Brewdog Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA

No disrespect to the Brewdog brewmasters, but there's not a lot of variety in this variety pack. The way I envision a variety is different styles of beer, not just seven IPAs with different fruit flavors added.

Sorry, all that I can say about this beer is:

"Same as the other IPAs I reviewed, this time with grapefruit and no cranberry"

 

Brewdog Double Cake

Ill-Gotten Booty has mixed feelings about adding flavorings to beers. On one hand, the right combination of malts and hops can unleash a myriad of flavor profiles without adding anything; on the other hand, some flavors add to certain styles resulting in a total that is greater than the sum of its parts. Stouts and porters are often enhanced by the addition of chocolate, vanilla or coffee. Double Cake has added marshmallow and chocolate to their very fine stout and it's a winner! Double Cake pours a midnight back with some scarlet highlights, with a reverse waterfall resolving itself into a three-finger khaki head. The chocolate and marshmallow flavors are there, but rather than distracting from the stoutness of the stout, they, as the man said "kicked it up a notch". In addition to the added flavors, the stout boasts notes of vanilla and coffee, with the marshmallow imparting a smooth creaminess. 8/10 on the IGB stout scale. 
 

Brewdog Hellcat India Pale Lager (Collaboration with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson)

 Previously unbeknownst to me Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson is a beer aficionado who has partners with numerous craft breweries to produce the "Trooper" family of beers. (Photo below).

Hellcat is styled an India Pale Lager (IPL), which I can only assume, is an attempt to cash in on the popularity of IPAs while brewing a lager. The reading I did on the IPL style indicates that it's pretty new, so there are no real guidelines as to what makes an IPL. They're apparently brewed using lager yeast, which is typically cold/bottom fermenting, so I'm not sure how they tease the esters out of the malt that normally come out with the higher temp top fermenting yeasts. Research for another day I guess. Mainly what they're going for is a marriage of the crisp, cleanness of a lager with the hoppiness of an IPA. I didn't think Hellcat was especially hoppy (Brewdog doesn't list the IBUs of their beers), but it did have some complexity not normally found in lagers. It reminded me of a helles style, with some floral and strawberry notes. Maybe a hint of pineapple. Somewhat unexpected - I would need another to really appreciate it, but the 12 pack only had one

 

Brewdog Light Speed Hazy IPA

There's not too many craft or micro breweries that brew light beer, but here we are. Light Speed pours a brilliant lemon yellow with a snow white, two-finger head. At 4.0% ABV, it sessionable for sure, but like many of Brewdog's beers, I can't find the IBUs anywhere. I'm detecting some grapefruity hoppiness, but I think despite them calling it an IPA, it's more like a pale ale. I've often commented how "IPA" being so popular among craft beer geeks and hipster types, just about everything gets labelled an IPA, whether or not it warrants the appellation. There are no flavors added, but the hops impart notes of grapefruit, mango, pineapple, and most prominently, lemon(ade). Pretty decent. 
 

Brewdog Santa Paws Cranberry & Grapefruit IPA

Number 4 of 12 in the Brewdog Holiday Variety Pack. Unless most variety 12 packs that offer at most 6 different beers, Brewdog includes 12 different beers in their holiday selection. Tonight's special will be Santa Paws, a IPA made with grapefruit and cranberry. Not everything in this 12 pack could be classified specifically as "holiday", "Christmas" or "Winter", but in my opinion, Santa Paws fits the description. Santa Paws pours a hazy ripe apricot hue, with a two-finger white head, its 6.5% ABV puts it in the range for an American IPA, but I couldn't find any reference to the IBUs, although if I had to guess, I would put it in the 45-55 range. It's hoppy enough, but the fruit flavoring hides the bitterness somewhat. The cranberry gives it that holiday feel, balanced perfectly by the citrus bite of the grapefruit. Not earth-shaking, but a solid representative of the IPA style. 
 

Brewdog Hoppy Christmas IPA

This creators of this variety pack have proved to be hops enthusiasts! Tonight's selection is Hoppy Christmas, a "Christmas IPA". Now when I see a beer billed as a "Christmas" or a "Winter" ale, I expect there to be some kind of flavoring, usually spices of some description, but Hoppy Christmas is nothing of the sort, it's just a very, very hoppy India Pale Ale. And by very, very, hoppy, I mean 66 IBUs. It's also got an ABV of 6%. Now, don't think that the lack of added spices is a knock on this excellent brew, just that it's not what I expected - I suppose hops look a little like tiny Christmas trees, so I guess that's the connection...other than the holiday-themed label. Despite the absence of anything the Reinheitsgebot would disapprove of, there's a lot of complexity and shades of various flavors brought out by the malt and the hops. Pineapple, pine, apricot, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and orange peel. Even though the hoppiness is a robust 66 IBUs, it's not astringent or overpowering. Overall a pretty decent IPA, albeit without anything remotely Christmassy about it. 
 

Brewdog Jet Black Heart Espresso Oatmeal Milk Stout

Beer #3 in the winter seasonal pack from Brewdog, tonight's offering is called Jet Black Heart - Espresso; it's a nitro oatmeal milk stout. It poured, just as the name implies, jet black, with what I call the reverse waterfall effect with the head taking up the whole glass, swirling around as it ebbs to a creamy, tan, two-finger head. The consistency is like chocolate milk, and there's a definite suggestion of chocolate milk in the mélange of flavors. Of course, again as the name indicates, there's a whiff of strong coffee. Not as obvious is the presence of notes of dark fruits: figs, dates, black cherries; and some brown sugar. This is without a doubt in the top tier of milk stouts - IGB gives it a 9.25 on the Stout Scale. 

 

Brewdog Hazy Jane New England Style IPA

For the second of twelve, I thought I go for the IPA without the added fruit flavoring. I probably should have started off with this one, before sampling the mango or peach, just to get a good baseline, but time travel just is too energy intensive. 

As advertised, Hazy Jane pours extremely...well...hazy. I dipped a toy hockey stick in it and could barely see it through all the cloudiness. It pours an apricot hue, with a fuzzy white three-finger head. Without the distraction of the added fruit flavor, the complexity comes through. Pineapple, apricot, citrus, tangerine. The hop character is piney, but not very bitter. It's also brewed with oats and wheat, although the ratio of those two grains to the total isn't specified, but oats tend to give a beer a creamier, heavier character. I wasn't overly impressed with the mango version, but my opinion of the underlying ale just went up after sampling this one. There's a Hazy Jane Peach to still try, but I'd gave the basic Hazy Jane an 8 on the IGB IPA scale. 
 

Brewdog Hazy Jane Mango New England Style IPA

Hazy Jane Mango IPA from Brewdog is the first from the holiday 12-pack. It's billed as a New England style India Pale Ale - I had to look up what that meant: in contrast to the West Coast IPA, which is dry, very hoppy/bitter, with dank piney notes, a New England IPA is purposely cloudy or hazy, has a creaminess not found in its West Coast cousin, and has a hop profile that is less bitter and leans more to a tropical profile, rather than citrus-y or piney. The base beer,

Hazy Jane IPA fits the bill, with little overt bitterness and hints of pineapple, mango, peach and lime. The mango version, naturally brings mango to the head of the line. When I first poured this ale, I immediately caught a whiff of the tropical fruit notes from the hops, as well as the mango itself. It's not a bolt from the blue, but this beer is a pretty solid IPA which should appeal, not only to the IPA novice, but to the pale ale veteran who doesn't see the point in a hop level that removes the enamel from your teeth and the paint from your car. 

 

Zipline Calavera Stout

There's not going to be a lot in this review; Calavera uses the previously reviewed The Stout as the base beer, but has added cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa and a reduction drawn from various Mexican chiles. I'm not detecting the cinnamon, but the vanilla & cocoa are definitely evident, but the chiles are coming on strong. Pretty unique brew. The 13.8% ABV makes it a slow sipper. 
 

Zipline Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (THE Stout)

Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. What could be better? Nothing's better on a cold Nebraska evening than a Nebraska-brewed black beauty. THE Stout pours midnight black...I swear it looked like an oil well had snuck into the brewery. The head is negligible, hah! who needs it anyway? The ABV is a respectable 13.8%, which imparts a comfortable alcohol heat, releasing the bourbon flavor as well. It's smooth and creamy, and very complex. Chocolate, black cherry, figs, molasses, a teeny hint of oak, and vanilla all compete for attention...but they're gentlemen about it, not brawlers. 9.5/10 on the IGB stout scale. 
 

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale & Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Seldom do I combine multiple beers in one review, but there's a very good reason for this: other than both Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale and Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale having slightly different ABVs, they are essentially the same beer. Night Owl's ABV is 6.7%, while Great Pumpkin's is a measly 8.4%. Each of these pumpkin ales is pretty good, even an excellent sample of the seasonal style, but I'd expect an imperial anything to have a higher alcohol and/or hop content. Now this is the odd thing: on Elysian's website the notes for Great Pumpkin indicate that it has 0 IBUs...no hops! I don't know if you can even call it beer if there aren't any hops. If this is true, there is no detectable difference between Night Owl, at 18 IBUs (very mild hop bitterness) and Great Pumpkin at an alleged no IBUs. 

These pumpkin ales pour a distinctive hue - just like a pumpkin pie, with a scanty tan head. The spices are a perfect blend of cinnamon (which holds a prominent place in the spice pantheon), allspice, nutmeg and ginger. Both versions have a smooth consistency, and even the lower ABV version has a whiskey-like quality to it. Very smooth. I'd recommend either of these beers for anyone's Autumn beer drinking!

 

Elysian Puncuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale

The second of four, Puncuccino is a pumpkin ale with added coffee flavoring. I was a it suspicious of this one - I wasn't sure of the two favors would go together - I like some pumpkin creamer in my coffee, but I hadn't considered how they would complement the beer. I'm not sure what the base beer was, it poured a dark, almost black, brown, suggesting a stout or a porter, but the consistency wasn't as creamy as one would expect from a stout. Maybe the base is a dunkel. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how the coffee and the pumpkin pie spice complemented the taste of the beer. The spices (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger) are all pretty strong, but the coffee notes are quite subdued, yet you know that they're there. Kind of a fun ale to kick off the Autumn beer season. 
 

Elysian Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout

One of the things that I love about the autumn season is pumpkin spice flavored...everything. And of course, there's the stouts and porters that go down so well during the cooler evenings. Tonight I picked up a 12-pack of Elysian pumpkin beers and tried out two of them. The first is Dark O' The Moon, a pumpkin stout. 

Before I even start commenting on the pumpkin-ness, I have to say that the flavoring aside, this is a really good stout. Thick and creamy, with a smooth layer of chocolatey goodness. Not too hoppy. When it comes to the spices, they're all there: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and maybe a hint of vanilla and caramel. The spice and the underlying stoutness balance perfectly; the strong stout base needed (and received) strong spices to make it all come together. 

Highly recommended for fans of pumpkin stouts or porters. 
 

Kinkaider "Prison Mike" Strawberry Rhubarb Sour

 After over a month alcohol-free due to a dietary restriction and with a few days of vacation left, I was more than ready for a nice craft beer from Jake's. And it's definitely the season for sours. I was befuddled by the name on the tap, but after Googling the image, I remember the episode of "The Office" where Michael Scott plays the part of "Prison Mike". 

Prison Mike is just what you want in a flavored sour. ABV is 5.9%, a nice kick, but not too much trouble. IBUs = 17, so not much in the hoppiness category. The tartness is is about a 6 on a scale of 10, you know it's a sour, but you're not puckering up! Strawberry rhubarb is one of my favorite dessert flavors, I love it in pie, and Noosa makes a great yogurt in that flavor. And it made a great addition to a solid sour on a hot afternoon. 

Backswing Oatmeal Stout

Number Five in the Backswing series. This one is a beer that I often drink only in the colder months, but I needed one more to fill out a mixed six-pack, so here we are. 

There are a lot of different types of stouts: cream stout, milk stout, imperial Russian stout, hybrid styles, it's almost infinite! An oatmeal stout uses...you guessed it...oats as one of its grains. The result is a thicker, creamer brew. The misunderstanding among "dark beer" neophytes is that stouts are necessarily heavier, as well as higher in alcohol content. For the old school stouts such as Guinness, this isn't the case, although for sub-styles like Imperial Russian Stout this would be true. A Guinness has about the same consistency as any other mass-produced beer and the ABV is usually at 5% or less. 

Backswing's version of this style pours a deep chocolatey brown, with a three-finger beige head that slowly recedes to a thin lacing. As one would expect from a stout, there's a mélange of flavors that include milk chocolate, café au lait, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla. The ABV is 5.5%, so it's definitely sessionable. 25 IBUs give it a moderate hoppiness, but nothing distracting. Something that I did not expect was the mild smokiness. I'm of the opinion that you definitely can overdue the smokiness, and some rauchbiers are frankly undrinkable, but the smokiness level adds an air of mystery. Thumbs up. 

Backswing Brown

I'm glad to see that most of Backswing's beers don't have cutesy name and just called by their style, so this isn't something like Back Nine Brown, or Fuzzy Puppy Brown, but merely "brown". The term "brown ale" can be used for a variety of styles, but usually refers to an ale with moderate bitterness, and brewed with dark malts. Backswing Brown pours a chocolate brown hue with a huge tan head (tall, quickly dissipating heads seem to be a feature of Backswing beers). Brown ales tend to be looked down upon by beer snobs in favor of IAs, quads and more exotic and forgotten styles. But brown ales (despite the unassuming name) are often quite complex. Backswing Brown, is moderately hoppy, at 30 IBUs, but with the bitterness hiding in the background. At 6.5% ABV, it's on the outside edge of sessionable, but still low enough for more than one. Chocolate is the main flavor, with a little bit of almond and hazelnut for good measure. A decent brew for a cool, rainy, Spring night. 
 

Backswing Backspin Apple Wheat Ale

We're on Day Three of the Backswing Brewery themed reviews. Today's brew is Backspin, an Apple Wheat ale. At 9.8 IBUs, it's almost as if it was brewed without any hops (it's also the first time I've seen IBUs expressed fractionally) - there's so much apple dominating the taste, I'd have guessed that it was a hard cider. If you're a fan of ciders, you might enjoy Backspin; me, I don't seek them out. It pours a clear medium golden hue, with a scanty white head. Other than the obvious apple, there are hints of pear, white grape and lemon, but you have to really concentrate to taste anything other than apple. Did I mention that apple predominates? Yes, I did. 
 

Backswing Bugeaters FC Goalden Ale

Beer #2 of the backswing Series of Beer Reviews.

Apparently there's a soccer team around here that I was unaware of. Named the Bugeaters (the original name of what became the Cornhuskers). Also note the spelling of "golden" as "goalden". 

A golden ale, also called a "blonde ale" is what you might call you basic, no frills ale. No flavorings, no resuscitation of long forgotten beer styles from obscure towns in Germany or Scotland. 

Bugeaters is one of those ales that has absolutely nothing wrong with it, yet aren't memorable. It pours a hazy amber with a head that is so tall I ran out of fingers to measure it. The ABV of 5.5% allows you to safely have more than one. 17.5 IBUs is pretty low on the bitterness scale. I categorize Bugeaters as a dry ale, no hint of sweetness, and really, not hint of any others flavors other than ale flavor. Not that that's a bad thing. 

Backswing Citra Kölsch

The next few beer reviews will all be from Backswing Brewery in Lincoln, Nebraska. Based on the labels, none are particularly fancy, and certainly don't have fancy names. Number one on the list is a style that is a summer favorite of mine: Kölsch. The label lists it as Citra Kolsch - without the umlaut - but I like umlauts, and the standard spelling has an umlaut...) To refresh your memory, a kölsch is one of the hybrid beer styles. It is brewed using ale yeasts, i.e. top/warm fermentation. It is then "lagered", i.e. left to cool and age, sometimes for months. 

Backswing's Citra Kölsch clocks in a 22 IBUs and 5.2% ABV. This makes a eminently sessionable - low enough in alcohol content that you can have a few of them in a deinking "session", and very low in hop bitterness. It pours a hazy goldenrod with a towering cumulo-nimbus head. "Refreshing" is the first adjective that comes to mind. There's a subtle honey-like sweetness, and some peppery notes. As the name implies, there's some citrus quality, mainly orange peel and lemon zest with some grapefruit lurking in the background. Definitely a beer that you want to keep in mind for your summer beer drinking. 
 

Kinkaider 4-County Pale Ale

Gotta love them local beers! Of course, to love 'em, they have to be high quality local beers, and Kinkaider consistently turns out high quality brews. Originating in Broken Bow in Custer County, the name 4-County refers to the "4" prefix on Custer County license plates. Pouring a slightly hazy sunset orange with a two-finger snowy-white head. With a 5.5% ABV and 38 IBUs, it's straying into IPA territory. Grapefruit notes are front and center, with some piney hops following along. The hops are quite evident, but not overwhelming. As it warms up I detect some lemon zest and some rye bread. Mild, but not uninteresting. 
 

Crane Brewing's ThunderGong Wheat Ale

I'm tearing myself away from my true love, the quads, stouts and bourbon oak barrel infused ales and segueing into the lighter brews as befits the warmer weather that's surely on the way. I haven't reviewed a lot of wheats, but I'm going to make an effort to sample some this year.

ThunderGong Wheat Ale pours a sparkling topaz hue (thanks to my wife Susie for the description of the color) with a scanty white, lacy head. Not a lot of strong flavors, but there's a mild grassiness tickling the nose, with a tiny bit of citrus. Maybe some coriander. There's technically nothing wrong with this beer, but there also isn't anything memorable about it either. 5.5 on the IGB wheat beer scale.
 

Crooked Stave Von Pilsner

Here's a new (to me) beer style: keller pilsner. According to Wikipedia, a "kellerbier" is a type of German lager that is typically neither clarified or pasteurized. The term translates a "cellar beer", referring to cool lagering temperatures. It contains more of it's original brewing yeast held in suspension. It is distinctly cloudy as is described by German producers as naturtrüb (naturally cloudy). Kellerbier and it's related form Zwickelbier are often served directly from the barrel. It pours a lemon drop yellow, with a fluffy, pure white, two finger head. It's got a smooth taste, with moderate hoppiness, and an easy-going 5.0% ABV. The hops provide some light citrus notes, No strong tastes of any kind, but would serve as a decent lawnmower beer. I can imagine pairing it with cheddar cheese, tangy coleslaw or perhaps a nice baked ham or ham sandwich. It's not earthshaking, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. 

 

Cosmic Eye Brewery: Unlock The Time Dragon IPA

With the long anticipated (relatively) warm weather this past week, an IPA was more than appropriate. I received a six pack of Cosmic Eye Brewery's Unlock the Time Dragon IPA in exchange for helping a friend file her taxes. India Pale Ales are known for moderately high alcohol content and elevated hoppiness (expressed as International Bitterness Units). Unlock the Time Dragon IPA fits both of those requirements: the ABV is 6.1% and the IBUs are a staggering 72. Despite the high hop content, the bitterness isn't the take-the-paint-off-the-hood-of-your-car kind of bitterness, but is more of a smooth citrussy hoppiness. It pours a hazy apricot hue, with a two-finger snowy white head. Peach and pineapple are the dominant notes in this orchestra, with pear, apple and white grape back in the second row. There's a bit of piney hops that show up as it warms up with some brown sugar and caramel to round it all out. A definite keeper at 9.0 on the IGB IPA scale; I'll be enjoying the other five. 
 

Surly Brewing Company Razor Gang Dry Irish Style Stout

The proliferation of small batch craft beer breweries has resulted in multiple takes on traditional beer styles in addition to new configurations. Stouts, porters, imperial stouts, Russian Imperial stouts, milk stouts, cream stouts, oatmeal stouts, oyster stouts, coffee stouts, barrel-aged, Baltic porters, plus any number of hybrid styles. In my youth the only "dark" beer around was usually Guinness Stout, a brew that people were convinced was stronger and heavier than the mass produced lagers, when in reality it had a ABV right in the same range, and it wasn't nearly as thick and creamy as people remember. Razor Gang is similar to Guinness in that it's a dry Irish stout. The ABV is 4.5% and the bitterness is around what you'd expect in a pale ale, around 35 IBUs. Overall, it's a decent stout, but nothing outstanding about it.

 

White Elm Brewery's Flat Roofin' Brown Porter

Another local brewery that's making a name for itself, I haven't had a lot of their beers, but I've liked what I've tried so far. I couldn't find a description of this beer on their website, but I wonder about the style. Porters don't usually need to be described as "brown", since they always are brown. Possibly a hybrid between a brown ale and a porter. I'm going to proceed as if that's the case. Flat Roofin' pours a deep brown, almost black, with a three-finger beige head. It's got that nutty-caramel taste that you'd expect from a brown ale, but some subtle coffee and chocolate notes that is the mark of a porter. The lack of creaminess suggests that it's closer to a brown ale than a porter. The IBUs are likely pretty low, since I'm not detecting any hop bitterness. Overall a decent brew, but nothing special. 6.5 on the IGB scale.  
 

Zipline Milk Stout

We're certainly still in the stout season (winter, cold, ice, dark), but milk stouts, also known as sweet stouts or cream stouts, usually make an appearance around Imbolc (Groundhog Day for you civilians). Typically, sugars are converted to alcohol during the fermentation process, but the sugar known as lactose does not convert to alcohol. By including some lactose in the brewing process a subtle sweetness is imparted to the finished beer. Zipline, as usual, does a fine job with this style. It pours a deep chocolatey brown, with a towering four-finger tan head. The hops register at 47 IBUs, which theoretically make it pretty bitter, but the sweetness of the lactose balance out the hoppiness giving it a solid character. A hint of chocolate, coffee and vanilla notes tickle the taste buds. If you're a stout/porter novice, a milk stout might be where you want to start on your dark journey. 

Motörhead Röad Crew Pale Ale

I spotted this on a friend's Facebook page not too long ago, so when I saw it at my local beer store I thought I'd give it a try. It's billed as an American Pale Ale, but have also heard it described as an IPA. The ABV is a modest 5%, but the IBUs are a healthy 45, giving it a robust hop bitterness. It's a solid, decent tasting pale ale, but there's not a lot of complexity, or corollary flavors coming through. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just that there's nothing setting apart from every other pale ale on the market. Other than the umlauts. 
 

Surly Brewing: Pentagram Dark Sour

I thought I was done with the sours for the season, but this looked so interesting I had to bring it home with me. It pours dark, like a black ruby, with a short reddish-tan head. It's an extremely odd flavor - not unpleasant - I might inaccurately call it gamey. It's actually the first sour that I've tried that was made with dark malt, giving it that dark hue. There's a strong aroma/flavor of oak, much stronger than your usual oak barrel infused brew. There's some grape, like a red wine, and some smokiness - like a fine cigar. I know that last part sounded unappetizing, but keep an open mind! Subsidiary flavors include strawberry, raspberry and black cherry. Plums, dates and figs bring up the rear. Don't know how to rate this, but I'd drink it again. 

Keg Creek Old Marathon Barleywine Style Ale

As we close in on Imbolc, the barleywine style makes its appearance. Sometimes called a "strong ale", a barleywine ale was typically the highest ABV style around before the modern "imperial" and "double" beer varieties were introduced by craft brewers and before we saw many trippels and quadruppels from Belgium. Old Marathon clocks in at a serious 13.3% ABV. No word on the IBUs, but the hoppiness is quite subdued. It pours a hazy maple syrup hue with a thin tan head. It's got a medium creaminess and it's whiskey-like at first. The corollary flavors are evocative of dark fruits like fig, dates and black cherries, along with brown sugar and maple. Very smooth going down. IGB awards it an 8.5 on the strong ale scale. 
 

Fargo Brewing Cinnabuster Coffee Cake Stout

 I'm a sucker for the stouts and porters, but sometimes they just don't come through for me. Cinnabuster Coffee Cake Stout is another in the long line of brews that tries too hard but really should just stick to the basics. I guess if you squint with your taste buds really hard you'll detect something that reminds you of coffee cake, but only if you have a good imagination. The basic requirement of a flavored beer is that the underlying beer, whether it's a stout, porter, sour or IPA, is a decent beer. The flavoring is supposed to complement the underlying beer, not disguise its deficiencies. In this case the stout base is a bit too thin for my taste, and bit sour - not in a good sense, but more like it's off. I very seldom post negative reviews, but it is what it is. 2.5 on the IGB stout scale. 

Keg Creek Sunrise Mexican Coffee Imperial Stout

I cannot get enough of these imperial stouts. And when they're bolstered with some stout-friendly flavorings, all the better. Out of Glenwood, Iowa, Keg Creek's Sunrise Mexican Imperial Coffee Stout is a keeper. It's an imperial stout, or double stout, so it's got a little extra alcohol kick at 8.2%. It pours the color of black coffee, with a creamy, tan, three-finger head. Coffee, dark chocolate, cinnamon and chilies get together, and rather than competing for attention, have agreed to work together to give us a smooth, yet exciting brew. The combination of the desert-like mocha and the spicy chilies make for a very seasonally appropriate brew. 9 on the IGB stout scale!