Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Oil of Aphrodite

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

It's cold out, and it is snowing. AKA, the perfect night to crack into a big Imperial Stout. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:

Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The bottle for the Oil of Aphrodite reads: "Oil of Aphrodite is an American double stout brewed with locally harvested black walnuts and Belgian candied syrup. English, German, American and Belgian malts are accompanied by pacific northwest hops, creating a sweet and rich springboard for deep nuttiness. Share with friends and loved ones. " 

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Oil of Aphrodite

This pours into your typical Stout body: opaque black, dark mocha brown head. The head that this kicks up is impressive, and there is good retention and lacing.

This has a fantastic aroma, with notes of dark caramel sugars, Belgian candy sugar, hardened sugar candies, molasses, raisins, fruit cake, banana bread, and a Christmas bake shop. There are hints of nuttiness on the aroma, and when you really get your nose into the beer to give it a smell, you pick up some coffee, roast, and hints of chocolate. There is an ashy thickness about this beer, and it reminds me a bit of Evil Twin's Even More Jesus. 

Wow, this is an interesting beer. First off, this is a sweet beer. There's a lot of sugar in here, from the intense and large Stout base, to the sticky citrusy hops, to the big Belgian candy sugar notes. This gets a lot better as it warms up, dropping molasses, sweet citrus, rich chocolate, some coffee/ash/roast, and tons of nuttiness on the back end. This really ratchets up the walnut/nut thing in the rear. 

This is a thick, sweet, sipping beer. My kind of beer. It is full-bodied, with good carbonation, good palate depth and duration, and medium complexity. At 10.0%, I'm not getting a ton of alcohol. What I am getting, however, are a fair amount of pungent and strong hops. This drops Belgian candy sugars, molasses, and some chocolate/coffee up front; that rolls into intense sweetness, with nuttiness, huge hops, citrus; the back end finishes with nuttiness, lingering hops, big walnuts, molasses, some earthy ash, and a sticky sweet finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this beer. This is big and bold, but it's a bit sweet and unbalanced. Maybe that is the goal. I feel like the candy sugar could add a bit more nuance, I don't know. Maybe that's just me. As I sip on this even longer, I'm starting to get some dark fruits: cherries, plums, Quad-like notes. It's all really nice, but I think if they threw this in a barrel it would go over the top. Food pairings: ice cream and dry cakes. 

Random Thought: Woah a twofer. Yup.

Goose Island The Muddy Imperial Stout

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled on 28AUG14 aka 8/28/14)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 9.0% 

Reported IBUs: 32

I'm really happy to take a break to review a beer...I've been busy. This should be a good one though. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The Muddy is a brand new beer that Goose Island just rolled out. The bottle reads: "Amplified sweetness with licorice notes." This one is part of Goose Island's classic ales imperial series, and will be made nationally available in September. This one is brewed with molasses, brewer's licorice, and Belgian dark rock candi sugar, for that intense diabeetus sweetness inspired by dead Chicago blues artists. The hops include Nugget, Mt. Hood, and EKG; malts include 2-Row, C-40, C-120, Dark Chocolate, and Midnight Wheat.

Goose Island The Muddy Imperial Stout

I realize in advance that Bourbon County and Bourbon County's base beer is the beer that everyone is going to hold The Muddy to. I think that is fair to some extent. I think it is also worth pointing out that Goose Island's other Stouts -- namely Big John and Night Stalker -- aren't even in the same country that houses the realm that Bourbon County resides in. Having said that, The Muddy pours out into a respectable dark brown body. This isn't an opaque, black affair. The beer does yield two fingers of lightly tan-brown head, and there is good retention, lacing, and alcohol legs. It doesn't matter though, because unlike online dating, looks really don't matter.

On the aroma: things that smell like stuff. This is actually surprisingly complex. Actually, it's not surprising because look at that grocery list of ingredients. I'm getting a lot of meaty roast, chocolate, and dark Belgian candy sugars on the nose. The candy sugar sort of melds into melted Hershey bars...yeah it is that kind of sweet affair. There is some cocoa and cream in here, and maybe a little faint anise. Swirling the beer also reveals some hints of dark fruits, namely raisins. This smells incredibly sweet, but there is good depth of aroma. 

At cooler temps, this dials up big roast, iced coffee, and anise/candy sugar. The candy sugar is probably what is adding the raisins, dark fruits, and honest-to-Sagan, grape drink notes. It has a Kahlua character that I can't shake, and I really want to add some vodka and cream to this for that authentic White Russian experience. I'm going to shower so I'll come back in 20 minutes and hopefully this will have warmed up. Alright...I'm back. This actually does unravel some nuances as it warms. I'm getting less fruity candy sugar and more toffee, burnt sugars, caramel, and some alcohol to boot. The molasses really start to come out, and the whole thing is backed by this ghostly melted Hershey bar note. It's incredibly sweet, but to Goose Island's credit, it is also incredibly layered and complex.

Like I said, this is aggressively sweet...and with this style, that's OKAY. This is full-bodied and dense with lazy carbonation and big sweetness...it feels a bit boozy. Honestly, it feels just right at 9.0%. Palate depth is on the thinner and lighter side for the style, but the complexity is really dialed up. All this beer is missing is a barrel. Not even a spirit barrel...just a barrel. I think aging this beer in a barrel would add that extra layer of flavor that would really push it into that divine territory of brews. Up front: dark fruits, raisins, sweet molasses, anise; the mids roll into big Kahlua, iced coffee, toffee, and alcohol; the back end features lingering anise/fruits, with melted Hershey bars sweetness, and some booze. The finish is quite sweet and sticky.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. I think this is a very good, complex beer...that is maybe too sweet. But this is also a 9.0% Imperial Stout, so being too sweet isn't exactly a problem. I think the beer could maybe be a little bigger, but I dunno. It's still a fantastic Imperial Stout, and I'm excited to buy more of this on the regular and to age for a bit. I hope they take my advice and throw some of this in a barrel. Food pairings here: chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

Random Thought: I have a handful of beers I need to review, so hopefully I can power through a few within the next two days.

Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale (2013)

Brewed By: Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado  

Purchased: Single 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 18.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Ahhh...Avery. What to say about these guys. Avery is a brewery that was founded in September 1993 by homebrewer Adam Avery. You've heard this story before: homebrewer makes awesome beer, homebrewer jumps into the booming craft beer scene with great beer. Between 1993 and now, Avery has expanded numerous times, including bigger tanks in 1995 and in 1997. In 2000, the brewery replaced their brewhouse, and in 2002 more tanks were added, and 2004 marked the second year of Avery's barrel program. Since then, it's been all uphill with more expansion, canned beer, and continued success. To read more, check out Avery's website.

The Beast Grand Cru is part of Avery's The Demons of Ale series, and is one big beer. Dubbed a "Grand Cru," this beer features a grocery list of ingredients. The hop list includes Magnum, Galena, Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, and Hersbrucker hops. The malt bill is two-row malted barley, honey malt, and imported Belgian specialty grains (aromatic, pale wheat, roasted wheat, and Special B). In addition to all that, the beer also features Dates, Molasses, Dark Belgian Candy Sugar, Alfalfa Honey, Raisins, Turbinado sugar, and sweet, sweet Rocky Mountain water. This year's release punches in at an insane 18.0% and should age beautifully. 

Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale (2013)

The beer pours a dark reddish color...talk about carnage in a glass...and kicks up two fingers of tan, Belgian-esque head. This beer is seriously carbonated, and head retention (about a pinky, at the moment) is good for a beer punching in at 18.0%. In bright light, the beer takes on a reddish-orange color, and the head is soaking up some amber tones. This beer is super effervescent at the moment, with tons of carbonation rising upwards in various streams.

The aroma on this reminds me of Dogfish Head's Fort and 120 Minute IPA. There's a ton of fruity, boozy complexity on the aroma. I'm pulling off berries, raspberry, raspberry puree, raisins, weird meat/leather, and tons of perfume candy sugar and turbinado sugar on this beer's nose. There's some rum-like qualities to the aroma, but I don't think this beer has aged to that point just yet. I'm not getting any solvent or fusel alcohol on this, but you know this beer is hot.

WOAH. Fuck me...this beer is huge. I'm drinking this hot with the intention to age a second bottle, but right now the first sip results in an explosion of spicy, boozy fullness...the beer just unravels in your mouth, and finishes with trailing booziness that would make any rum drinker blush. I'm getting some raspberry puree and berries up front, followed by tons of brown sugar, turbinado, and candy sugar. There's some boozy dark fruits in the mix, including plums and raisins, and then the beer veers into HARD Quad territory with overripe fruit booze. The finish is boozy, and then growing heat rises up your throat from your tummy. You get a lot of peppery spice in this from the booze, and some weird, peppery leather/butcher shop shows up from the alcohol heat. 

What we have here, right now, is a beer that's a wee bit one-dimensional. It's hard to say if the 18.0% is going to age into something with more complexity, but at the moment this is mostly hints of fruit, rum, candy sugar, and booze. Obviously, drinkability is low here. This full-bodied beast is a sipping beer through and through. Even if you age this, you're going to want to sip on this. The palate depth is outstanding, but this desperately needs some complexity. You get some berries and fruit puree up front; that rolls into huge sugars, candy sugar, brown sugar, and perfumey booze; the back end is more booze, rum-spice and rum-alcohol, hints of Quad-like dark fruits, and a boozy/warming finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This beer reminds a bit of the Two Brothers 16th Anniversary Ale. It's like bringing a rocket launcher to a fist fight. Then again...this beer has the advertised rum character going on, and this is definitely a sipper. As a fresh beer, I would only recommend this to be sipped on over the course of a cold Winter evening. As a beer to age...well, age away. I'll echo Avery's thoughts and agree that this beer would pair well with a pineapple upside-down cake, or any other fruity dessert cake. This beer might also work grilled meats. This beer has a niche...but I dunno. I'll have to sleep on this.

Random Thought: I guess BrewDog and Jim Koch brewed a Scotch ale with lobster and crabs in it...and then they made it sour, by sitting nude in the mash. That's super cool. I like to get naked with my fellow, same-sex coworkers (NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!!) and make sour beer. Boop.