Evil Twin / Stillwater / Stone - "The Perfect Crime" - Stone Brewing Co.

Greywulfken

New York

4.35/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Described on the bottle as a "black smoked saison", this beer looks to combine characteristics of two styles: the saison and the (presumably) American black ale (ABA).

A: center pour into a nonic pint - slightly translucent black body, tan sea foam head three fingers-thick

S: only noticed slight smoke on the nose, dark bitter roasted malt aromas were cut by slightly herbal and floral notes more typical of a pale ale

T: bitterness from the roastiness; crisp hops and bright yeasts - nicely bittered but light aftertaste

M: light and smooth, slight bitter coating on the palate - very drinkable

O: I have to say this beer probably tastes like what you'd expect if you poured a black ale into a saison. For that reason, I thought the beer very good. I thought it looked, smelled, and felt like "the kinda dame worth gettin' in dutch for"

My tasting biases:
I've had several ABAs, being fond of those that have a sweeter taste and fuller feel (like Dark Element and Dark Horse's Special Reserve) as opposed to having those with a more bitter taste and crisper feel (like a Wookey Jack) - but I liked them all, mind you. Moreover, I feel like Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale is probably a perfect middle ground for the style.
Saison wise, I've had more than a few - and really liked tham all - but Foret stands out from the rest as exemplifying what I expect in a saison. Caveat: I have never had the Saison Dupont, which some may regard as the definitive saison.

I see my review leapt way above the average... I believe this beer will improve in rating as it gets more reviews - bearing in mind that it attempts to blend of two styles - a feat I think they pulled off very well.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 18:06:18 | More by Greywulfken

pintofparadise

South Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -29.4%

05-19-2013 00:28:07 | More by pintofparadise

jono0101

Missouri

4/5  rDev +13%

05-18-2013 16:21:08 | More by jono0101

Bustersuess

New York

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-18-2013 00:06:27 | More by Bustersuess

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-17-2013 15:12:55 | More by HinghamRick

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%

05-17-2013 15:10:11 | More by twenty5

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

4/5  rDev +13%

05-15-2013 22:48:15 | More by Beer4Baltimore

Zimm

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -29.4%

05-15-2013 17:33:19 | More by Zimm

Zbeetleman

California

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-15-2013 02:58:06 | More by Zbeetleman

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-13-2013 18:39:57 | More by vrbulldog22

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-12-2013 17:09:28 | More by mikeburd1128

canders0927

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-12-2013 00:53:21 | More by canders0927

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -15.3%

05-11-2013 18:00:33 | More by mikeincharleston

xdtfx

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-11-2013 01:49:25 | More by xdtfx

Lanstrum

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-10-2013 01:35:09 | More by Lanstrum

pknyc

New York

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-10-2013 01:27:36 | More by pknyc

bdtva

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-08-2013 22:42:28 | More by bdtva

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-08-2013 22:12:27 | More by Kegatron

ALLISON01

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -43.5%

05-08-2013 20:55:54 | More by ALLISON01

HopBrain

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-08-2013 20:39:15 | More by HopBrain

cadaugherty

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-07-2013 22:52:28 | More by cadaugherty

sweemzander

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a pitch black color. Produced some tan froth.

(S)- A light smoky roasted raisin aroma meets some mellow cocoa and baked bread-like yeastiness.

(T)- Very similar to the smell. Overall, an up front combo of a salty smoke brine meets roasted malts and some raisin/cocoa.

(M)- A good carbonation level. The balance is good too, just a slightly too heavy smoke component that gets in the way of the rest of the beer.

(O)- An interesting take on the style. I just do not think it is completely successful. Some good things in there, but the smoke could definitely be toned down a bit while still being present instead of overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 20:55:03 | More by sweemzander

schaffer9252

New York

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-04-2013 14:48:23 | More by schaffer9252

jpaulsen

California

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%

05-03-2013 07:17:37 | More by jpaulsen

bman_85

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%

05-02-2013 22:19:00 | More by bman_85