Tag Archives: Smokestack Series

Imperial Stout X-Coconut & The Nothing

Posted on by
2

Greetings, beer drinkers.  Are you getting tired of all these beer reviews?  I hope not, because there’s more to come.  Today I bring you a couple of dark beauties.  As always, I caution you to “please read responsibly!”

Imperial Stout X – Coconut: Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City, MO.  11% ABV.
Boulevard Brewing released a number of special release Imperial Stouts in their Smokestack Series.  Imperial Stout X was the final release in the series.  I had several of the beers in the Smokestack series, and reviewed another one a couple of years ago.

ISX-Coconut is Boulevard’s Smokestack Series base Imperial Stout with coconut added during aging.  This beer is not barrel aged.

ISX-Coconut is a typical Imperial Stout – dark, thick, and sweet.  It pours black with a 2” creamy head of dark tan foam that remains for quite a while before fading to a substantial ring.  The aroma is sweet chocolate, coconut and vanilla.  The flavor leads with bittersweet chocolate and vanilla, then fades to sweet coconut and vanilla that lingers forever.  The carbonation level is low-moderate, and it has a medium to heavy body and mouth feel.  In other words, it’s pretty thick.

As it warms, it sweetens up further. ISX-Coconut has a big flavor profile, which masks the 11% alcohol content remarkably well (but don’t worry, it will quickly get you where you want to go).  In spite of this big, complex flavor, it’s not nearly as burly or as pleasing as some other Imperial Stouts out there, and the coconut flavor is a bit understated.  This is good beer, but not great, and a bit disappointing considering the price.  [Note: Refer to my post of January 5, 2016 for a review of another Smokestack Series Imperial Stout – Tart Cherry Stout.  The review reaches similar conclusions – good, but not great.]

The Nothing: Smog City Brewing, Torrance, CA.  9.3% ABV.
With a name like “The Nothing”, this should be an entirely forgettable beer.  Allow me to dispel that notion.

This beer is named after the evil antagonist from the epic fantasy book/movie, “The Neverending Story”.  The Nothing is described as, “a force of absolute oblivion that erases everything and everyone it touches from existence and leaves no trace whatsoever.” Anyone in its presence is, “compelled to jump into it and meet their doom.” (villians.wiki.com)

The Nothing pours midnight black with a thin cocoa colored head that immediately fades to a thin ring.  The aroma is sweet coffee and chocolate.  The flavor is sweet chocolate with some coffee late on the tongue.  The aftertaste, which lingers quite a while, is a nice, slightly bitter, coffee flavor.

As this one warms, the aroma becomes more chocolate, and less coffee, but remains sweet, maybe even sweeter.  The flavor is all about the chocolate, but the coffee forces its way through in the aftertaste.

The Nothing is thick, THICK, THICK, with a velvety smooth richness and viscosity (90 wt. gear oil comes to mind). The carbonation level is low, which helps to give it that thick mouth feel.  The alcohol level is low-moderate for an American Imperial Stout, but at 9.3%, it’s enough to “git ‘er done” (after ¼ of the bottle, I had a very pleasant buzz).

This beer is (The) Nothing short of amazing. Oh, and I’m sure you’ll agree that The Nothing is appropriately named (admit it now, aren’t you compelled by my review and description to jump into it and meet your doom?).  There are a lot of Imperial Stouts out there, but there’s nothing like The Nothing.

Recommendations
Imperial Stout X – Coconut was a special release and may no longer be available (I purchased it well after the release, and cellar aged it for a while before drinking it).  It’s a good Imperial Stout, but not as good as I would expect from a limited special release beer, especially for the price.  My recommendation is . . . I wouldn’t turn it down if someone gave me a bottle, but I wouldn’t pay for one.

The Nothing is a winter release (500 ml bottles).  Rosie gave me The Nothing for my birthday this year – thank you, Rosie!  I can HIGHLY recommend The Nothing, but be forewarned, it’s not cheap, and not always easy to find.  That just makes it all the more worthwhile in my opinion.  [Note – The Nothing is currently available at Total Wine, $11.99/bottle.]  Caveat: if you’re a cheap bastard or a fizzy yellow beer drinker, don’t bother looking for either of these fine ales.

Well, boys and girls, that’s it for now.  You’ve got all the information you need, so get out there and find yourself some good beer.

Sláinte!

Tart Cherry Stout & Fyodor’s Classic

Posted on by
Reply

francis2_nobkgrd

Happy New Year to one and all from Mac’s Brew Pub.  I’m looking forward to a 2016 filled with good beer and brewing.  I’ve been drinking a lot of big dark beers for the last couple of months.  Here are my thoughts on a couple of Imperial Stouts I recently tasted.  Please read responsibly.

Tart Cherry Stout (Smokestack Series): Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO.  11% ABV.
Tart Cherry Stout is a Special Release Ale in the Smokestack Series of beers from Boulevard Brewing.  Their Smokestack series is a, “. . . special collection of bigger, bolder, more complex brews,” typically with a higher alcohol content than Boulevard’s core brands.  Tart Cherry Stout is an Imperial Stout fermented with tart cherries, and bottle conditioned.

They beer pours black as midnight with a huge dark tan head.  It is well carbonated (due to the bottle conditioning) and though the head subsided, it remained throughout the session, as did the effervescence.  It has much more carbonation than a typical Imperial Stout.

The aroma has a slight note of cherry, but it’s not tart.  The flavor features cherry and tartness along with chocolate notes.  The high carbonation thins out the texture/mouth feel.  Tartness lingers on the tongue, but it’s not overwhelming.  The aftertaste is also cherry, which rapidly fades to a tart and bitter sensation before the cherry returns and lingers.

Tart Cherry Stout is a nice cherry chocolate stout.  It’s 11% ABV, but there is absolutely no booziness.  However, the high carbonation level detracts from the Imperial Stout experience.  With a beer this big, I expect something thick and chewy with a little bit of alcohol bite.  The high carbonation thins out the body and cuts down on the residual sweetness expected from a big Imperial Stout.  You definitely need to let this one warm up to 60° F for drinking – it will cut down the carbonation and increase the body.  It also increases the cherry flavor, which is not necessary.

I purchased this beer at Costco for $10.99.  It comes in a corked 750 ML bottle that popped like a bottle of champagne when opened.

Fyodor’s Classic (2015 Series): Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, CA.  13% ABV.
This is another bourbon barrel aged offering from Stone Brewing in San Diego, but it’s not just another Stone beer.  It is the 2014 version of Stone’s Imperial Russian Stout aged for seven months in Kentucky Bourbon barrels.  I love Stone’s IRS, but this beer towers over the non-aged version.

Fyodor’s Classic is pitch black and creates a 1/2″ cocoa colored head when poured into a tulip glass.  The head fades rapidly to a thin ring along the perimeter, which left no lacing during the session.

The aroma is sweet vanilla, coconut, bourbon, chocolate and raisin.  the initial flavor sensation is sweet, with a CO2 bite on the tongue.  This swiftly transitions to a slightly sweet cocoa, then to coconut/vanilla (from the bourbon barrel), and finally to a very pleasant semi-sweet dark chocolate and coffee that lingers for quite awhile.

Fyodor’s Classic is well carbonated, but retains a thick, chewy mouthfeel and body, yet it’s not too sweet.  In spite of the high alcohol content (13%), there is no booziness noted, even as it warms.  However, the alcohol immediately starts warming the throat and belly, with warming to the rest of the body right behind..

Fyodor’s Classic is a world class beer.  The aftertaste is where this one really excels.  The taste magically transitions from one flavor to the next, but that transition is so slow and seamless there is no definitive point where one can say, “that’s exactly where it changed.”  This beer is unbelievably complex and wonderful.

I purchased this 500 ML corked bottle of Fyodor’s Classic several months ago at Total Wine for $18.99.  It is a limited edition, but because it’s expensive, it is still available.

I can recommend both of these beers.  Although Tart Cherry Stout is very good, I will not purchase another bottle.  It is definitely worth the price ($10.99 if you can still get it at Costco), but I prefer Imperial Stouts with a little more sweetness, viscosity and body.  Fyodor’s Classic, as previously mentioned, is a top notch beer.  It is worth the hefty price tag ($18.99 per bottle at Total Wine) and is sure to be a treat to any Imperial Stout connoisseur.  The usual caveat applies to both of these beers: fizzy yellow beer drinkers – don’t bother.

Slainte!