted character
Overall Impression: I think of this beer as an entry level stout. It maintains the body of one that is easy drinking but successfully integrates the beginning potential of a mid-line stout. It has a fresh and highly drinkable profile with the irony between bold and light lager.


85/100

Retro Red

Thank's to Logan Beausoleil for picking this up and allowing me to taste it while we hung out at his cousins house in Glenview. Tasted during an evening following an easy practice midweek while studying for parasitology and of course, logging this beer.

Appearance: Almost no head aside from a sticky residue of bubbles floating on the surface and making a coated white ring on the glass. The beer is brown with a dark reddish hue. Still some amount of clarity is there, but also a paralleled haze. Not much movement by way of carbonation going on in this one.

Aroma: Dark and almost maple syrupy in aroma. Caramel and toasted malts accomplany, along with a brown sugared character. Maybe some chocolate.
Taste: A lot smoother in taste than I expected, and less of a bite at the end. I see this beer emphasizes sweetness as opposed to hopping. The adjuncts and other malt bases create a nutty flavored red ale with strong elements of maple and chocolate contributing to the sweetness in the foretaste. Definitely falls on a heavy toasted malt profile than other red ales. The hops aren't used too well in this beer, as I sense some really grassy flavors in the dried aftertaste. Furthering the initial sweetness, it is choked full of raisins dates, plum skins and figs, while mixing with the toasted malt creating a totally unique beer.
Mouthfeel: Thick chewy body with minimized carbonation. The texture is full and even a bit tacky. I do find minimal fizzed spikes mostly on the tip of the tongue. Crisp finish for such a full body

Overall Impression: An interesting red ale with a unique graininess and sweetness uncommon to many. I find myself perplexed though by the complexity and all the different flavors JUST in the malt sweetness. Little is left to the final hops aside from the slight grass aftertaste. 


81/100

Chocolate Stout

Tasted following a 9 x 400m workout. Accompanied with lunch consisting of a vegetable curry sautee with truffle salt and garlic. Served in a wine glass at room temperature.

Appearance: Black with brown around the edges. A light fluffy mousy tan head that looks unstable but actually is impeccably well sustained. Even by the end, the beer still has a film that even a lot of beers have difficulty starting with.

Aroma: Roasted nuttiness with mild coffee undertones that take a minimal character in the overall smell. The malt is representative of some toasted barley and caramel. Maybe some dark fruitiness.

Taste: The coffee bitterness really comes through especially with the burnt finish. Perhaps it exhibits an extra dark chocolate but I think it is more of a burnt coffee bean flavor. Sweet foretaste but that is quickly extinguished after the carbonated fizz hits the mid tongue leaving only a sharp dry bitterness. This is more of a dry stout.
Mouthfeel: Soft silky mouthfeel with a lighter body. The carbonation is high, but still soft as well but induces the roasted malt flavors at the finish.
Overall Impression: I think ultimately the chocolate was lacking in this beer. I would have expected more of a sweeter flavor and more toastiness, but instead I got roasted coffee and very bittersweet chocolate. I'll try it cold next time and see how the flavor is altered.


80/100