Revolution Deth's Tar 2017

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL
Purcased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2017
Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout, 14.8%
Reported IBUs: 27

Revolution Deth's Tar 2017

In keeping with my plan to review Revolution's 2017/2018 lineup of barrel-aged beers, I'm looking at the 2017 vintage of Deth's Tar. Deth's Tar is Revolution's barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout, and the base for their Deth by Cherries, Cafe Deth, VSOD, Double Barrel VSOD, and a handful of variants that were tap-only.

I actually reviewed this beer back in 2013, and I remember it being pretty bourbon-y. To wit: "Honestly, there's a lot of complexity lurking beneath the bourbon, despite the fact that this is so aggressively bourbon-y." 

The 2018 vintage pours into your typical pitch-black body, and kicks up a finger of short-lived, brown head. I'm going to recommend drinking this towards room temp. At colder temperatures I pick up more fruity notes on the aroma, and it almost veers into anise and licorice overload. Oddly enough, when this warms up the aroma turns into boozy brownie batter, raisins, barrel, and dark fruits. At the very least, if you decide to take this beer on at colder temps, let it warm up as you go.

The taste follows through, with intense barrel, wood, fudge, and dark fruits and light raisin/oxidation on the back. There is a surprising amount of anise and hop complexity present in this beer. It's interesting to compare regular Deth's Tar to VSOD and Double Barrel VSOD...you can really see how the additional barrel aging has changed the base beer. And conversely, you can see how the 2017 vintage of Deth's Tar has a HUGE base. I'm tasting a fair amount of char in here as well, which really plays off the barrel and bourbon and compliments the anise and bold roasty malts. This is just a HUGE intense beer, and it feels substantial outside of just the ABV.

For me, this beer is a grower and not a shower. There's a lot of nuance in here, and I think this is a pretty complex brew. As this sits in my glass the oatmeal stout base comes out a bit more, and I'm getting some of that roast and caramel malt presence. At 14.8% you are talking about a lot of spirit and alcohol. And this has a medium-full to full-bodied mouthfeel. The duration is moderate to full with good palate depth and good complexity. Again, up front I'm getting a lot of fruity notes like cherry with a blend of chocolate and brownie. The mids roll into char and barrel with some bourbon, more raisins, anise, light baker's spice. The back end finishes dry with alcohol, spirit, rum, and more roast/char/barrel. It's also worth emphasizing that this year's Deth's Tar is slightly thicker and bigger than past years, which is ultimately a good thing.

Rating: LIGHT Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is an impressively solid Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, and reminds me of stalwarts like Bell's Black Note and Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin. This might be the least interesting beer of Revolution's 2017/2018 barrel lineup, but it is still a massive, complex, thoroughly enjoyable beer. And while this beer isn't quite a Bourbon County killer, it's still entirely nuanced and original and worth its own merits. Also, there is some reckoning. Namely in the form of VSOD and DBVSOD.

Random Thought: Things I won't be watching this weekend: the Pro Bowl.

Revolution Straight Jacket 2018

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Revolution Brewing Tap Room in Chicago, IL; 2018

Style/ABV: American Barrel-Aged Barleywine, 13.1%

Reported IBUs: 55

Let the record show I was #BIL before #BIL was cool. Actually, a lot has changed since 2013 -- both in terms of my own craft beer development and with craft beer itself. Specifically, Revolution has REALLY stepped up their barrel game. 2017/2018 is the year that Revolution might have dropped enough killer beers to surpass Goose Island's barrel program. Straight Jacket stands toe-to-toe with Goose Island's BCBS Barleywine, and probably surpasses it. And we won't even get to V.S.O.D. or the Double Barrel V.S.O.D. tonight. Anyway....

Revolution Straight Jacket 2018

This year's Straight Jacket is apparently a blend of Straight Jacket and 30%[??? -- don't quote me on this] VSOJ. VSOJ aka Very Special Old Jacket is aged for two years in Heaven Hill and Old Forrester barrels. It's also sweeter than Straight Jacket, and features more candy malts.

And speaking of candy malts, that's the basis of the 2018 Straight Jacket aroma. The aroma is rich caramel candy malts, brown sugar, candied oranges, bourbon, raisins, molasses, and vanilla.

The taste is an absurd fusion of cherry-cola-caramel, molasses, complex caramel malts, dark fruits, sweetness, barrels, booze, and raisins. Vanilla shows up with hints of bourbon, coconut, and macaroons. 

This beer is LAYERED and COMPLEX. And man, the palate depth and duration are off the charts. Especially once you get a few sips in and the alcohol starts to work its boozy seduction on you. This is full-bodied and T H I C C, and unloads with waves of cherry-cola and candy malts; the mids dip into raisins and bourbon and molasses; the back end is boozy with coconut and macaroon.

Rating: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

Based on the line for this beer at Revolution, this is all hype. But this is seriously some of the best stuff coming out of Chicago -- and frankly, the craft beer scene -- right now. And it is in a fucking can. Come ON! 

Random Thought: I'm going to do my best to drop reviews for the entire 2017/2018 Revolution can lineup (Ryeway, Deth by Cherries, Cafe Deth, VSOD, DBVSOD, Mineshift Gap, Deth's Tar). But seeing as how I am a lazy ass these days, it may not happen. So who knows. What I will say though is VSOD and DBVSOD are fantastic. And DBVSOD is still selling/trading LOW. That beer is up there with Rare and Reserve and again...is in a fucking can. It's the type of madness I can get behind, and you should too. Because at some point people are going to realize that DBVSOD is the business.

Saugatuck Brewing Company Neapolitan Milk Stout

Saugatuck Brewing Company Neapolitan Milk Stout

Brewed By: Saugatuck Brewing Co. in Douglas, Michigan

Purchased: 12oz bottle won at World of Beer in; 2017

Style/ABV: Milk Stout, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: 37

Saugatuck Brewing Company's Neapolitan Milk Stout seems like it was at the forefront of an interesting, novel stout-flavor profile. And I remember when the beer first came out people were raving about how good it is. Now there are a myriad of breweries rolling out similar flavored stouts that are more amped up, fuller, and developed. That puts Saugatuck in a bind, because I think they make really solid stouts in that ~5-6% ABV range. This beer has fallen off hard, like Not Your Father's Rootbeer.

Having said all that, this is an inexpensive, easy-going beer. The aroma is a little too fruity, and leans towards the artificial Hershey's strawberry with hints of Hershey's chocolate, freezer burnt Eddy's Neapolitan ice cream, and jelly.

The taste mirrors the aroma with sweet cocoa-malts and Hershey's strawberries taking the lead. Vanilla is a subtle flavor profile, along with some caramel sugars, hints of roast/ash, and some coffee. There's some lactose and sweetness. 6% isn't bringing down the house, and this has that appropriate Dry Stout/Milk Stout body that isn't quite up to the thickness or richness of many more "modern" American stouts.

Rating: LIGHT Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This isn't terribly complex, and the palate depth leaves a lot to be desired. But the beer has that Eddy's ice cream aroma, and the flavors you get are consistent with what is being advertised. This is a solid pick-up, still, and compared to Dot.RARWHALEZ like Henna is pretty attainable. This is also cheap and available enough to be a legit pairing for food things, which makes it the ideal restaurant/foodie type beer.  

Random Thought: World of Beer seems hit and miss but my local chain does some decent stuff. 

Epic Brewing Company Baptist Roundup

2017 was the year of the pastry stout™ and the hazy non-IPA IPA. Beer bros lined up for hops, cakes were put in stouts. Epic Brewing Company contributed to the pastry stout madness with their Baptist lineup. These beers are relatively easy to acquire, don't cost much, and are delicious. If you are looking for some world class brews and you don't want to stand in line, may I recommend the Baptist lineup?

Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout

Big Bad Baptist

First released in 2011, Big Bad Baptist is old news. The beer is brewed with coffee and cocoa nibs, features old school hops like Nugget, Chinook, and Cascade, and has a malt base of Maris Otter Malt, 2-row, Crystal, Light Munich, Chocolate, Black, and roasted malts. Many people call this beer a "KBS" killer, and that description could not be more apt.

With a medium mouthfeel, Big Bad Baptist leans towards the whiskey and barrel. The beer has been worn in from the barrel, and you pick up a lot of the spirit, some alcohol, and fruity notes. The coffee that is added to the beer is fruity and pulls the whiskey tones. Chocolate shows up as a nuanced character and is just part of the fun. 

Ultimately, this is a well-rounded sipping beer. KBS is a great comp, but this is easier to find and probably cheaper per ounce.

Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd) 

Big Bad Baptista      

First released sometime in 2016, Big Bad Baptista falls in the category of 'Mexican chocolate' stouts a la your Mexican Cake, End of Days, Abraxas, Hunahpu's, Imperial Blud, etc. 

Big Bad Baptista

Brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, Mexican coffee, and cacao nibs, the beer is hopped again with old school Nugget, Chinook, and Cascade hops, and features "ultra premium" Maris Otter, 2-row, crystal, Munich, chocolate, black, and roasted malts.

Big Bad Baptista is a STOUT KILLER. This beer is fucking insane, and gives Abraxas, Imperial Blud, Hooneypuss, and Westbrook a real run for their money. That is double so when you consider the price.

This is full-bodied, brownie batter thick, and the beer feels like you are standing in front of Peter Northó taking eight hot churro ropes on your tongue. This drops assertive Mexican chocolate, churros, cinnamon hot chocolate, and vanilla. The barrel takes a back seat to all the adjuncts, but the integration of adjuncts on top of the strong base beer with the barrel harmonizes into perfect sweetness, density, and intensity. This is a smooth beer, and everything is on point. The only thing missing here are the hot peppers, but the beer draws spice from the addition of cinnamon and the Mexican coffee. It's not hot but there is some spice. 

Someone IV this straight to my anus. 

Rating: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd) 

Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist

First released in 2017, the Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist is by far the most complex and involved of these brews. Featuring 'Barrel-Aged Coffee,' 'Barrel-Aged Coconut,' and cacao nibs, this beer features the same lineup of hops as the previous two beers, and the same lineup of malts. 

Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist

This beer falls somewhere between the Big Bad Baptist and the Baptista in terms of mouthfeel. This is a medium-full beer, and it is very thick and smooth, but it also feels worn in from the barrel and has a ton of barrel character. Some of that barrel character has to be coming from the barrel-aged coffee and barrel-aged coconut, but there is also a healthy amount of rum and whiskey in here. 

Yeah, this beer is aged in both rum and whiskey barrels (or, more likely, is a blend of the base from both barrels). 

This is just an insanely balanced and complex beer. I spend a lot of time talking about the progression of the palate in my reviews, and this is an example of beer that unfolds in multiple waves. First, the beer drops nutty coffee, then you get hit with coconut/mounds bars, and finally you are blasted with a wave of booze/rum/barrel/whiskey. The beer has an oily choco-coconut mouthfeel. This beer is like jumping in and getting out of a swimming pool -- it clings to your tongue for several minutes, and fills youth mouth with lots of chocolate, coconut, and coffee. The beer itself is incredibly sweet from the spirit, adjuncts, and base beer's residual sugars, and yet the beer itself is quite dry thanks to the high alcohol content. The balance just works. 

This is by far the most layered and complex of Epic's lineup, and something I would recommend drinking sooner than later. Really impressive stuff.
 
Rating: Light Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd) 

Random Thought:

Pastry Boi, Pastry Boi
Really
All about that pastry, boy
Pastry
Got a team to serve it
Pastry
All from Cali to Decatur, boy
Stack it
That pastry, boy, pastry, boy
All about that pastry, boy
Yeah!
I keep a ting
Uh, yeah!

Pastry Boi, Pastry Boi
Always 'bout that pastry, boy
If you ain't on your grind
And you flexin', you's a hater, boy
Pastry Boi, Pastry Boi
Always gettin' pasty, boy
If you ain't makin' money
Then you ain't a money maker, boy
Insulin, insulin
Yeah I need some insulin
I'm stackin' up this pastry, man
And I could make that sugar flip
That pastry flip, pastry flip
Watch me make this pastry flip
Then head to Cigar City
And I bet that pastry make her strip
Pastry man, pastry man
Catch me in the bakery, man
Like Wall Street Journal, yeah
'Cause I be gettin' pastry, man
Pastry man, paper man
Yeah I'm gettin' pastry, man...