Boaks Monster Mash Imperial Stout

Poured jet black with no light penetrating this one. Generated a dense one-finger tan head that hung around a little while leaving minimal lacing. Smelled of burnt coffee and roasted malts with a hint of hoppiness in the background. Sweet molasses smell become more evident as it warmed. Initial slight malty sweetness overpowered by the burnt coffee flavor. Tasted a bit more dark chocolate that the smell indicated. Only the slightest hop finish. Medium body and smooth with little carbonation. Bitter through the finish. A decent impy stout from this new brewery. Definitely an interesting use of hops in this and not quite what I was expecting when I opened the bottle.

This is one ghetto looking beer label. It looks like it was done in WordPerfect 2.0. But i did enjoy the Mash. A little roasty. Hids the alcohol level well. Kind of, not bland, but limited for a Imperial. Nothing that really stands out about it. I don’t really notice the intense hop aroma, just the sweet, roasty, malts.

Well, this is a harsh roasty monster, devoid of any real subtlety. Flavors are pine and tree bark, grainy, really roasted malt. As it warms there is barely perceptible sweetness above the acrid roasted and black malts; astringent is right. Ragged. Aroma is a little better, with forest walks evoked from the pine elements and softer graininess. Still, easily drinkable on an early Saturday afternoon, and you just have to love the efforts of the little guy breweries. Hits the spot in this case! Thanks Jon (you must have known I was aware of these guys!).

20080408 12oz bottle picked up at Oak Tree. Dark, stoutish appearance with small brown head. Doesn’t look quite viscous, but does leave an oily, sticky film. Aroma is a bit hot with alcohol, lots of licorice, ashtray, and light resinous hops plus some hints of sulfur. Mouthfeel is a bit thin bit oily and coating, finishing with ashy astringency. Some flavors of burnt grain up front give way to lingering but mild resinous/pith bitterness. Very little in the way of sweetness at any point. Gutsy stuff and worth the try, but seems that it could use some refinement.

Poured a clear very deep brown color with a minimal sized tan head and brown legs.The beer smelled like licorice and bologna. the flavor is fairly sweet and roasty. Notes of bitter dark chocolate and licorice. There were some piny hops in the middle and finish. The beer dries out rather quickly leaving a moderate bitterness. Some warmth with a medium body. The beer seemed gritty. The mouthfeel started out sticky and sweet but ended dry.