Fat Heads Collaborative Evil 2009

Brewed by Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
North Olmsted, Ohio USA

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 25/09/2009 Floral hop aroma. Golden coloured strong in alcohol and hoppy with a little dryness and bitterness in a crisp malt finish.

GTMW 2009, Real Ale Tent: Nice amber hue with a good head and lace. The aroma has notes of apricot, pear, mango, herbal hops and spicy notes (chipotle pepper) with a touch of mint. The taste starts sweet and fruity balanced by mild bitterness and spice. The mouth feel is smooth and lush, sticky. Not bad but seems a bit muddled.

Draught at Pittsburgh Bar (labeled as 8.5%ABV): Aroma of Belgian yeast, light cloves, and light spices. Poured amber/orange in color with a large, dense, off-white, head that diminished but lasted throughout. Slightly hazy. Lightly sparkling. Very good to excellent lacing. Flavor is slightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of Belgian yeast, cloves, spices, and a hint of banana. Medium body. Dry texture. Average to lively carbonation. Belgian yeast and spice finish is slightly sweet, lightly bitter, and lightly dry.

Enjoyed via draft at the Pittsburgh pub in a tulip glass. The beer pours a somewhat cloudy straw-colored light gold. There is a slight head that disappears quickly. Notes of bubble gum, spices, and a touch of pilsner sweetness seem to come through in the nose. The palate replicates some of these flavors, giving at first an estery approach, followed by a brightly fresh (for a strong abv beer) middle, and a moderately sweet finish. The beer carries the sort of complexity through the palate that indicates either liberal spicing, or the use of several yeast strains. Overall, it may benefit from filtering or aging, as I found the ester profile to be a touch intense; but not to the extent that it detracted markedly from the drinking experience.

On tap at Fatheads. Poured a fairly clear golden color with a thin white head. Not much in the aroma, a little spice and bubble gum. Taste is yeasty, with some pepper, clove and bubblegum. Slightly bitter finish with some candy sweetness as well. A nice belgian ale.

On tap at Fatheads pours clear golden color with white head. Aroma is bubblegum and spice. Opulent mouthfeel. Flavor is upfront bubblegum and clove, then finishes semi dry with candi sugar and banana flavors. This is somewhat complex with the array of flavor offered. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and was pleasantly surprised. Smooth beer.

Beer #17 at GTMW ’09, Cask at the Real Ale Tent). Had to sit down for this one. Light smell most like an abbey dubbel. Slightly hazy, yellowish brown with no head. Very much a dubbel in taste, with candy sugar. Coriander is definite, plus some other savory spices. Very lovely to find a Belgian beer on cask with its mysterious fermentations and spices (and despite this description, I says it IS a Belgian ale). There are probably not a lot of places in Belgium to get a beer CAMRA style, just at a beer geek paradise like this.

On cask at GTMW 2009
A second run to the cask tent led me to try this gem. I didn’t get the opportunity to try its counterpart at Flossmoor but if it is anything like this the eight brewers did a great job. I’m crossing my fingers that it remains on tap so I can try it again.

Aroma / Appearance - The nose was a blend of cask and base beer. Cedar was the main contribution from the festival along with a base of caramel, cherry, and a nice maltiness. The appearance was smooth in the light of day though very opaque.

Flavor / Palate - The taste of sweet pine and fruitiness was a shock to the system. I was expecting a heavier mouthfeel but instead got something that was mellowed by a few hours on cask. If this one ever comes out at the brewpub in North Olmstead it will be a must visit.