Evil Twin: Even More Jesus (Denmark: Imperial Stout: 12% ABV)
Visual: Thick black with a viscous sheen around the glass. Dark fudge brown froth that writhes across the body then vanishes.
Nose: Nutty. Bitter coffee. Touch of cloying sour cream and chives. Touch of smoke and iodine.
Body: Very thick. Medicinal touch and salt that warms into heavy fudge and chocolate fondue. Black cherry. Thick caramel. Bitter and roasted elements below. Condensed cream. Nougat. Chocolate cake, Slightly oily. Marshmallow.
Finish: Bitter chocolate. Fudge. Twix biscuits. Roasted nuts. Sweet chocolate cake. Praline oil. Brown sugar.
Conclusion: This is a big one to take on. Ok, let’s go. This thing is seriously thick. The texture is weighty and creamy, mostly smooth but tingles down your throat to warn at its strength. Fondue textured and gives a great grip to the flavor.
It is hard to imagine that the beer started so unassumingly.
Well, maybe not started, the pour gave a hint. A viscous sheen over the glass and the pouring liquid looks motor oil black and opaque even in mid air.
What I’m referring to then is the aroma. It didn’t tell me very much at all. Roasted, sour cream and chives. Touch of iodine like it had been Island whisky aged. Nice, but nothing that the Bristol Beer Factory Stouts didn’t do better.
So to sip, perchance to dream, we face forceful medical and salt up front. Nothing special but with a weight beyond initially expected.
Then, hold the liquid, let the weight slip down and with it the force and let out chocolate, fudge, nougat and marshmallow. The fudge is the real winning element, sweetening moment upon moment and thickening until becomes caramel like as a capstone to the flavor.
When you release, swallow and let the bitter chocolate and biscuits reclaim the tongue. Belgium bitter chocolate, both stylish and harsh in its bitterness and returning roasted character. This things bitterness reminds me of Speedway Stout in its intensity here, but after a far more complex body.
The thickness and bitter flavours mean that it is a beer of enforced slow indulgence, if drunk fast it would not have time to let its flavours seep out so would be far duller and noted primarily for the mild alcohol burn. Instead the weight forces languid sips to let the oils come out and with it the richness and complexity.
A heavy luxury that makes you appreciate it on its terms. Fights and earns its place at the top tier of the Imperial Stout league which is a hard won context if ever there was one.
The slow food of beer drinking and worth every moment.
Background: The Evil Twin Brewing, from the tales I have heard so called because it is the evil twin of Mikkeller. They follow the same procedure of brewing in rented breweries around the world rather than having a brewery of their own. In fact from a quick search it looks like the name is more literal than I first thought and that the main men of the two breweries are literal brothers. Anyway, I picked this up just before Christmas mainly because it was called ” Even More Jesus” which amused me at that time of the year. Hey, at least I’m honest about it. Since I had so many stouts and Imperial Stouts in the cupboard at the time I decided to save it for drinking later in the year. Drunk while listening to Nine Inch Nails “The Fragile. Yes again. The music seems to suit heavy beers well, slow and heavy but not intrusive. Sets a very good atmosphere for relaxing and letting strong beer seep through you. Maybe I should make it the official heavy beer drinking music of the site.
