Tasting Notes: Mikkeller: Beer Geek Brunch Weasel: Cognac Barrel

Mikkeller: Beer Geek Brunch Weasel: Cognac Barrel (Denmark: Imperial Stout: 10.9% ABV)

Visual: Jet black, pours thick and slick with a deep chocolate coloured rich head.

Nose: Honey. Oatmeal. Chocolate. Spiced blueberry. Thick treacle. Crystallised orange sweetness. Crumbly chocolate cake. Raisins.

Body: Viscous. Bitter chocolate. Bitter coffee. Very smooth oats. Froths nicely to sweeter chocolate. Marmalade undertones. Raisins and plums.

Finish: Very bitter chocolate. Bitter coffee. Porridge oats. Very potent indeed in the coffee flavour here. Almonds reside here as well and hazelnuts. Light marmalade grows over time.

Conclusion: You know, I have often called for the more potent beers to be available in smaller bottles. The trend towards 660ml/750ml bottles of 10-15% abv beers has been great for sharing, but they just don’t suit all occasions.

This beer comes in a 25cl bottle. Come on! There is a whole excluded middle thing going on here!

The beer, however small its package, is as delicious as ever. The usual Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (BGBW from now on) traits of wonderfully deep chocolate and coffee flavours are on full show. The thick oatmeal texture and dark fruit rising over time are present as well. In fact even more so than Black Hole this is a beer where the cognac influence struggles to make itself felt.

There are some influences though, subtle but present. The aroma especially picks up some spirit touches, and a very light marmalade sweetness as well. In fact there is marmalade touches nigh hidden, but present, throughout. Id say some part of its influence seems to give the dark fruit more play as well.

However it is effectively the BGBW flavours that stand tall. No bad thing, it is a fantastic beer. Everything good I said about that beer still holds true here. The depths it brings to the simple words “chocolate” and “coffee” the range, the thickness, the texture. All here. The bitterness of both coffee and chocolate are resplendent and tongue coating. For all the slick texture the oatmeal seems to give it grip that makes the bitterness last.

However the cognac adds but little, and for all I like to see smaller bottles you can get 660ml of BGBW for 250ml of this. Id say go with standard BGBW. However if you see this and not standard, well it’s still the same beer pretty much, and definitely the same quality, Drink it. It is delicious and still after all this time one of the greatest Imperial Stouts of all time.

That’s a hell of a good beer.

Background: Beer Geek Brunch Weasel was, and still is, one of my favourite Imperial Stouts and in fact beers, ever. It comes in a close second after Good King Henry: Special Reserve (Don’t ask me to pick a third, the Imperial Stout competition is too tight and I just can’t do it). Thus a cognac aged version sounded like just the thing. For those of you looking at the tags and noticing this doesn’t have a “My favourites” entry, it is just because I have already had Beer Geek Brunch Weasel, which has taken the place. This beer is just as good, but not distinct enough to earn a separate place.  Anyway, yes an oatmeal imperial stout made with partially digested coffee beans. I.E. weasel shit.

Tasting Notes: Brewdog/Lost Abbey: Lost Dog

Brewdog/Lost Abbey: Lost Dog (Scotland: Imperial Porter: 11.5% ABV)

Visual: A very dark brown to cherry red. Beige froth comes up but it disappears in seconds leaving just the carbonation of the main body.

Nose: Raisins. Fruitcake and brandy cream. Liquorice. Rum. Very spirit like air.

Body: Cherry (red and black). Brandy cream. Fruitcake and raisins. Liquorice. Slightly sherbety. Coffee. Marzipan.

Finish: Malt load and butter. Almond slices. Rum. Dry liquorice. Bitter coffee.

Conclusion:  Considering the beer style and weighty abv this beer isn’t half as thick of viscous as I would have imagined. In fact given the huge fruitcake influence it seems slightly ESB like in style, or with a calling to the wine and fruitcake styling of Fullers Vintage ales.

The body is surprisingly clear on the eye. Visually it reminds be of the darker Belgium strong ales, not entirely inappropriately. I’m not sure if it is linked with the lack of viscosity to the body but the spirit influence does seem to be given a lot of roaming room.  As mentioned the beer is fruit dominated and there is a distinct spirit feel throughout.  The main counterbalance flavour wise is the dry liquorice which permeates the entire beer.

The beer is good but for all the abv and rum ageing it doesn’t seem to bring a lot more to the table than the Vintage ales mentioned earlier.  That isn’t to say that it doesn’t have it’s own quirks.  The traditional coffee elements of a porter seem oddly out of place here. They flow around the main body rather than integrate.  Also it takes on a bit more character if you are willing to risk larger mouthfuls of the potent liquid. Here it seems thicker and more brandy cream comes out.  The beer style seems to shift once again here, calling to the Barley Wine styling of beers such as Devine Rebel.

So a very fruity, very spirity Imperial Porter. A mix that calls to ESB influence and Barley wine in feel. A jack of all trades and master of none. That doesn’t mean it isn’t very good but it stops it being great. A beer with a lot of potential let down I feel by needing maybe just a bit more thickness of body.

Background: Now best I know Port Brewing and Lost Abbey are the same brewery. Lost Abbey is the name for Belgium Style beers and Port Brewing American style beers.  This beer is an Imperial Porter. Ya know Porter, named (according to some interpretations) for the popularity with porters in London.  Which isn’t in Belgium. Or America I will admit but damn it Port Brewing even has Port in the damn name!   Why is this a Lost Abbey beer? Well as mentioned in the review it does have a Belgium strong dark ale resemblance but I still stand by my rant.  Anyway this collaboration was aged in rum casks, and I’ve been looking forwards to it for a while. Also it comes in a presentation box.  Which looks really really cool but I always feel bad about needless packaging.  Strange considering I felt no problem with the mass of packaging that was needed to post it to me. Maybe I’m a touch of a hypocrite.

Tasting Notes: Bristol Beer Factory: Imperial Stout Aged In Glenlivet Casks

Bristol Beer Factory: Imperial Stout Aged In Glenlivet Casks (England: Imperial Stout: 10.7% ABV)

Visual: Black. On a fast pour it manages a coffee coloured set of bubbles that may or may not pass for a head.  Not much life on the bubbles even. Leaves a slight viscous brown trail.

Nose: Bitter coffee. That sour dough freshness. Apples. Custard cream biscuits.  Fruit crumbles toppings covered with sugar.  Vanilla doughnuts. Slight sour grapes. Barley husks and raisins.

Body:  Apple crumble. Bitter chocolate. Very slick. Good bitterness and light fudge.  White grapes. Frothy chocolate fondue. Teabags. Raisins.

Finish:  Chocolate gateaux. Fudge. Bitter chocolate. Almonds. White wine. The alcohol is more evident at this end.

Conclusion:  I was wondering how well the Glenlivet cask would stand up to this beer. I always think of the Livet as a lighter fruitier whisky, while this imperial stout is a harsh thing to fight.  A bit of a David and Goliath match up here.

Initially impressions are one of a smoothed out version of the Imperial Stout.  Main body is rich yet bitter. At the finish you do notice the alcohol more with an air that can’t help but remind you of the over ten percent abv and the years it’s spent lazing in the cask to achieve that. Unfortunately it’s mainly the alcohol hit not the whisky flavour that reminds you.

The whisky influence does seem subtle. There are sub notes to the beer of fruit and occasional wine like notes with sour grape touches.  The ageing seems more to have restrained the beers excesses rather than use the whisky flavour to massively expand it.

The reigning in and smoothness make for a much better beer though. It allows the bitterness to be present without getting annoying. In fact it seems like an actualisation of the intended difference between Yeti Stout and Oak Aged Yeti Stout.  While I never really got the oak aged Yeti the intent was to smooth out the beer and here, unlike the Yeti, the concept seems to have really worked.

Initially this beer was chilled and then allowed to warm to room temperature. The aromas and flavours shifted heavily during this time resulting in the laundry list like group of flavours listed above.

So, a good Imperial Stout which benefits from the ageing in subtle ways. In a way I am disappointed the Glenlivet was not more obvious. It seems like a high quality Imperial Stout rather than a good example of oak ageing an Imperial Stout.  In that way it seems a beer of similar quality to the BBF Ultimate Stout. It shares that beers smoothness and good range of complexity, plus has a nice set of fruit notes. Unfortunately the high price, low availability and high abv means that it doesn’t have quite the same niche it fits as the Ultimate Stout and so while it is a beer I enjoy it’s not quite one I would hunt out as often as Ultimate Stout.

A good, but not obviously whisky, Imperial Stout.

Background:  Bristol Beer factory are the great stout producing brewery that made the “Twelve Stouts of Christmas” set of which this is one. In fact this is one of the last two. I have been saving the big gun whisky aged beers until last. This one was drunk whilst listening to Spektrmodule 6.

Tasting Notes: Brewdog: Chris From Stone’s Stout

Brewdog: Chris From Stone’s Stout (Scotland: Imperial Stout: 10.2%ABV)

Visual: Dark brown to black. Shimmer of toffee froth around the edges but no head.

Nose: Raisins and brandy cream. Buttery shortbread. An understated liquorice touch.  Fruitcake. Pumpkin seeds. A very faint sour touch.

Body: Lots of raisins. Light citrus – grapefruit? Vinous but insanely smooth. Barley and toffee. Light charring and milky chocolate behind the main fruity body. The bitterness slowly grows mid body.

Finish:  Pineapple. Raisins. Light hop trace but very unobtrusive. Light coffee and a small amount of bitterness.

Conclusion: This beer’s over ten percent? No way. This things sips smooth as can be. Fruity and spirit styled, but without any of the burn, it manages to be very light and graceful. There is no harshness and for an Imperial Stout it plays surprisingly subtle with the chocolate and coffee notes.

It’s pretty much pure on the sweetness and very appetising raisins on first touch; it takes a while before the subtle bitterness reveals itself.  It mainly comes out on the finish as a counterpoint but is not completely absent from the main body.

Now the flavour is not the most forceful for an Imperial Stout, the fruitiness is very much there but everything else works on a much more restrained model.  It also uses a light citrus touch near the end to offset the main flavour and make more refreshing. A trick seen before on BBF’s chocolate stout and appreciated here.

I don’t think there exists a style called Fruitcake stout but there should be just for this. Kind of ESB Stout mix. Very enjoyable as this lovely beer, and puts me in mind of Port Brewing’s Older Viscosity in its smoothness and subtlety of flavour.  If I have to push flaws the then beer could do with just bit more kick to the flavours. Frankly I’m being picky and messing with the balance could negatively impact its careful sipping yet high alcohol balance. Therefore it may be a bad idea to mess with it much as I’d like the extra flavour.

Well worth a trip to London to try if you are near, a great fruit ESB Stout hybrid.

Background: Found in Brewdog Camden. This is an Imperial Stout brewed with Raisins.  Apparently this was made when Chris from Stone Brewing was visiting during a brewers exchange.  I’m a huge Brewdog fan (and not and unbiased actor on them) and a huge fan of Stone Brewing so this was a must try.  With the insane abv I decided to limit myself to just a third of a pint. Had a delicious burger from the menu, but waited until I had finished the beer before sampling it.

 

Tasting Notes: Brewdog: Abstrakt:08

Brewdog: Abstrakt:08 (Scotland: American Strong Ale: 11.8% ABV)

Visual: Mahogany tinged honey gold with a white dust of a head. The head never froths heavily even mid pour.

Nose: Strawberry. Champagne and mandarin orange mix. Sugar cane and brown sugar. Brandy snaps. Milky chocolate. Very sweet. Dry malt and toffee.

Body:  Golden syrup and marzipan up front. Toffee and milk chocolate.  Some bitter chocolate depending on the moment.  Big amounts of fudge. All the stout like elements are mid body to end.  Strawberry and glacier cherry at the back. A moderate amount of pineapple hop moments but not heavily.

Finish:  Milk chocolate. Roasted nuts and deep bitterness. Tea like tannins. Coffee. Feels very fresh as it airs around the mouth. Fudge and bitter chocolate towards its last moments. Creamy in its bitterness. Still a touch of pineapple.

Conclusion:  Ok, it’s a blond stout. Ok.

I’ve accepted the existence of Black IPAs for a while now; blond stouts really shouldn’t be that much for my brain to handle.

Though, looking at it, it seems a more deep honeyed gold than blond. If I had to eye it I would have guessed the beer as a Barley wine.  But enough about the appearance, lets get stuck in. The aroma is similarly barley wine sweetness, to sugar shock levels in fact.

The first sip was while the beer was chilled, and it kept to the sweet fruit barley wine style. Very smooth and thick. Insanely sweet.  So I let it warn a while.  Now I’m not going to claim a bit of heat magically changed it into a stout. For one because that would be bullshit.  It kept its barley wine characteristics top and tail, but then into the centre like a depth charge came chocolate fudge and coffee.

It was like a shot of stout had been dropped in becoming a stout heart of the barley wine body.  The finish similarly sprouted a mix of chocolate stout and barley wine sweetness. Even the aroma shifted for a more dry, muted and less sweet character.

So it’s a bloody mixed up beast then, but what would you expect, it’s an attempt at a blond stout.

Stylistic pixelbitching aside, is it any good? Well the insane sweetness is overwhelming, all sugar fruits and candy cane. This can get a tad sickly, but when warm the surprisingly bitter finish does a nice offset. It s a bit too random to be a great beer, but it is a beer that gets better towards the end of a gulp. That’s when the real richness of the flavours hit.

Its problem is its stuck half way between stout and barley wine, with maybe just a hint of blond ale finish. It has that slightly creamy yet dry touch of blond ale there.  It’s an experiment that doesn’t quite work, but I love the fact it has been tried. As I have said many a time, I prefer a beer with ambition that doesn’t quite work to one that aims for the middle or the road and succeeds.

This is a wild Frankenstein fusion that enthrals me with its attempts for all its flaws. It’s up to you if you think you will have a similar response.

Background: When you can’t tell an April fools joke from an actual beer its time to get worried.  Brewdog did a joke about a blond stout last April fools, then the buggers only decided to go and make it. Liqorice roots were added to the beer, and it was aged on coffee beans to give that stout flavour.  Despite Brewdog calling it a “Deconstructed Blond Imperial Stout” there is some discussion of the actual style it belongs to. Obviously it has stout like qualities, but I would tend to call the beer a Barley Wine myself.  Ratebeer has it listed as an American Strong Ale, which is a loose enough grouping of beers that covers a wide range so in the end I decided to go with their category choice until further notice.  Drunk while listening to the album “After” by “Ihsahn”.

Tasting Notes: De Landtsheer: Malheur: Dark Brut

De Landtsheer: Malheur: Dark Brut (Belgium: Belgium Strong Ale:12% ABV)

Visual: Very dark black cherry red.  Huge froth of rum and raisin hued bubbles. Some sediment evident. Interestingly the bottle pours forth a burst of dry ice like smoke on popping the cork.

Nose: Thick. Malt loaf and coffee granules. Figs and plums rise. Glacier cherries then red wine and raisins. As it warms more becomes more like wine soaked fruitcake, mixing the elements together. Milky chocolate and finally marmalade. Such a huge range, one that doesn’t punch out but hovers above the glass.

Body: Big and chewy. Resin chews, raisins and plums. Glacier cherries into fruitcake. Shortbread. Marmalade again. Chocolate. A moderate amount of bitterness at the back. Banana.

Finish: Fig rolls. Milky chocolate in mini roll fashion. Still lots of marmalade. Bitter chocolate comes out as sweetness fades. Rum.

Conclusion: I often talk about making a beer into an event, and this beer is a supreme example of what I am talking about.  The champagne style bottle with simple but stylish label and just a bit of glitz pops open with a run of dry ice like smoke as if opening a show. The first pour and froth is a similar treat to the eye. Before even the first sip I was entranced by its showmanship and style.

Let it in past your lips and it’s a heady mix, but first you should take time to sample the aroma shifts as it warms. A quick swirl within the glass reveals a massive range. Once you finally sip it’s full of fruit and vinous qualities, but never so much that you mistake its beer heritage. Chocolate maltiness and a distinct mouthfeel are the really tells. There is a sign of the alcohol, but far from laying it on.

The marmalade touch throughout feels almost like a call to the delicious Dalmore whisky in that it mixed the luxurious chocolate in there with the marmalade  Also both have a similar eye for fantastic bottles.

If there are problems with it, then I would say that it pushes its main body flavour strongly to the point of sickliness.  For me it’s a good thing as it walks just on the right side of the razors edge of flavour, but for some it may be a step too far.

Frankly delicious, and unlike most strong beers I feel that it would be worse if they ever decided to barrel age it as is the trend these days. The range and subtlety shown would not likely survive whatever spirit it would have to compete with and I doubt the spirits influence would make up for this loss. A great beer as just the beer itself and also an event and a wonder.

Brilliant.

Background: One of the beers listed in “100 Belgium Beers to Try Before You Die”. Shared with friends, initially slightly chilled then allowed to warm. This beer is one I have been looking forwards to. Good reputation, great looking presentation bottle.  A beer I had been searching for since not being able to find it in Brugge last year.  All led to very positive expectations.

Tasting Notes: Brewdog: Abstrakt: AB07

Brewdog: Abstrakt: AB07 (Scotland: Scotch Ale: 12.5% ABV)

Visual: A very dark brown with an occasional black cherry hue if held to light. The froth comes up as a dark fizz, but it cannot last long.

Nose: Caramelised brown sugar/crème brulee. Raisins. Rocks and smoke. Possibly liquorice sticks.

Body:  Toffee sweet, backed by shortbread. Fudge comes in with huge doses. Quite a fizzy feel. Fruitcake and black cherry.  Figs.  Lots of malt. Bourbon. Rocks and smoke grows at the beer warms. Feels thick despite the fizz.

Finish: Lots of milk chocolate. Smoke. Did I mention quite a chunk of chocolate? Slight sea breeze and rocks.  Shortbread and raisins. Glacier cherries.

Conclusion:  The fact that me and scotch ales don’t always get along isn’t exactly hidden knowledge. It’s not that they are bad, just that they rarely shine.

This then is the crazy diamond that shines on from the rough. Or more absurdly mixed metaphors.  It is a very odd beer in one particular respect. How it responds to chilling. When chilled AB07 is this fantastic sweet fudge and malt bomb that I would swear had been aged in bourbon rather than whisky casks.  Lots of parallels to the wonderful bourbon county stout can be drawn in that lovely sweet and distinctly alcoholic air.

Warming then brings out the whisky influence, smoke and rocks setting up a second front against the sweetness.  Some people have compared the beer to “Bitch Please” but I just don’t see it. Ok they are both whisky aged, but for all the Methuselah lifecycle of whisky ageing this has had, the influence seems pleasantly understated in comparison to the “Jura in a beer” feel of “Bitch Please”.

Now for all the power, it is mainly straightforward in the flavour, with pretty straight forward scotch ale hits and whisky / bourbon influence. No bad thing though.  Lots of punch and well done beats a beer that has a lot going on but no really tying theme.

For all my raving this beer isn’t quite a showstopper though, but what it is however is a redemption of the scotch ale in my eyes up there with “Robert The Bruce. Also a rare thing in that it is a beer that will cause me to duel to the death in order to justify chilling it. The range you get from chilled to warm more than makes up for each expression being comparatively straightforward.

So a good beer, a great scotch ale, and a perfect defence of beer chilling, all in one glass.

Could do a lot worse.

Background: As mentioned many a time I am not an unbiased actor when I comes to Brewdog. I do try though.  I’m not a big fan of scotch ales as a rule; they often seem slightly simple if not done very well. This example has been aged in whisky casks. It was meant to be one of the last few Abstrakt releases but kept being delayed for extra ageing. I have no idea exactly how long this thing has been tucked away.

Tasting Notes: The Kernel: Imperial Brown Stout London 1856

The Kernel: Imperial Brown Stout London 1856 (England: Imperial Stout: 10.1% ABV)

Visual: Black. A moderate coffee brown creamy head which is unusual considering the abv.

Nose: Roasted nuts. Dry and dusty. Bitter chocolate shavings. Slight sour cream touches.

Body: Bitter, with lots of dry malt and moderate solid hops.  A slight taste like that gum you lick to seal envelopes.   Chocolate malt drinks. Light liquorice and sourness. Twigs.

Finish: Still a dry bitterness. Slight resinous and gummy touches. Whole meal bread. Nuts. Duty with touch of bitter coffee.

Conclusion: You would think with the number of imperial stouts that I’ve tried recently that they would get a tad samey. However instead it seems to just have beaten home exactly what a wide range of sub styles resides within that category. This for example is a beer that feels old. The slight mustiness and sourness backed by bitter solid flavours. It all harkens to the earlier ara that its name refers to.

Old does not mean badly crafted however, for all it brings images of brown paper and vinegar to mind in its wrapping and style it is still solidly tasty. Reserved for an imperial stout, yet has a solid hold on its use of bitterness and sourness. The hints of chocolate and malt that leak out are all the more enjoyable for their not being omnipresent.

So a solid beer that does not burn with its weighty potency. Never showy, but quality none the less.

Background: The last of a wide range of imperial stouts I ended up with in my cupboard. This one is from a London based brewery called the Kernel which has done ok so far, though I’ve not had a wide range of their beers.

Tasting Notes: Art Brew: Arbor Ales: Barley Wine AKA Double Trouble

Art Brew: Arbor Ales: Barley Wine (England: Barley Wine: 12% ABV)

Visual: Burgundy influenced brown with a light Carmel dash of bubbles that leave quite the trail around the glass.

Nose: light grapefruit and a toffee/caramel mix.  Touch of tangerine and fruit sourness.  Sometimes the sweetness turns somewhat treacle in style.

Body: Thick textured toffee and pineapple. Very sweet and hits instantly.  Fresh tangerine. Dry malt.  Thin sugar coating of chocolate eggs,  Glacier cherries.

Finish: Bitter and yet clashes with fresh grapefruit. Liquorice and malt drinks. A gin air from the alcohol.

Conclusion: Whilst putting a beer this high abv on tap is a brave move, Id say making a massive barley wine with a good dose of American style hopping then serving it in a very traditional style English pub is, if anything, even braver.  So, does it pay off?

Well, whilst I can’t say how well the pub will benefit but I can say it works well enough for me. Its ideal moment of grace is that first sip. Insanely sweet, lovely toffee and a hint of grapefruit. That first sip is a wonder.

Now if only you could frame that moment and make it last the entire beer then you would have yourself an all time great.  From the fact I am saying that means you can probably guess that it doesn’t quite hold onto that high,

Any sustained drinking leads to the alcohol and the weaker elements of the beer taking the floor from that lovely front.   Now if you take a decent gaps between sips you can offset that quite well, and frankly the abv pretty much demands that you take your time over it.  With this time and respect that lovely front shows itself again, so definitely don’t write the beer off.

It’s a very good beer, lots of massive flavour with just a few flaws holding it back, but it is still a heck of a beer.

Background: Found at the “Royal Oak”. Must say you don’t often find a 12%er on tap so I thought id give it a try. Art Brew have done a nice batch of beers with a fun bit of experimentation and Arbor have been solid enough so far that a collaboration seemed like a thing to try. Only a half pint drunk for obvious sodding reasons.  Note: the bottled version of this appears to be called “Double Trouble”, it may also have spent a little longer ageing.

Tasting Notes: Grain D’Orge: Belzebuth

Grain D’Orge: Belzebuth (France: Belgium Strong Ale: 13% ABV)

Visual: Golden hued apricot flesh that holds up a medium bubbled white head.  Only a few small bubbles are evident main body.

Nose: Figs, golden syrup and dry malt. Lemon sherbet mixes with apricot. Some slight pencil shavings then evident overripe banana.

Body: Very sweet. Figs, raisins and liquorice. Banana. Cane sugar massively. Solid malt core.

Finish: Dry malt. Alcohol air, maybe gin. Cane sugar and dry black liquorice. Malt chocolate. The alcohol hits noticeably at the back of the throat for a while.

Conclusion:   In always slightly distrustful of a beer that has its abv nearly as big as its name a on a label. It tends to indicate the beer favours intoxication over flavour. Though this as not as bad a sign as a beer that has its abv as part of the name, that is nigh always a sign you are about to drink shit (Carling C2 I am looking at you).

This beer thankfully doesn’t get too obsessed with abv over flavour like some other (Start The Future I’m now looking at you) but it does come close.  The cane sugar that makes up a good proportion of the main body does remind me of the rare instance I’ve run into a bad Belgium Tripel and the sugar used to get the alcohol up has left a slight over sweet remain.

The beer however redeems itself a lot with banana and fig richness in the aroma and main body. It takes the excessive sweetness and works with it rather than against it. This holds on until the finish where a dry liquorice takes over.  Unfortunately at this point it is almost gin level alcohol influence so it doesn’t quite work

Now as you can probably guess, this doesn’t shout fine craftsmanship as much as papering over the cracks, but at least it claims its flaws and makes them part of the experience instead of trying to ignore them.  It does end up better than you would guess from the individual elements.  It’s like a random pile of broken down items that haphazardly create a fun image. Not fine art, but better than you would expect.

Background: picked up as it is one of Michael Jackson’s 500 great Beers.  Apparently used to be at 15% abv but was reduced, though I doubt the 15% version would have been any more balanced.