Do you enjoy beers that knock your socks off?
I’ve got the brewery for you. EvilTwin Brewing, out of Brooklyn, N.Y., makes bombastic beers that aren’t for the meek or the timid. I’m not breaking any big news when it comes to most knowledgeable beer fans. EvilTwin is a well-known brewery in the craft beer world and has a legion of followers.
As of a month ago, though, I had yet to try their beer. So when I found myself at The Collective on Camano Island last month and it had Molotov Cocktail on tap I gave in.
I wasn’t disappointed. Like its name implies, Molotov Cocktail is a huge IPA at 13 percent. But here’s the thing: It’s subtle too. It doesn’t drench your palate in hops, but rather fills every inch with a variety of hop flavors. It was great.
So on my way home I stopped at Ale Spike in Stanwood and picked up three more EvilTwin beers to enjoy over the next week. (Another note: These aren’t cheap. Three 12-ounce bottles cost nearly $15.) I got Lil’ B, an imperial porter, The Cowboy, a smoked pilsner, and I Love You With My Stout, an imperial stout.
Each beer was very good. The Cowboy was a full-flavor, effervescent pilsner that had a bready, smokey flavor with a nice subtle hop finish. I’ve never had a smoked pilsner, so I have little to compare it to, but it was a nice beer.
Both the Lil’ B and the imperial stout were very sweet beers. I’m OK with that, especially when it comes to dark beer, but neither beers are the kind you’re going to want to sit and drink and drink (the fact both are nearly 12 percent may have something to say about that as well).
When it comes to the flavor, though, both beers have it in spades. The imperial porter has a mix of coffee and chocolate notes that are near perfection. It’s one of those beers that feels like a meal in a glass.
I Love You With My Stout is syrupy and sweet and has some of the same notes as the porter. Except there’s a little more roast in the beginning.
Aaron Swaney: 425-339-3430; aswaney@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @swaney_aaron79. Follow the Hops and Sips blog at www.heraldnet.com/hopsandsips.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
