Ken Schmidt / Iron Fist / Stone Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout - Stone Brewing Co.

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Awesome 12oz bottle sent from Adam (thanks man!) poured into my Hair of the Dog snifter.

A: Very dark opaque pours with a dark head that is nearly brown and some good lacing.

S: Big cocoa and milk chocolate, mint and peppermint, a bit herbal with a moderate hop presence, lots of roast and hints of char.

T: Follows the nose, mint and chocolate intertwine, herbal notes and some hop character play well off of the peppermint; char, roast and a slight alcohol burn on the finish. Finish is bittersweet with peppermint and espresso.

MF: Creamy moderate body with a drying finish.

O: Pretty good stout that I believe does what it sets out to do. Pretty minty and full of chocolate and roast flavors. Flavors are relatively sharp and unique, definitely a nice sipper and nightcap beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 18:07:33 | More by Scotchboy

beerdrifter

Germany

3.45/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thick pitch black pour with a quickly fading one finger tan head with no lacing. The mint really dominates the nose along with hints of dark chocolate, mocha, and booze. If they were going for mint chocolate chip ice cream, they definitely nailed it. The taste is much the same with the mint building as it warms. Some nice roasty chocolate notes along with some espresso and a touch of licorice. The taste is more like an After Eight mint. The mouthfeel is thick, syrupy, and oily with a bitter, slightly chalky finish. Overall, this is a really well conceived beer, but just not my cup of tea. I'm not a big fan of mint and chocolate paired together, and this is incredibly rich with both.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 03:46:36 | More by beerdrifter

AilidoBrew

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

poured into duvel tulip and Chouffe miniTulip

A: big and dark pretty head thick but dissipates quicker than you'd expect; still slower than a lager or pale ale but quicker than it's creaminess implies

S: not much: underwhelming; light

T: didn't notice any mint but my brother did, I'm the beer geek and I'm introducing him to craft but different people pick up on different tastes so i wanted to note that. Could be that the hops overwhelm because it was a lot hoppier than I would have expected and it was much more up front than most beers, and I mean "up front" physically on the tongue, front third and concentrated on the tip, the most dominant flavor overall for me was burnt coffee.

M: silky and smooth; would have matched my perceptions for this beer

O: I was underwhelmed by this beer. It was good but not worth $4 a bottle we sell it at and we are the cheapest. The price wasn't the problem for me. It was the lack of a stand out mint character. It had so many of the parts but didn't come together for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 06:34:09 | More by AilidoBrew

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew was served from the bottle at the Tap and Mallet Vertical Epic tasting event. It arrived in a tasting glass, showing a deep black coloring, with lighter browns around the edges. A brief half finger head of medium brown bubbles gave spots of lacing. Light haze was noted throughout, with flecks of sediment suspended about. Carbonation appeared average. The aroma gave chalky chocolate malts, thin mint spiciness, toffee bite, tootsie roll sweetness, light booze, faint coffees, and light medicinals with warmth. Our first impression was that there was nice mint to the flavoring, but it wasn’t enough to hold against the sweetness of malts and candy toffees. The beginning opened with tootsie roll sugars, chocolate roast, salt, honey, and coffee metallic malts. The peak came smoothly, with fresh mint leaf, milk chocolates, booze, and more depth of coffee malts. Those aromatic chalky chocolates were revived through the finish, with more of those same coffee malts, lactics, and dried yeastiness. The aftertaste breathed of mint like crazy, toffee and tootsie rolls, lighter milk chocolates, metallic yeast, and faint booze. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium. The feel gave a wet, syrupy, and juicy start, followed by roasty dryness on the back. There was nice slurp, smack, and pop to each sip. The abv was fine, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, the best thing about this beer was the ingenuity of it. The mint was a nice refresher for the taste buds and very nice to that, but we do wish it was stronger to hold against the onslaught of chocolate and brown candy sugars through the flavoring. This was true in the nose as well, although the aromatics gave more robust spiciness than in the taste. This is an interesting beer to try if you can find it, but don’t expect it to be the amazing mint chocolate candy beer that you’re looking for.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 14:29:08 | More by TheBrewo

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pairs nicely with Milky Way minis. A nice one-bottle beer but a six pack would be too much

Dark brown in color. Brown head that never quite dissolves. Legs coat inside of the glass. Mint chocolate chip is my go-to sundae. And that is the beer version with a bit more mocha and the malty accompaniment. Heavy mouthfeel that coats the mouth. Nose is minty and mocha.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 02:13:26 | More by MuddyFeet

mdfb79

New York

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From 12/18/12 notes. Order a bottle of this at Beer Authority in NYC; 12 oz. bottle into a glass. Been wanting to try this one since I heard about it.

a - Pours a pitch black color with one inch of dark tan head that quickly leaves and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty good.

s - Smells of mint, candy, roasted malts, chocolate, peppermint, pine, toasted malts, bitter chocolate, and light coffee. Pretty nice and interesting; smells like mint chocolate, as expected and hoped.

t - Tastes of bitter chocolate, roasted malts, mint, peppermint, milk chocolate, pine, burnt malts, toasted malts, coffee. Follows the nose pretty closely; pretty nice overall.

m - Light, thin body and moderate carbonation. Some bitterness as well due to the bitter chocolate taste I think.

o - Overall an interesting beer that I would guess hit what they were going for. Nice mint chocolate smells and tastes which work well together, though the body is a bit thin. I would have liked it to be a little sweeter rather than bitter, but still nice. Cool to try, bet this would go well as dessert with some iced cream.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 21:51:51 | More by mdfb79

cfrobrew

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from a bottle into a jester king glass

A it looks pitch black with a light brown head. Small bubbles
S strong mint and chocolate smell
T the taste is similar to a Girl Scout peppermint party stout I had in colorado. It has a strong mint chocolate taste. Not nearly as strong as a typical imperial. Not overly malty, which is nice.
M not as thick as most imperials. Nice stout feel, very smooth.
O great desert beer. I like it a lot, I wouldn't drink gallons of this but I would certainly have it again and would love to brew a clone!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 04:40:32 | More by cfrobrew

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a matching Stone pint. Big thanks go to BA anotherjoe who sent this one my way as a much appreciated extra in our recent trade. The brew pours black in color with a finger of brown head resting atop. The cap is composed of rather large bubbles and as it fades, it leaves a webbing of lace sticking tot he glass.

The aroma has hints of ande's chocolate mints along with a familiar tangy alcohol component and dark roasted grain. There is a little bit of a black licorice candy character present blending into some earth and tobacco. I cant help but be reminded of that one brew stone did for their 12th anniversary (i think?) the chocolate oatmeal stout. Towards the back, as the brew warms up, it has a bit of peppermint quality.

The taste is a bit unexpected. It displays a pretty big pine-like hop bitterness that transitions into a flavor of burnt, ashy and bitter grain. There is a bit of peppermint inclusion that mixes with the alcohol and it really gets exaggerated and warms up across the back of the throat. Some hints of roasted coffee and bitter cacao blend into some earthiness and trace amounts of black licorice towards the finish. The combination of peppermint and pine-like hops is a bit much.

This is a medium to fuller bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. This is an interesting brew that I am sure will be a big hit with some people. I just couldnt get into it. The pine-like hops, the bitter roastiness of the grain and the mint inclusion just make for an experience I just didnt enjoy all that much. I wanted to like this, I really did but I guess mint in beer just isnt my thing. Regardless, I am super appreciative of the chance to try this. Thanks again Joe!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 03:35:21 | More by stakem

fmccormi

New York

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Straight pour from a 12oz pry-off bottle to a Cigar City snifter. No bottling or freshness dating on the bottle, but I bought this a few weeks ago not all that long after it came out, so it’s reasonably fresh, especially for an imperial stout. Yummo, freshness.

Appearance (4.5): Ooh, very nice pour on this—a nice, fat finger of chocolate milk-colored foam capping a predictably black-black-black body. Modest retention with better lacing, with a few wide, fat splotches of suds on the sides as the beer goes down. Y’know what? This looks great.

Smell (4.0): Immediately, the nose is dominated by a pretty even mix of that sweet, almost seafoam-green mint filling in mint brownies and that sort of thing, with nice, very dark, bittersweet cocoa powder. Some mildly smoky, well-roasted grain character fills it out a bit, and a little booziness in the back gives the impression of some expensive shot that college girls love and I’d never pay to drink. Makes for a nice beer smell, though.

Taste (4.0): Surprisingly boozy, surprisingly minty, and surprisingly dry at first, but it’s not a bad thing. There more of that intensely dark cocoa powder that comes across, along with that sweet mint dimension—and it’s actually really well-balanced, in terms of chocolate and mint. There’s actually a bit of pithy bitterness in the finish, which flies under the radar. A radar composed of moderately sweet mint and intense, dark cocoa powder. The mint adds to a bitterness in the finish, too, which is nice—well-balanced.

Mouthfeel (4.5): This has a nice, creamy-thick feel to it, balanced with a surprisingly aggressive (for the style) carbonation that’s fine-grained and prickly, but personally I enjoy it. Full-bodied but not heavy in terms of feel, this drinks like its size but not uncomfortably heavy.

Overall (4.0): I reaaally like the idea behind this beer, and it’s executed well. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as sweet as it might’ve been, and I was anticipating the mint to dominate the palate, but that’s not the case. Instead, it’s surprisingly dry for the style, and well-balanced. Good job dudes, this was a collaboration worth the experiment.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 03:07:47 | More by fmccormi

hungryghost

District of Columbia

4.73/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It has been quite some time since I reviewed a beer. This one was so taste-bud twisting good I had to get back on beer advocate.
Pours opaque black with a creamy tan head and leaves a fine lacing.

Aromas of toasty dark malts accompanied by dark chocolate. Just a hint of mint here, a chocolate mint tease.

It started off with expected malt and chocolate notes and then the mint flows across the back of your tongue. It's a poor metaphor but I felt as if the liquid flavor were melting and infusing into my face. Fantastic! The mint is not overwhelming like an after dinner mint, it is a pleasant Andes mint feeling. (Stole the Andes bit from another review. Good one.)

I thought it had a good mouthfeel, not too thin and not thick and chewy either.

To be honest I am generally pretty hard pressed to shell out $10 for a 12oz bottle but man am I glad I did. For my taste this is one of the best specialty brews I have had in quite some time. Well done and well worth the money. Was able to track one down at a local bottle shop and still paid nearly $6. Keeping that one for a special occasion.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 16:38:05 | More by hungryghost

trepidjesse

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

First review, but a long-time BA reader.

I only discovered this beer at an Austin Spec's because I was looking for some new beers to try. A great guy there saw my buggy full of stouts, and came back with this gem.

A - The pour resembles a viscous, heavy and mighty stream. It's amazingly opaque and offers no hint of light through the body. The head rises a darker caramel and trickles down the sides of the glass.

S - It smells sweet and (obviously) minty, but not overbearing. It was my first time smelling this from a glass of beer. For me, the aromas are unique and immediately have me guessing at what she'll taste like.

T - Is cookies a taste? It's delicious. Coffee is probably the closest I could come to describing it, but with a surge of mint as you swallow. I expected this to be quite sweet, but it's very drinkable and a shame I only have one. It really beckons you for another drink.

M - Considering how it appears during the pour and what you see in the glass, I was expecting something with a bit more presence. It feels very thin.

O - Wow. This beer impressed me more than I really expected. I had been warned that many mint beers were poor because of how the mint masks everything, but this beer really is delicious. Based on other comments, and the fact that the gentlemen "went in the back" to bring me this beer, I fear that I won't be able to return for a 6-pack of these, but for any uninitiated it's definitely worth it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 02:43:07 | More by trepidjesse

prototypic

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout is a very dark chocolate fudge color. It looks onyx. I’m not seeing any light cut through. Not even at the edges. A darker, mocha colored cap sits on top. It rises to about a finger and a half tall in height. It recedes very slowly and leaves a very attractive, sticky web of lace trailing down the glass.

The nose is good. Smells like the malt base is a blend of chocolate and roasted varieties. Chocolate seems like the stronger of the two. There are hints of light sweet caramel that follow. Peppermint is noted and has a light to moderate presence. I like that a lot. Smells very promising. Secondary scents include a bit of roasted coffee, dark fruit, and maybe molasses. Alcohol is a little noticeable, but doesn’t smell overly strong. Nearly 10? I wouldn’t have guessed that.

The flavor is quite impressive. The malt base features nice bittersweet dark chocolate and light, sweet caramel flavors. There are some roasted notes in the background, but they’re not as strong. There is a lighter, subtle mint flavor that’s very tasty. It’s mild and complements the malt flavors extremely well. Definitely not overbearing. The roasted coffee or espresso flavor is rather strong. It’s good. There is a light dark fruit note and maybe some molasses on the tail. Alcohol is somewhat noticeable, but is blended well over all. Really good stuff.

It has a medium body. Carbonation seems lighter and soft. It does have a smooth feel, but it feels just a little thin. More body would probably be a good thing. For a bigger beer, it goes down really easy. The 12 oz. bottle serving size was the right call.

Mint Chocolate Stout is an excellent collaboration between Ken Schmidt, Iron Fist, and Stone. It’s actually better than I expected it to be. What really makes it work is its mild mint flavor. I feared it’d be too strong. Not the case. Really good stuff. Easy recommendation.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 02:41:00 | More by prototypic

Ivegotmule

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had to flirt with the girl at Total Wine in Winston Salem just to get two 12oz bottles. $3.99 per bottle. No dates. Limit one per customer. Pretty stoked. Poured medium into my levitation pint glass.

Appearance. 5. Gorgeous black thick beer with no light coming through at all. One finger medium brown head that fades quickly with hardly any lacing.

Smell. 4.5. Mint all up front. As is warms a bit and settles has a nice burnt chocolate smell. Some coffee. And those beautiful Stone hops.

Taste. 4.5. It really does taste like an Andes mint with coffee and hops. I really like it. Complex, delicious, and the hops on my tongue really makes the mint and sweetness all blend perfectly.

Mouthfeel. 4.5. It is not as thick as it looks. Not a whole lot of carbonation, which I prefer, and it drinks amazingly easy for what it is. The alcohol is there, but not in a bad way whatsoever.

Overall. 4.5. I really like this beer. If it was added to the Stone lineup, I would buy it regularly. I don't feel like it is a "dessert beer" as I could drink several as the large hop presence really makes it different from other chocolate stouts I've had that are over the top sweet. Cheers to the collaborators on this one. I don't know if I will have the will power to hold onto the second bottle for 3 years as the bottle suggests. Drink responsibly!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:02:52 | More by Ivegotmule

brstls4drmrs

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours a gooey, sticky dark liquid with a half inch coffee flake. Great retention on this one.

S - very malty and some hints of dark chocolate. Coffee sneaks in there along with a small cool mint breeze. Mint is very faint.

T - get a little cake and bread taste in there but not overpowering. The chocolate malt takes care of that aspect. Almost like have a chocolate cake of sorts with a small Andes mint on the aftertaste.

M - coats the tongue well but not too thick. Goes down easy with a little fizz backbone. Slightly on the dry side.

O - a tasty stout that is done very well. I was very pleased with this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 03:25:21 | More by brstls4drmrs

t420o

California

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Stone Collab Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout

A- pour produces a dark, viscous looking beer that is black in color with a mocha colored head. Good retention and lacing. Looks very enticing. 4

S- very chocolatey with some mocha and dark chocolate, coffee, really need to search for the mint but it is in the background and a very nice compliment. Smells excellent 4.5

T- tastes very similar to a york peppermint patty but with less mint and more chocolate. Excellent tasting beer. Masks the abv very well.  4

M- good mouthfeel Full bodied and good carbonation level 4

O- I'm not a fan of mint in my beer usually, but this was the best example I have had to date. Excellent beer that was a pleasure. 4.5

Low A 

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 22:46:42 | More by t420o

Jason

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with a freshness date.

LOOK: Opaque, black, impressive brown lacing

SMELL: Peppermint sticks, milk chocolate, mild roastiness, alcohol, bready

TASTE: Silky smooth, creamy, full-ish body, mild charcoal, very pepperminty, dark chocolate, mildly boozy, black currants, burnt sugar, balance hop bitterness, bitter-sweet finish

The brewer's intention seems to have been met in all aspects here, a lovely extreme beer we have here. Obviously mint and chocolate go, but to put both in a beer and have it this balanced is quite a feat.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 04:25:27 | More by Jason

BRadStudios

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

used pint glass
will try a tulip or chalice too...

Dark black body, lighter brown head with a creamy body.

Dark cocoa, malts, earthy taste, mint bright feeling at the end.

Malt, dark bakers chocolate, earthy hop kick in the middle... mild but good, ending with a mint fresh taste at the end.

Thick body of chocolate milk, crisp, huge flavor, alchol warming, mint brightness.

Lived up to the label for me. I went and got five more, and found a dogfish bitches brew to sample as well. Will post that too.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 04:05:00 | More by BRadStudios

RattleheadKV2

New Mexico

3.2/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured from 12oz bottle into New Belgium Globe glass. Pours an inky black with about a finger and a half of dense mocha colored head from a hard pour. Leaves some very nice lacing throughout the session.

Smell: Mint right up front with some decent roasty chocolate and coffee tones as well. Though they seem to be overshadowed by the mint.

Taste: Mint everywhere! And not really in a good way. For me the mint seems to just overpower everything except from a slight bitterness from the roasted grain. Very, very subtle malt character buried in a mass of artifical tasting mint.

Mouthfeel: Very nice chewy mouthfeel, fairly standard for the style.

Overall: Not bad, but not great either. Just can't get over the overpowering mint flavor. Would probably be a bit better if that was toned down a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 06:03:45 | More by RattleheadKV2

cradke

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Dark black with a good head. A thin head covers the whole beer with some smaller bubbles popping up. The head stays put for a long while which is nice.

Smell: Base roasty malt with some great mint! I really wasn't sure what to expect but it's like a chocolate stout and then an andies mint pops up out of nowhere. Surprisingly pleasant.

Taste: First taste, I'm kind of confused. It seems kind of like flavor jamble jamble. First you get coffee and roasty malt, then as you try to explore that for complexity, the mint hops up and yells at you. All of the flavor notes are good, but it's just kind of discontinuous and the aftertaste isn't very great. The amount of mint is great and the base stout is nice but for some reason it's just not blending well.

Mouthfeel: NIce. Maybe a touch thin. The carbonation is pretty good. Nothing to write home or complain about.

Overall: I really like the experimental side of this and what they were going for. Unfortunately, it just seemed to lack a little focus. The stout and the mint were both really great, but, they just didn't blend well.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 02:11:04 | More by cradke

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a massive dark two finger mocha head with sticky lacing

S: Aroma of catmint, peppermint and dark bakers chocolate mixed with roasted malt. It smells refreshing and delicious.

T: Starts of with rich dark bakers chocolate, a robust stout with richness everywhere. I am reminded of Black and Red from Dogfish head which was decidedly completely overdone on the mint by everyone I talked to. This too has too much of a mint profile. Once the mint has completely killed your tastebuds, you get the black patent malt flavors and some ashy burnt flavors at the end.

M: Medium body, medium to high carbonation.

O: overall, too much mint. I was hoping for more of a creamy mint chocolate ice cream flavor but instead, this is just another over minted stout that is a good stout underneath, just overspiced. I was reminded of Catmint and spearmint flavors that I have growing in the backyard. Its not bad, just not one I would seek out or have more than one of.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 18:16:11 | More by alpinebryant

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a Kate the Great snifter.

Appearance - Jet black with a head that almost overflows my glass. Settles with nice lacing and a khaki collar.

Smell - Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Incredible. Stronger on the fudge than the ice cream would be, but it's spot on.

Taste - The mint is less dominant here and the chocolate aspects prevail. Bitter coffee malts balance it. The finish is strongly bitter and roasty. Develops into a dry bitter stout at the end.

Mouthfeel - Chewy, medium-high body. It's not a huge stout, but it drinks like some of the big guys. The bitter finish is a little harsh and detracts from the dessert aspects of this. Maybe that's the point.

Overall - Love the mint. I thought it would be gimmicky, but it's a great combination of flavors. Now, how would a barrel affect this?

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 02:32:58 | More by Alieniloquium

dhbiker0889

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Very dark brown pour. Two finger brown head. left a brown lacing

S- Very heavy on the mint and the chocolate. Not too much else there

T- Minty up front and all the way through. Can taste the chocolate and a little bit of the booze. Kind of a cold burn.

M- A little heavy and kind of thick.

O- Worth a try just because of how interesting it is. Pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 18:37:20 | More by dhbiker0889

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured in to a snifter. This beer is oil dark with a really light brown quarter inch foam head. It smells like a lighter version of mint chocolate ice cream, with darker chocolate notes present. The roasted and dark roasted melts are all over this beer, presenting some pretty significant bitter cocoa notes, a touch of coffee or espresso, and just a whimsy of mint. Mouth wise, this is a little chunky and chewy, with some advanced carbonation for the style: sweetness leaves quick with bitter lingering; overall, a pretty interesting beer that is pretty well-balanced; both primary flavors are present wo being overpowering; the bitter doesn't beg for craving more. It's hard to notice any heat.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 02:17:28 | More by SkeeterBoganski

cosmicevan

New York

3.73/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

picked up locally, enjoyed from a spiegelau glass.

a - brew poured a deep shiny black with a finger or so of dark tan bubbly head that hung out a little bit and then left thick chunky lacing on the glass where it once resided.

s - wow. mint chocolate chip. spot on. just like that green ice cream. impressive.

t - the flavor is not as spot on with the mint chocolate chip as the nose is, but it's there. it is blended with some roasted and black malts. it is not bad, but this is definitely an odd combo for a beer.

m - good carb, but a bit on the fizzy side. the flavor is very interesting and leaves an odd aftertaste. a bit dry on the finish.

o - overall, smells incredible, but the flavor is weird for a beer. i can definitely see some people flipping out for this beer, and as a fan of the mint chocolate chip flavor as a whole i was definitely excited to give this a try. the mission is accomplished, but not in the fashion that it was accomplished by the bruery with white chocolate. i definitely support these kinds of experiments but this was a novelty for me that i won't be seeking out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 03:14:28 | More by cosmicevan

beerhan

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Super thick black with a fluffy cocoa head.

S-Smells like a lemon pepper zest with some alcohol and milk chocolate.

T-A subtle mint taste lingers with some dark chocolate notes. Very roasty but more of a tootsie roll flavor with some nuttiness in the background than mint chocolate.

M-very nice creamy rich mouthfeel. Slightly more carbonation than I would have like but it works.

O-Very decent beer overall, I think a little more mint and less carbonation would be nice but for 3.99 I think it is a very nice experimental beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 01:27:09 | More by beerhan