Boaks Monster Mash Imperial Stout

Boaks
Brewed at High Point Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey USA

12 oz bottle from Oak Tree. Pours a deep dark black, thickness on this one falls somewhere between slightly thin for an Impy and slightly thick for a regular stout. The head on this one is light brown and small, typical for an Impy, that starts of bubbly but disipates and when agitated turns into a small tight ring of foamy lace. Aroma on this one is roasty chocolate, espreso, sweet from dark fruit and alcohol, I’m thnking dark rum. Fuller bodied that has a nice light touch of carbonation. Flavor of dark rum, dark fruit and dark chocolate. A good solid start up for a company that I hope is around for a long time to come, however I faaaar prefer Boaks other start up beer.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown body with a small creamy off white head. This beer is a bit thin for a RIS but nevertheless has a good aroma. Chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruit, and some etoh. Flavor as above with a light hoppiness. I enjoyed this more at a cooler temp the etoh seemed to be in the dark.

Bottle. Body-looks like an impy stout. Nose-corn tortillas, cumin, light green chili’s, basically Mexican food. Taste-pennies, straw, medium sweetness, masa, floury, light dark fruits, butterscotch.

12oz bottle, no date from Dickinsonbeer, thanks Paul! Pours a deep brown--black in the glass--with a small tan head, fading to a thin ring before long. Plenty of roasty and scorched malts up front (go figure), but a fair amount more anise than what I usually end up getting. Resiny pine tar and yeasty bread are also present. And then the flavor is crazy dominant with burnt and roasted malts--ashy and acidic. Pine and molasses are next, but there is no subtlety from the intense roast. Hints of brown sugar and salted nuts show up with a little bit of vinous notes. Dry burnt finish with bitterness peaking around a 3-4. Alcohol is warming in the back of the throat. Light carbonation with a full smooth body. Way too f-ing roasted and burnt.

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.