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...                 

4 Hands Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

Brewed By: 4 Hands Brewing Co. in Saint Louis, Missouri

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Milk Stout, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: ?

A low ABV Milk Stout with shit tons of flavor? Alright. About 4 Hands Brewing Co.: 

4 Hands Brewing Co. are a brewery based out of Saint Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by owner/president Kevin Lemp. The brewery features a number of brewers, including ex-Goose Island guru, Will Johnston. 4 Hands is all about hand-crafted beers, and they feature a barrel-aging program that uses wine and spirit barrels. Exciting stuff. Definitely check out their website or Facebook page.

4 Hands Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout is a twist on 4 Hands regular Milk Stout...which doesn't have much in the way of descriptions. Speaking of that, this pours into your typical Milk Stout appearance, with a black, not-quite-oily, opaque body, and a creamy head. 

On the aroma: tons of sweet lactose, peanut butter sweetness, milk sugars, malt, milk shake like sweetness, some coffee, chocolate, and a little sweet toast. 

This is a sweet beer, but it's really well done. You get a lot of lactose-peanut butter up front, with a nice segue into tons of cocoa, sweet toast, some milky sugars, hints of coffee, and even some hints of dark fruits.

I'm impressed with how dense this is at 5.5%. This has a medium-full mouthfeel, with carbonation that is lively and present, contributing to the beer's drinkability. I imagine this has a fair amount of sugar/calories, but that's okay. Palate depth is good, and this has good duration. This isn't very complex, and the peanut butter isn't as present or pronounced as I was hoping it would be. While you get that peanut butter and lactose punch up front, with some cocoa and toast in the mids, and some coffee in the back...I just want more peanut butter.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. It's a solid Milk Stout, and does everything I expect. I wish the peanut butter was a bit more prominent, but otherwise, this is both cheap and enjoyable. I like this enough that I would pick it up again as a local Milk Stout. 

Random Thought: Back to homework. At least there is beer. Mmm. 

Goose Island Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout (2014)

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled on 11/03/2014, #1115)

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged American Stout, 13.2% 

Reported IBUs: 60

Last year's 2013 Proprietor's was fantastic, so I am truly excited to crack into the 2014 vintage. This beer and brewery hardly needs an introduction, but here we go. 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 2014 Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout is a stout "aged in rye whiskey barrels with cassia bark, cacao nibs, panela, & coconut water." This is a Chicago-only release, and one-off brew. The base beer is brewed with the same stuff as regular Bourbon County (2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roast Barley, and Debittered Black malts; Willamette hops), but unlike regular Bourbon County, this one is aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels.

The bottle reads: "This special variant is meant to show our immense gratitude to our neighbors here in Chicago - the loyal and adventurous fans whose support helped bring Bourbon County Brand Stout to towering new heights. Whether your first sip is today or was from that first batch in 1992, thank you for lifting us up on your big shoulders and joining us every year to celebrate the original barrel aged stout. Cheers -- Brett Porter." 

Goose Island Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout (2014)

The 2014 Prop pours into an oily, black, opaque body. There are little particles of stuff floating around, and the brown head is short lived. This beer is tepid and murky, like drunk chicks. There are some big glossy alcohol legs to go around.

Last year's Prop had a lot of variance, per reviews. Some people reported lots of coconut, others reported little to no coconut. My bottle of 2014 Prop smells like deep chocolate, fudge, raw halved coconuts, intense rye spice, intense cinnamon spice, and a little bit of alcohol. The rye barrel is endlessly complex, and adds a huge ripple of complexity to Bourbon County. Goose Island needs to throw the regular stuff in rye barrels and release two versions of the base beer. The cinnamon note in the beer is also very organic, and smells like the cassia bark. You do get some hints of french toast in this beer's aroma, along with spiced rum, and that huge underlying base beer that brings those brownies, fudge, complex chocolates, macaroons, and coconut pie. In a word: "dayum." 

This is insanely thick, delivering waves of sugary molasses, raisins, thick fudge, chocolate, cocoa, and brownies up front. The front end features pecans, macaroons, and growing sugar. There's also some coconut. The mids roll into more cocoa, thick chocolate, and big coconut notes. This never goes full Almond Joy, unlike last year's Prop, but instead keeps things anchored to earthy and natural flavors like raw coconut. The back end drops the cinnamon, and the beer leaves hints of spiced chocolate, french toast, and lingering chocolate. Between all of the above, are blasts of the rye. The rye barrel shows up in the front end as a contrast to the sweetness; it shows up in the mids with some rum-like alcohol notes; and it shows up in the back to compliment the cinnamon and play with your cinnamon french toast. 

This is full-bodied, with incredible palate depth and duration. The palate depth is far reaching, coating your mouth like Bourbon County bukakke. The duration is insane too: each sip lasts an upwards of 45 seconds. The beer literally coats your mouth. At 13.2%, this has some booze and feels just right. It's not fusel or hot, but you know you are drinking a big beer. This is also insanely complex. I think I like this better than last year's Prop, if only because of the added ingredients and added complexity. Last year's Prop was sticky, sweet, and good -- but felt a bit like rye and Almond Joys were invading your Bourbon County party. This year's vintage is just well done. One more go around in writing: up front I'm getting lots of chocolate, coconut, rye, raisins, and molasses up front; that rolls into some fruits, berries, rum, rye-alcohol, more coconut; and then the beer finishes with this fantastic cinnamon French toast aspect. The base beer is lurking, the rye is complex and fantastic, and the extra ingredients are popping. I wish this beer was more available, and cheap. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. In many ways, I think this is a clear improvement from the 2013 Prop. The 2013 Prop was more straightforward in some respects, but lost points for obfuscating the base beer. Regular Bourbon County is a top-notch Stout, so tinkering with what works is always a risky proposition. The 2014 Prop strikes a perfect balance between the rye barrel, the extra ingredients, and the base beer. This is not a beer that I would pair with food...but if you have extra bottles, why not, right? In that case, go with some french toast. 

Random Thought: Acquiring these beers has only gotten harder and harder...which is, I think, the exact opposite of what Goose Island projected or wanted. I realize that this circlejerk review is just contributing to the hype, but whatever. Stores are now selling single bottles of this beer for over $80, and the retail price isn't cheap either. Also, if you are fortunate enough to pay retail, you're probably standing in line. All of this begs the question: will I seek this beer out next year? Honestly, who knows. 

Pipeworks Passion Abduction

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #477/478) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 08.10.2014)

Style/ABV: American Imperial Stout/Fruit Beer, 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

I've been holding onto this one for almost a month, so it's high time we crack into the Passion Fruit Abduction for Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The Passion Fruit Abduction is an Imperial Stout brewed with cacao, vanilla, and passion fruit. In one of the longer winded descriptions, the bottle reads:

""Now, listen alien braj, I haven't done a fracking thing in my fracking life, but you aliens are privileged and I hate you. Seriously though, alien invaders, you're seriously invading my privacy. I'm just trying to wash the stinks off. Braj, if you want to play games, try flying your spaceship with your tentacle. Ha! I just left a #voicemail with my friends Zahm, Nagel, and Meheen. They're coming over here and they'll mess you UP, aliens. Seriously though, hang onto your d!ck$. #cats #passionfruit #abduction" -Dylan, abductee"

Pipeworks Passion Abduction

This pours like every other Abduction: into a black, opaque body, kicking up a finger or two of tan colored head. I can see nice streams of carbonation in the glass suggesting that this is properly carbed, and there is good head retention, glossy alcohol legs, and some lacing to boot.

On the aroma: holy crap. This smells like fruit! Wow, you get a ton of passion fruit on the aroma. Some people have suggested that this smells like weed or bong water...I would say it smells very similar to chocolate-dipped cherries or strawberries, or a chocolate cake with a fruit topping. This has cakey chocolate notes, cakey roast, cocoa, some vanilla, some coffee, and big chocolate-strawberry, chocolate-cherry, and passion fruit. The fruit on the aroma rides the line between real fruits and candy fruits....I'm curious how this is going to taste.

This might be the most simple and straightforward Abduction beer yet. This is pretty much a mirror of the nose, with intense roast, cacao, and coffee up front, that gives way to huge fruity notes that coat your mouth, lips, and tongue. You get cherry-chocolate, strawberry-chocolate, cherry and strawberry jelly candies, passion fruit, some vanilla and coffee, creamer, and a nice finish that has a hint of alcohol. [EDIT: I figured it out! The fruity notes in this beer really remind me of the fruit notes you get in store bought ice cream, or even in something like a Dairy Queen banana split. It has that same cherry/strawberry note straight from the ice cream. Werd].

This is full-bodied and very nice. Palate duration is fantastic, with each sip lingering for 30-60 seconds. This isn't overly complex, but it unravels with a layer of the Stout base and then a passion fruit injection. This is really throwing me for a loop because I'm enjoying this a lot, despite the lack of integration between the Stout base and the fruit notes. Up front: roast, cacao, coffee, vanilla, passion fruit, cherry-chocolate, strawberry-chocolate; that rolls into cherry and strawberry gummy candies, passion fruit, more roast/vanilla/coffee; the back end drops lingering fruit and chocolate, with some booze that wraps things up nicely. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. This is up there with the Raspberry Truffle Abduction...it might even be better. The passion fruit injection in this beer isn't subtle and borders on being candy sweet and artificial...but I think it really works well with the Abduction base. Having said that...I think you need to pair this beer with some vanilla ice cream, or strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Random Thought: As this beer sits in my glass, I'm getting waves of dank as weed from the aroma. Complete: whatttt. I guess this really does smell like weed.  

SKA Vernal Minthe Stout

Brewed By: SKA Brewing in Durango, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz can from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 5.8%
Reported IBUs: 15

I haven't had a SKA beer in a while, and I have been meaning to try this one since it was announced. About SKA:

SKA Brewing are all about the ska, from the design of their website to the Toasters' songs playing in the background on the homepage. They even released a special beer, the Toasters 30th Anniversary IPA, to celebrate the band. The website is pretty bitchin'...and while I usually get annoyed by websites that have music playing in the background, the site is playing music by the Toasters. The freaking Toasters, yo. It's such a feel-good nostalgia trip it is hard to hate. Flipping through the cool comic animations on SKA Brewing's website will give you a lot of cool brewery information. The brewery was founded in 1995 by Bill Graham and Dave Thibodeau in Durango, Colorado. In the 2008, the brewery moved to its current location at Bodo Industrial Park. The brewery has become famous for their use of cans, most notably for their Modus Hoperandi and Euphoria Pale Ale. For more information, check out their website!

The Vernal Minthe Stout is a sweet stout brewed with real peppermint, spearmint, cocoa nibs, and vanilla beans. 

SKA Vernal Minthe Stout

This one pours into a relatively black body, minus the viscosity of a thicker beer, and kicks up two fingers of impressively dark head. The head is flirting with mocha, and definitely sits in the realm of coffee and ice cream. This looks more cola-esque in bright light, with some red and brown tones escaping the edges of the glass.

The aroma here is dusty cocoa, Brown Ale nuttiness, caramel malts and big vanilla bean sweetness, and lots of mint. I'm getting spearmint, peppermint, and mint chocolate candies. It's an impressive and inviting aroma fo sho.

There is little to nothing in terms of body here, and you'd probably expect that with a beer punching in at 5.8%. This is somewhat watery and acidic up front, but then the beer drops into deep mint character, with big spearmint and peppermint colliding with big cocoa notes. It tastes like a mint chocolate candy. There's a little sweetness character, but it's nondescript and not really a straight vanilla note.

[edit: I fell asleep writing this review, so it's a new day and I have a newly refreshed palate.]

On my first sip today, I'm getting big mint chocolate. There's huge Andes Thin Mints in this beer...it's very minty. I actually think this tastes sweeter than the Pipeworks Mint Abduction. I'm getting some hints of mint chocolate chip Ice Cream, and lots of watery spearmint and spent chewing gum. It's pretty enjoyable, especially at the lower ABV.

For whatever reason (maybe a spent palate), I'm enjoying this much more now than I did a day ago. This is still a lighter Stout, in the realm of Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter or Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout. Still...this is medium-light bodied with good cling and a full-ride as far as palate depth goes. The mint and chocolate give this beer duration, while the mint and carbonation cut through the mouthfeel. The 5.8% isn't even close to being excessive and you get no alcohol here. This is moderately complex, all things considered. Up front: sweet spearmint, mint, chocolate, light vanilla, thin mints; the mids roll into big spearmint, watery mint and spent mint gum; the back end grows into big cocoa mint, with Andes Thin Mints and a great mint finish. This is sweet, like mint chocolate chip and Thin Mints.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average...this is on par with the Mint Truffle Abduction -- but better -- but also different. It's better in that it is sweeter and it hits home that Andes Thin Mints/mint chocolate chip ice cream note. It also is different in that this is a lighter, subtle beer. This is a beer that you can easily miss, like many of SKA's beers. It's subtle and well-made but it's not assaulting your face with over-the-top flavors and sugary booze. That said, I still think you can pair this beer with ice cream, chocolate desserts, chocolate cake, or something savory and salty like white truffle french fries. Good stuff. 

Random Thought: Congrats to the Spurs for dominating the Heat three games in a row, and playing some of the best looking team basketball I have ever seen.

Pipeworks Mocha Abduction

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #435/36/37) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 05.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout (brewed with cacao, vanilla, and coffee), 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Happy Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ everybody. I'm not going to ramble on for too long here. All you need to know is beer good, Friday better. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The Mocha Abduction ominously states:

"I don't think these aliens are that bad. What's that you ask? That they don't like you? That they don't like me either? WRONG! I mean maybe we've all just been brainwashed by Hollywood alien invasion movies. Has anyone even tried to talk to them? Here, I'll go bring them a Pipeworks Mocha Imperial Stout with coffee and rich chocolate. This beer is amazing. No disintegrations. " 
- Jeff's last words before being encased in choconite.

Pipeworks Mocha Abduction

The Mocha Abduction pours out like every other Abduction, only datglass.woah and thistle.jpeg and yeah. Look at that glass: head retention, massive cascading foam -- fuckin' a. The body of this beer is dark black and opaque, and depending on your glass of choice, you'll be left with several fingers of dense, sustaining, mocha-tinted head. Bright light confirms the same stuff. 

The aroma: oh yeah. This is the good stuff. I'm getting massive waves of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, vanilla bean, coffee, mocha, and big-ass biscotti. Wowza. There's some really nice coffee notes on the nose, with hazelnut, freshly brewed coffee, and nutty-coffee-sweetness. Dayum.

Mmm...this is blissful. Wow. This dials things up past Southern Tier levels of sweetness, with huge hazelnut, sweet vanilla, bitter espresso bite, mocha, and some velvety smooth vanilla/cacao notes. The coffee stands out strong in the mix, and provides a much needed backbone and counterpoint to all the sweet notes. The hazelnut lingers for quite some time, and then as that drops off you are left with lingering coffee and alcohol warming. There are big molasses and cakey sweetness up front, and this beer screams "dessert" with notes that hint at coconut cake and chocolate cake. Just...fantastic.

I'm smitten. I wasn't even tasting a Stout tonight...."drink the hoppy pale ale," I was thinking, as I drove home from work. This beer is fantastic. Easily up there with the Coffee Break, maybe better. You definitely get some alcohol warming, but you don't taste any of the 10.5%. This beer is slick and smooth, with just enough carbonation. It's still full-bodied, but the coffee provides much needed contrast to the heavy body and sweetness. Palate depth is off the charts, and this is fairly complex when you consider the one-dimensional concept. Up front: molasses, huge swaths of sweet coffee, hazelnut, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, espresso, mocha; the mids roll into some dark fruits, more molasses, chocolate, coffee, bitter coffee; the back end continues with bitter coffee, mocha, espresso, and a really nice coffee finish. The finish is sticky and sweet with those sugary kisses, and then your drunk uncle, Alcohol, shows up to tuck you in and hold you tight. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew here. This is blissful and hitting the spot. This beer is basically dessert, but I can't help but think it would pair really well with a raunchy burger, vanilla ice cream, dry chocolate cakes, and anything with coffee in it. Or you could light up a cigar with deep tobacco notes, and just unwind. I should have picked up another bottle of this, but I was being considerate. 

Random Thought: Seriously, as far as over-the-top glassware goes, this giant Scotch Ale glass/thistle is pretty near the top. It's almost on par with the Kwak glass or the Tripel Karmeliet glass. 

[Cellar Review] Goose Island Big John (Vintage 2012)

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (pre-InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle from a Binny's in IL; 2012 (bottled on 12/07/2012)

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout, 11.5% 

Reported IBUs: 60

"Develops in the bottle for up to 1 year," she wrote. I guess that makes tonight's review timely. 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. 

A little over a year ago I jumped into a bottle of the Goose Island Big John. I really enjoyed the beer at the time, with its big chocolate-umami character, but I'm really excited to see how this one has aged down the stretch. You can read about the Big John on Goose Island's website, but all you really need to know is that this is the Bourbon County base beer brewed with tons of cacao nibs. The suggested cellar window is one year, which puts my bottle just a few months past its supposed prime. This one has been properly cellared, so without further ado....

Goose Island Big John (Vintage 2012)

Like my soul, this beer is dark and inky black. The only thing more impressive than the black, oily, opaque body is the three fingers of thick, bready, mocha-brown head that is produced. The head settles into a coating one centimeter thick, and swirling the beer in the glass produces glossy alcohol legs and streaks of brown, residual head trickling down the sides of the glass.

I thought the aged Night Stalker was going to unlock the Bourbon County base beer (Cook County Stout), but the aged Big John is evidently where it is at. I'm getting HUGE Bourbon County qualities on this beer's aroma. There are big brownies, chocolate, deep fudge aromas, and tons of fruity notes. I'm picking up big raisins and figs, courtesy of the time spent aging. There's some coffee and dark fruits in here, along with some hints of meaty roast, and last but not least: a little oxidation. 

Wow, this is fantastic! This is a huge improvement over the fresh version. This tastes like Bourbon County Stout without the Bourbon. I'm getting huge chocolate, brownies, big fudge, subtle hints of coffee, and tons of raisins, figs, and elusive dark fruits. There's a subtle kiss of umami and soy in here, but it has mostly dropped and would probably go unnoticed unless you are familiar with the beer fresh or the Night Stalker. This is very much a chocolate/brownie/fudge-driven Stout, with intense chocolate sweetness balanced by nice bitterness and roast, alcohol, and a giant mouthfeel. 

This is full-bodied with a huge, chewy mouthfeel...but despite the chew this is also pretty smooth, and the roast, hops, and alcohol cut through the beer. At 11.5%, this is fairly drinkable. It pretty much tastes identical to Bourbon County, without the bourbon. Palate depth is off the charts good, and the duration here is amazing. The complexity is average...this one definitely leans on the chocolate. Up front is huge chocolate, syrup, molasses, brown sugar, brownie, fudge, and big sweetness; that rolls into some more chocolate, dark fruits, coffee, some woody creamer, chocolate-dipped cherries; the back end has lingering roast bitterness, anise/licorice, coffee bitterness, dark fruit acidity, and finishes bitter, dry, and sticky. This is good fucking shit. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

Like the aged Night Stalker, this is a Strong Above-Average from me, and WOW. I highly recommend aging these two beers. The Big John wasn't bad fresh, but what I hold here in front of me is this epic Imperial Stout...it's basically Bourbon Count sans bourbon. I have nothing else to add here, I'm happy I pulled this out when I did. If you do age this, shoot for that one year window. Food pairings here include dry chocolate cakes, ice cream, steaks, burgers, grilled red meat, and chocolate fondue. 

Random Thought: And my heart was just broke as the Hawks lose to the Blues..../sigh. 

Pipeworks Mint Truffle Abduction

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #353/54/55) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 03.20.2014)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/American Double, 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

OH SHIT SON, it's been a while since we've rolled out an official Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. You know what that means. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's big chocolate-mint Abduction clocks in at 10.5%. The back of the bottle states:

"Begin alien transmission: "Foolish humans! You're doomed! Doomed! Even more doomed than we hoped! You can't resist the universally delicious combo of fresh mint and chocolate! Muhah! It's time to ad-mint that there is no escape! Ok, now I'm getting charged for 'Roaming' so I have to go. You hang up. No, what am I saying? I'm doing the fear mongering here! I'll hang up. Doom!" End alien transmission."

Pipeworks Mint Truffle Abduction

The beer pours into an opaque, black body...per the usual course for these abduction beers. The beer kicked up a finger of dark tan/brown head. The head has settled into a nice ring around the edge of the glass, and there is sticky lacing and some glossy alcohol legs. It's very Stout-like. Woo.

The aroma immediately reminds me of the Pipeworks Chai Dog. I'm getting big anise on the aroma, with some clove/menthol/mint, big cardamon, intense spices, and a respectable stout backbone. The stout backbone includes aromas of coffee, chocolate, roast, and dark grains. It smells...intriguing. I guess I was expecting more mint and chocolate chip...let's dig into the taste.

The taste mirrors the nose to a tee. I'm getting a lot of anise, menthol, clove, tobacco, and cardamon/chai in the taste. I'm also getting a lot of coffee and chocolate in the mix, with some hints of roast. I WILL SAY, there is a nice minty/menthol twang that you pick up in the back of your throat...and the back end cleans up nicely, leaning more towards the mint/menthol and chocolate.

I'm really surprised at how earthy and spicy this beer is. There's a lot of menthol character, with some chai and clove and cardamon...you definitely get some mint, but it's not like mint chocolate-chip ice cream. This is a full-bodied beer with lazy carbonation, but it works for the style. At 10.5% this is a smooth operator, with minimal booze. Palate depth is good, and the complexity is okay. This beer is intriguing...but I was hoping for more of that ice cream shop interplay between assertive mint and assertive chocolate. Regardless...up front is menthol/chai/cardamon and chocolate; the mids dial up big Stout base with chocolate, coffee, some earthy roast, sticky sugars, and some nice hints of mint/menthol; the back end is where you pick up the straight up mint, and then you get some of that Andes candy mint-chocolate interplay, but it is brief. The finish is sticky and boozy. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average...this is definitely my least favorite of the Abduction beers, but it's a fun little riff. An experiment, I suppose. I actually really like the back end of this beer, which dials up that mint-chocolate experience. And the front end also works, but it leans more towards some of those earthy spices and mint flavor. It kind of reminds me of a clove or menthol cigarette. I dunno. Fun times in Abduction land, I would recommend this @ $10 a pop. Which is what I paid. I hope Pdubs brews this again...maybe they can up the chocolate/mint ante. Or Andes. Or whatever.

Random Thought: I just realized that with all my Pipeworks reviews I'm basically a Pdubs shill. 

Gnarly Oak Chocolate Stout

Brewed By: Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin  

Purchased: 22oz bomber from an $8 dollar gift set bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Stout, 5.5%

Reported IBUs: 58

Tonight's beer was an obligatory pick-up that I had no intention of buying. I stumbled upon this "Gnarly Oak gift set" that includes three 22oz bombers, and a beer glass (I am a whore for glassware). The damages totaled to 8 dollars. Yes...I paid 8 dollars for three 22oz bombers and a beer glass. I'm sure the beer reflects the costs, but the glass is okay. We'll see? About Minhas: 

Minhas is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest, and the second oldest brewery in the United States. As you can see from the brewery's history page, the brewery has been owned by many different people, and rebranded numerous times. The brewery began in 1845 as the Monroe Brewery when it was opened by Mr. Bissinger. In 1906, the brewery changed its name to the Blumer Brewing Company. And in 1947, the brewery was purchased by Joseph Huber and the brewery became known as the Joseph Huber Brewing Company. In 2005, the Minhas Family purchased the brewery, and in 2006 the brewery changed its name to the Minhas Craft Brewery. For more info, check out the brewery's website. 

I don't think there is a website for the "Gnarly Oak" beers...at least not one I can find. But oh well. The bottle says: "Stouts brewed with cocoa powder. Chocolate Stout is a satisfying rich, dark and creamy Stout just loaded with roasted flavors. We added just a subtle touch of chocolate for a tasty treat. This is a great sipping beer for those cold winter nights." We will see about all that....

Gnarly Oak Chocolate Stout

The beer pours into an opaque, black body. It's not super dark, and you catch some reddish/brown on the beer's edges. The beer kicks up a finger of light tan head. The head doesn't last very long, eventually fading into nothingness. There is some glossy lacing, especially when you swirl the beer.

The aroma here reminds me of English-style Stouts, with big toffee, toast, dried berries, and some light woody/roasty notes. There's a hint of artificial sweetness, ala the JP Casper White Stout. I'm getting cherry, vanilla, cream soda, woody notes, oak, Hershey's Syrup, and cocoa. 

Assuming the glass that came with the gift set was free, this is a $2.67 bottle of beer. That's like 12 cents/oz. This tastes okay...maybe even better than okay. I'm picking up lots of toast, toffee, berries, and big cocoa and wood on the finish. There's some cream soda twang, and a hint of oak, with some Hershey's Syrup kisses, but the cocoa is mostly legit...dabbling with S'Mores and ash and light campfire.

I'm surprised by how much I don't hate this beer. You don't get any of the 5.5%, but the beer has a medium-full to full-bodied mouthfeel. The beer is well carbonated and drinks okay...I'm assuming there's some leftover sugars in here. The beer is sweet, but it avoids tasting artificial. It's not very complex, even with a handful of distinct flavors that pop up in the taste, but the palate depth is really good. Up front: woody notes, toffee, toast, dark fruits; the middle has big cocoa with some roast, hints of coffee and chocolate, and some vanilla; the back end has some roast, S'Mores, ash, and finishes sweet and mellow.

Rating: Strong Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I like this beer's approach for 5.5%. It's crafted well enough. It kind of tastes like a sweeter, chocolaty version of Guinness or any standard Dry Stout. It almost veers into artificial, but it holds it together. The end result is a really solid beer for $2.67. At that price, I cannot not recommend this beer. You could even pair it with dry chocolate cake or ice cream or whatever.

Random Thought: So, here is my theory. I have two more of these Gnarly Oak beers to go...and they all are around 5.5% ABV and 50 IBUs. I'm hoping that the other two beers don't taste identical to this one, only with some minor tweaks. We will see. 

Pipeworks The Jones Dog (Tales From The Oak / Barrel Aged Imperial Jones Dog / aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 12oz bottle (Batch #75) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2012)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/Milk Stout, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight isn't a Thursday, but it has been a while since we've had an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™....so let's just pretend tonight is Thursday. And we can also pretend that the Bears don't suck, or that their horrible defense and safety-who-will-not-be-named didn't blow a freebie game against the Green Bay Packers. And that I don't have any feelings about that. And that tonight's beer is going to be amazing. Now that's optimism! About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer was bottled a long, long time ago. The early batch of Jones Dog that I reviewed was batch #65 and came out around 2012, by my estimation. I think that tonight's beer is that same beer, aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels. This beer is part of Pipework's "Tales From The Oak" series, and the back of the bottle states:

"Our Jones Dog Milk Stout, brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla bean, aged in Buffalo Trace Barrels."

Pipeworks The Jones Dog (Barrel Aged #75)

This one punches in at 11.0% and features some nice art work. The Buffalo Trace barrels were sourced from West Lakeview Liquors. This one pours into a dark brown body that looks deceptively darker/blacker than it really is. It is opaque, even in bright light, but you catch some serious brown tones. This one also pours with a finger of rapidly-dissolving, short lived brown head. the head was nice and brown, but has been the victim of dat whiskey burn. There is some nice lacing on this, along with some residuals along the glass, and carbonation is present in the body.

I'm getting two big things on the aroma...big, strong, bourbon-forward aromas and woody oak tannin and some vanilla. I'm also getting some big cocoa aromas, and some dark fruits ala complex boozy plums and figs, and some molasses.

Huh...werd. I like this, although I'm going to say right up front this isn't the most dense barrel-aged Stout nor the most complex. But this is well blended and very easy-going. Up front I'm getting a wash of cocoa, molasses, and dark fruits...that rolls into awesome barrel-aged character, with sweet bourbon, vanilla, oak, woody tannin, some tobacco/leather, and molasses with dark fruits. Once that starts to fade, I'm getting hit with lingering bourbon/vanilla/oak, some coconut, and a little roast and coffee and lingering Milk Stout goodness. I'm happy to see the base beer creepin' towards the back, and the barrel character stands out in the front. This is perfectly carbonated, so if anyone tells you this is under-carbonated they are wrong (or there is bottle variation).

This is sticky and sweet, and way too fucking drinkable for 11.0% ABV. It's a medium to full-bodied beer, but I'm leaning towards medium-bodied. The barrel character isn't too boozy or overwhelming, so it keeps things drinkable. Despite the slightly less dense body, this one still has fantastic palate duration and good palate depth. The complexity is somewhere in the mdidle for a barrel-aged beer. After a wash of cocoa, molasses, and dark fruits up front; you get big barrel character with oak, vanilla, some hints of coconut, oak/wood tannin, bourbon, booze; the back end trails off with lingering sweet bourbon, and some hints of the stout base. The finish is sweet, with sugar, vanilla, and bourbon trailing off on the finish. Overall...I honestly really like this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. I really, really like this...and I don't want to be contrarian just for the sake of being contrarian. But I've been reading reviews for this beer complaining that it's too thin or that the barrel character is too strong? Are people serious about that? Like, I'm curious how many of these people have had a wide range of barrel-aged Stouts, because this beer seems about par the course if not better than par the course. Anyway, I digress. As usual, I say, "fuck the haters." This is fantastic stuff, and I'm glad to see Pipeworks finally rolling these out. Also, I'm glad to see that Pipeworks is sticking these beers in 12oz bottles! Now I can crack one of these open without feeling guilty for drinking a whole 22oz bomber or 750ml bottle. Uh...food pairings here...rich, dry, chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and a cigar. 

Random Thought: Seriously though, as a Bears fan, my heart is so broken right now. I look forward to next year...and props to Jay for playing a great game. 

Pipeworks Hey, Careful Man, There's A Beverage Here!

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #234) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 10.30.13)

Style/ABV: White Russian Imperial Milk Stout, 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

I'm pretty excited about tonight's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. Maybe it's because The Big Lebowski is one of the greatest films of all time, or maybe it's the fact that this so-called "White Russian Imperial Milk Stout" is brewed with lactose sugar, cacao, coffee, and vanilla. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Fuckin' A.

In case you aren't privy to where this beer's name came from, it's a reference to THIS SCENE. A White Russian is, of course, a drink loved by The Dude, made out of vodka, Kahlua, and light cream or milk. The back of the bottle states:

"Way out west there's this beer...beer I wanna tell ya' about. Beer by the name Hey, Careful Man, There's A Beverage Here. Beer inspired by a certain Dude's favorite potable. This Imperial White Milk Stout is brewed with vanilla beans, an abideable amount of cacao nibs and cold-pressed coffee that really tied the beer together, did it not? It is the perfect oat soda for those days when you're out of your element and all you can do is say " F it, Dude, let's go bowling. " "

Hey, Careful Man, There's A Beverage Here!

This beer pours into a Barleywine-amber/cream soda body, and kicks up one or two fingers of caramel/amber tinted head. Bright light confirms the body's amber/caramel/orange color, and a ring of amber head has settled around the edge of my glass with a cauldron effect on top. There's scantly any carbonation rising upwards, and what is there is lazily floating upwards. There's some alcohol legs and lacing. 

On the aroma: Wow. You know, this one plays things pretty straight...I'm getting a lot of coffee, vanilla, creamer, and lactose on the aroma. It smells like ------ drum roll ------ Kahlua. There's a lot of prominent coffee and espresso, and tons of earthy hazelnut. I love hazelnut, and I'm reminded of the Founders' Frangelic Mountain Brown.

I'm intrigued by how this tastes. It's like a Stout...without any of the roasted/black patent malt. There's a ton of sugar in this, and you can feel sticky sweet coating your mouth. The main flavors I'm pulling out of this are coffee, espresso, rich hazelnut, vanilla, Kahlua, creamer, and lactose sugar. 

This really is a top-notch high gravity beer. The 10.5% is completely blunted by all the coffee, sugar, and vanilla. I don't even want to know how many calories is in this beer. The only thing hindering drinkability might be the sticky sweetness of this libation. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and dense, with very moderate carbonation that is just getting by. Palate depth is outstanding, but complex this is not. You get a lot of vanilla, creamer, and coffee up front; that rolls into big coffee and hazelnut with some hazy grains; the back end has some grain, hazelnut, lingering lactose sugar, and fade to sticky and dry. Kind of simple, to be honest.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here, which means this beer isn't as good as the movie. Dang. Having said that...I really dig this style. If this beer was advertised as a hazelnut coffee beer, it would be ranked among the best. The coffee is strong in this...and the lactose and vanilla isn't far behind. And you really do get those Kahlua vibes. What's missing is maybe the vodka kick. I understand that this is a Stout interpretation of a White Russian, but maybe throw this beer into some Bourbon barrels or Oak Barrels spiked with vodka? Could be a fun twist that really brings this home. I dunno what you pair a beer like this with. Probably ice cream, a cigar, or as a standalone Winter Warmer or dessert. I recommend you buy it and drink it with the movie.

Random Thought: If you haven't had the pleasure, do go make a real White Russian. It's a great cocktail, and if you drink a few of them you'll have a nice buzz in no time.