3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask pour on tap at the Milwaukee Brewpub (Chicago, IL). Exciting! Pours a rich deep blackish pour, dark and inviting. A loose bubbly tannish head atop dies to a small ring, laces small. Dark and inviting. Aromas show coffee, cocoa, gentle roast and dry elements. Some mellow earthy hops, cocoa nibs, roast. Initial is smooth and silky, gentle cask carbonation meets black malts, gentle roast, richer cocoa influence. Some coffee, toffee, and biscuits mix in and take a hold. Richer cocoa. Backend shows some dryness, rich cocoa, gentle coffee. Roast, toast, this thing throws some nice nib presence, a bit roasty, luscious dark cocoa. Gentle dryness, roast, and toast into the finish with cocoa lingering on. Really nice cask experiment here. Luscious, still up to Eugene standards. I find canned Eugene much different for me. But this stacks up closely to original tap. Not quite Coffee though. Tasty.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
On tap at the brewpub. Pours a black body with an inch thick, dense, creamy and foamy, dark brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is smooth cocoa nibs up front that add just a slight bitterness to the aroma. Richer dark chocolates, a bit of an estery fruitiness, light roasts, a hint of earth, and barely a touch of vanilla. Flavor is similar. Smooth cocoa nibs up front before the rich dark chocolate base comes in. Some caramel, a light roast, touches of earth, and a hint of vanilla. Finishes smooth and somewhat dry with a nice cocoa nib presence to go with the richer dark chocolates and light roastiness. Lengthy aftertaste following a creamy, smooth, medium body and a soft, creamy, medium-light carbonation. Overall, I didn’t like this as much as the original, but it was still pretty solid. The cocoa nibs are distinct, but don’t overpower the base and add too much of a bitterness. Pretty solid cask beer.
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