As I’ve mentioned in my last several posts, I’m in St. Louis today doing a tour of microbreweries. However, we’re currently at the International Tap House (ITAP) in Soulard to enjoy a few more beers and watch the Missouri Tigers in March Madness. I was looking for something local on tap I hadn’t had yet, but I couldn’t find anything. This beer caught my eye, and since I hadn’t had it yet, I went for it.

Location: Enjoyed in a large tulip shaped glass at the International Tap House (ITAP) in the Soulard area of St. Louis, MO.

Numbers: 10.8% ABV, 100 IBUs, ~ 323 Calories

Ingredients: Malts: Pale Malt, Cara-Bohemian, Carafa III Special, and Chocolate Malt; Hops: Columbus (bittering), Citra (flavor/aroma). Dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Pacific Jade.

Appearance & Aroma: It was black in color, with some ruby colors visible when held up to the light. There was a creamy/soapy head which was dark tan in color and left some nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was mostly citrusy hops with a bit of roasty malts and licorice.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium to full and the mouthfeel was fairly smooth and creamy with a slight bit of crispness from the carbonation and hops. Up front, there was a good amount of citrus and pine hoppiness mixed with a toasty chocolate maltiness. Along with the hop bitterness, a few more bitter coffee-like flavors come in, becoming a bit more pronounced in the finish and aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This is a big, flavorful beer, and you could easily pair it with a chocolate desert, to match the big coffee and chocolate flavors, and washing down the hop bitterness. This would also be a nice pairing with a thick prime rib, mixing the bitterness with a bit of horseradish for a burst of flavor.

Overall Impression: This was a very big, very flavorful beer. The hop bitterness and roasted chocolate and black malts flavors battled back and forth, creating a complex mix of flavors with every sip. It’s not one for a light beer drinker, as this beer really brings the flavor. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good, complex beer that reminded me a lot of a very hoppy Russian imperial stout.

My Rating:

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