One Well Brewing Sweet Water Street

One Well Brewing Sweet Water Street

Brewed By: One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Purchased: 32oz Howler from One Well Brewing; 2015 (poured on 08/26/15)

Style/ABV: American Adjunct Imperial Porter, 7.1%

Reported IBUs: ???

This was, by far, the second best Porter/Stout I had on my trip to Kalamazoo. This beer deserves a nod and shot out, because it is really fucking good. The brewery isn't too shabby either. About One Well Brewing: 

One Well Brewing is a nano/micro brewery based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The brewery was founded by home brewers Chris O’Neill and T.J. Waldofsky, and currently features a 3-barrel brewing system. The tap house is warm and cozy, with board games and a bar. The place was packed an hour before closing, and the staff was friendly. My biggest regret is that I discovered this place during my last day in Kalamazoo...

The Sweet Water Street is an Imperial Porter brewed with donut holes from Sweetwater's Donut Mill, and coffee from Water Street Coffee Roaster. Coffee is my life force, so while in Kalamazoo I had a chance to visit Water Street Coffee Roaster twice. The coffee is solid, and is locally roasted. 

So good...

The Sweet Water Street itself pours into a dark body kicking up a couple of fingers of dense, tan-brown head. It looks like every other genero-Porter until you dig into the aroma and get that rich chocolate coffee cake smell. This kicks up espresso and hazelnut and lots of fresh coffee, but the coffee stays grounded in the cakey malt base. This hints at macaroons and candy bars, and suggests so much more than a straightforward coffee beer. 

And the taste lives up to the aroma's hype, and then some and more so. At whatever percentage this clocks in at (7.1%???), the malt body stands up to the strong coffee flavors. This has a cake-like body with chocolate malts, trailing malt balls on the back end, rich espresso, hazelnut, and liquid coffee cake. 

The mouthfeel on this is full and expansive, and this beer has depth and density. This squeezes all the money's worth out of the 7.1%, and the malt body does not go to waste. The palate is full-bodied, and this has enough layers to beckon complexity. It has good duration too...each sip lingers. You get a lot of straight Porter in the front, but by the mid palate this drops coffee and chocolate. The back end rounds out with earthy coffee notes, hints of macaroons, and malt balls. This cleans up nicely too...you would expect loads of residual sugars and you really get none of that here. 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is one of the best beers currently on tap in Kalamazoo, and you owe it to yourself to check this beer out. On top of that, One Well Brewing's other beers were good, and the vibe of their little bar is fantastic. Would definitely stop in again. 

Random Thought: The number one dark beer on my trip goes out to 18th Street Brewing...maybe more on that later. 

Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

Brewed By: Evil Twin Brewing (Westbrook Brewing) in Copenhagen/Brooklyn

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/Porter, 11.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is the definition of excess. An 11.5%, "Imperial Porter," brewed with coffee and natural flavors. Doughnuts? Mmm, doughnuts. About Evil Twin: 

Evil Twin is a Gypsy Brewery founded by founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø) in 2010. Like his twin brother Mikkel, Jeppe is a teacher, and a homebrewer who was tired of the mainstream offerings. In 2004, Mikkel went off to pursue brewing, while Jeppe opened up a bottle shop. In 2010, while teaching a homebrewing, Jeppe decided to sell and distribute the beer he was brewing via his bottle shop. Jeppe moved to New York in 2012. For more info, check out this interview/history here. 

The Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break is part of the Biscotti Break series. I love the Imperial Biscotti Break and the Imperial Biscotti Break Natale, so I'm expecting good things tonight. The back of the bottle reads:

"Did Imperial Biscotti Break also make your sugar levels rise and the bitter sweet flavors of coffee, almonds, and chocolate very sentimental - now we topped it off with insane amounts of doughnuts. This all time American favorite is making it's way back into the spotlight and we at Evil Twin Brewing are not letting a tasty trend pass us by without taking it to the next level. Drink it with great gusto - Forza Doughnuts."

Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

This "dry-doughnuted" beer pours out exactly like its aforementioned peers: pitch black and opaque in body, with a finger of creamy/dense, mocha-brown head. Bright light confirms the same. Head retention is actually okay with a centimeter of sea foam coverage hanging around, and glossy alcohol legs and mocha residual coat the sides of the glass when you swirl this.

I'm into the aroma and I haven't made a single glazed joke yet. That in itself is worthy of some sort of accolade. The aroma is massive and complex, with huge coffee, chocolate, chocolate Long Johns, espresso, ash/dirt, dark fruits, booze, tobacco, woody intensity, and doughnuts. There's a lot going on in the aroma, between the coffee and intense roast/chocolate and doughnut sweetness.

Like the regular Imperial Biscotti, this beer is massive and chewy and bad for your diabetus. I don't even want to know how many calories this is doing me in for. Right up front is a huge blast of rich baker's chocolate, tobacco, doughnut thickfreakness, ash, earthy roast, and roast. I'm picking up a ton of coffee, earthy ash, roast, and creamy espresso in here. As I really camp on this beer, I'm getting some hints of dark fruits -- namely raisins and cherries -- and there's plenty of booze in here. This is somewhat potent. Way in the mix is some almonds and biscotti. What surprises me about this beer is how earthy it is up front. The doughnuts impart a tobacco note and it is dense and wowza. 

I'm still not sure if this is better than the regular Imperial Biscotti...that beer is just divine. I do like this though. It's a full-bodied beer, with a thick and chewy mouthfeel. There's tons of residual sweetness and sugar that will coat your mouth, but this isn't a Southern Tier beer. You do pick up on some of the alcohol, but at 11.5% I would kind of expect that. Palate depth is really good, and complexity is outstanding. Up front: roast, ash, earthy coffee, coffee, doughnuts, Long Johns, and HUGE tobacco. The mid-palate hits a sweet doughnut note with chocolate, baker's chocolate, dark fruits, woody notes, and velvety smooth espresso. The back end features lingering coffee, lingering tobacco, ash, and some lingering dark fruits and alcohol. The finish is pretty clean for an 11.5% diabetus cumshot Stout. Gonzo style. Ladies. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is about on par with the Natale, but not as good as the regular Imperial Biscotti. Curiosity is getting the better of me, and I really want to see how the barrel-aged version of the Imperial Biscotti tastes, but I digress. Don't pair this beer with food...not even dessert. This beer has enough calories to serve as dessert. If you must, pair it with ice cream like a 4-year old, or pair it with a nice earthy cigar. I don't remember how much this cost, and it's probably better that way.

Random Thought: Seriously though, I think the only variant of this I haven't had is the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Biscotti...I passed up on a bottle because of the price, but I may have to try it.