3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Very prominent fresh mint nose on top of the stout’s chocolate exhalation. The flavor was a nicely balanced chocolate/mint profile with touches of roasted barley, nuts, vanilla, and cocoa. Pretty thin mouthfeel, but not distractingly so. All in all, a decent holiday treat.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Pours a deep black/brown with ruby edges and a slim skin & halo. Mint and menthol overtake a chocolaty dark malt aroma. Ditto on the flavor, which has a Wrigley’s Spearmint essence followed by a wash of roasty, bitter black patent. Okay.
Matt asked me tonight if brewery experiments were "worth it". In a heartbeat my answer was "most definitely". This holds true even if the experiments don’t appeal to 100% of the people 100% of the time. Skilled brewers who take risks capture the beer world’s attention and a brewer will rise to the top of his field if some of those experiments are well-received. <font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Station, Flossmoor, IL 60422</font>
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Draft goblet, during Chirstmas at the Brewery. Standard stout black. Almost no head, but not from lack of carbonation. Yep, and there’s a sweet cocoa and mint smell. Taste is the same way: seems to be chocolate added besides the usual chocolate roast. And definitely fresh mint leaves at work. But then there’s a studly hop profile at the back of the throat, too. Tastes work well together. Maybe the cocoa is a touch out of balance, but I find no harsh roasties or excess mint. This is a very limited release. Hope someone else got a hold of one.
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