To Øl Goliat Imperial Coffee Stout

Back for another gunning run on the To Øl coffee cache, fresh from a pretty successful campaign debut.

It's a good looking pour again, and at a solid 10.1% these guys are serious. Big coffee again delivers beguilingly on the nose - draws you in for a taste. The body and palate both back it up beautifully but it's important to note it is not just about the coffee .. it's a beautifully rounded, heavy, satisfying cudgel of a stout this with all the creamy complexity this style deserves.

I love it when these sorts of beers have a development of flavours, and it's no wonder these guys learned the dark magics of Mister Mikkeller in sampling this one. If I had to nitpick I'd say maybe just ever so slightly too sweet - but that's really drawing flaws in what is another excellent beer. 8.5

To Øl / Mikkeller Sleep Over Coffee IIPA

A mouthwatering combination brew here between young start-up To Øl and their past master Mr Mikkeller himself.

As mentioned previously, coffee plus IPA just sounds like a brilliant combo to me, though I'm yet to be wowed by one. This of course ups the stakes - at a remarkable 10.5% it's well and truly in imperial territory.

It's good looking too, heavy amber colour and strong lasting head. Aroma is just what you'd want here, malt driven, hops not evident to allow the coffee character to shine through. It's double percolated coffee castoff style aromas here rather than fresh beans but it works in nicely with that malt backbone.

Delicious malty imperial flavours up front, which meld into a lovely coffee finish. Despite its mighty heft, there is no alcoholic bang to it - instead it is smooth as you like, and delicious. It's hard to call it a definitive IIPA as such as the hops are bit-part players, but the label does acknowledge that it is the hybrid spawn of a strong ale / barleywine / IIPA and to me, I'd prefer to see boundaries broken for the sake of the beer experience rather than slavish adherence to styles.

All in all great beer: a concept proven. Any beer that has me looking forward to trying it again like this one has to be highly recommended. 9.0

Haandbryggeriet Odin's Tipple Dark Norse Ale

Sometimes a variety of factors (low light, elapsed time, my own shocking lack of care) combine to mean a beer's mugshot ends up some distance from what it actually looks like in, you know, reality.

In this case though what you see is genuinely what you get - it's a massive 11% imperial stout that glugs like an oil spill with an almost studious evasion of any carbonation whatsoever.  

My notes for the nose on this one include the phrase 'complex Christmas chocolate' along with shortbread and other assorted biscuitry. On the palate though it's a mixture of complex and straightforward that takes a bit of time to understand. The label certainly confirms it's a beer they've tried to keep very simple recipe-wise (think stacks of choc malt), but the sheer bulk of it coupled with their use of wild yeast gives it a thoughtful sort of quality too. I got a fair bit of alc coming through on this, not all of it pleasant.

Our local bottle-o informs us that each time they get a batch of this, one particular customer turns up and purchases almost all of it right away, so it's certainly got some fans. For me, an interesting experiment but not one I'll be searching out again in the near future. 7.0

Moa Imperial Stout

Despite the lovely cork on the bottle, I was a little surprised to see this one pushing 10.2%.

Something about the labeling from these guys suggests to me they're a bit lightweight - which if this beer is anything to go on, couldn't be further from the truth.

Instead, this pours lovely and consistent with a heavy body and leaves a lovely sticky beige finger of head. It's got one of those imperial stout aromas true to form, with molasses and sultanas the standout. Booze is pleasantly unobtrusive in the nose, remaining hidden unless you really hunt for it like some nasal version of Kirby.

This beer is aged in pinot noir bottles, and it does feel apparent with the red wine rum and raisin flavours really suiting this imperial stout. There's some dark fruit present before a pleasingly dry coffee aftertaste takes you to a full and reassuring conclusion.

I have to say I wasn't expecting much here but I enjoyed every drop. Recommended. 8.0

Green Flash Barleywine

The 2011 edition for reference.

First things first, this pours excellently, what a ripper body and head profile, just looks sensational. Mouth = watering. Full marks.

Aroma is primarily stonefruit, sweet fruit smells, some alcohol but only if you strain for it.

Wow. Flavour. This beer is really very flavoursome. FLAVOUR is what this beer screams while cold. Notes of toffee apple colour a wide progression of round flavours, it's well hopped to boot, feel like this is a tightrope balance they've somehow walked, mad skills. It's smooth without being heavy or torpid like these can sometimes get - indeed, if anything it is quite light bodied for the style.

The snag with this beer is an unexpected one - oddly, it actually gets a little worse as it warms, possibly due to its comparatively lightweight body. There's a bit too much red apple and watery red grape going on if you leave it, and the nose similarly worsens to reveal a few more stripped back nail polish alcoholic notes.

Quite a different barleywine and well worth a try.. impressive lightness but whether this is desirable is maybe a matter of personal choice. 7.5

De Molen Rasputin

This one came recommended (it generally would need to, with the $35 price tag..).

Initially a bit browner than expected out of the bottle, though it doesn't show too well in the shot above. What you do see is the mysteriously solid head, which came out looking more like a meringue than a typical stout hat. Still, after letting things settle, it generates a pretty complex aroma, covering darkfruit, caramel, coffee.

On first bite my initial reaction was the mouthfeel was too highly aerated but it resolves within an instant to produce a velvety progression that actually suits the style very well. Taste delivers a massive burst of christmas cake, big brandy notes, quite fruity round character. It's heavy but not turpentine hot, no real problem here. There's a lingering burnt brown sugar taste that carries you through to the end with dark candied fruit.

This beer can be cellared for up to 25 years so it may improve with time. We can only rate what's in front of us though (2011 bottle by the way) and at this stage it doesn't do a great deal more than other (cheaper) beers accomplish in this style. There's just not much "wow", and on that thought it's difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. 7.5

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

You know you're on to something when the bar staff refuse to pour anything larger than a middy of the beer you order.

In this case, that something is one of Sierra Nevada's flagship draughts: the mighty Hoptimum DIPA / IIPA. There's a dank green nose on this right off the bat: if you're a hophead this will fire you up from the very beginning. It's bordering on illicit green herbs country and in combination with the creamy white head leaves the mouth watering.

Then you drink it.. gee. Doesn't really hit like the 10.4% abv it represents.. not quite as dark as many in this range either. That's not to cast aspersions though - make no mistake this is a big, big beer, and will likely flat out kill anyone who's not been practicing in advance. It would be a great practical joke down the pub to cunningly swap it with someone's Carlton Mid if it weren't such a travesty to give this beer away.

It's pleasingly dead on 100 IBU and tastes every inch the centurion, but beneath that explosion there's some layered detail in the caramel malt and grassy green herbals.

Some people love big hopped DIPA / IIPAs and some don't. Personally I love them, and this is a legitimate yardstick for the style. 9.0

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Beer Geek Brunch - Weasel edition: so named because it uses those famous coffee beans that have been, ahem, run through a civet.

It's familiar but highly pleasing territory as you open this one, like coming home, beautiful heavy pour, pretty red-mocha head, well developed nose pressing all the right buttons regarding coffee, slight chocolate, and roast. In short, a Mikkeller stout.

Taste wise it has more coffee throughout than the previous Beer Geek range, bit more vanilla / milky nature to it too, very smooth indeed for its heft. Oatmeal roasty flavours, total class act as always. It's not as sharp coffeewise as you might expect, instead really quite creamy, makes it easy drinking and a fine companion to nurse for a while.

I'd recommend this beer to just about anyone. Superb. 9.0, maybe rising ..

8 Wired Batch 31 Imperial Stout

Fresh from the successes of Batch 18 we strolled into #31 expecting good things.

This too is an imperial, but scaled down a little at 11% abv and in fact quite different to the previous release. It's a smokier nose and far smokier taste than before, without the plum pudding / christmas cake characteristics that were dominant in Batch 18 and many other imperials. Bitterness is held in check here.

This is a quality beer and easy, enjoyable drinking. I preferred the previous edition of this particular line however for its deeper content and less bacon like tendencies. 8.0

Mikkeller / Three Floyds Boogoop

Growler time! And what better way to start than with 2 whole litres of a barleywine that clocks in at 10.4%?

That's 16.4 standard drinks right there, so even with a couple of people, depending on the character this could well have been a struggle. That it vanished with no trouble other than a lingering feeling of sorrow was a very good sign.

Pours beautifully this, attractive orange colour and a creamy lasting head that roils and furls. Aroma presents big hops, backing malt and various fruits, all really well balanced and enticing. Full marks for presentation.. this is mouthwatering.

Lovely mouthfeel to this, it's as heavy as befitting a beer of this girth but easy drinking too, warms the throat without bashing you about with its alcohol at any point. Notes of orange fruit and malts start the profile, followed by a wash of bitterness. All really top drawer stuff, very classy.

In short, bloody delicious. Just wish there was more.. 9.5