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...