Lubrication - Clown Shoes

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BA SCORE
82
good
-
289 Ratings

rAvg: 3.62
pDev: 14.64%
Reviews: 155
Hads: 134

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Clown Shoes

Massachusetts, United States

Style | ABV
American Black Ale | 6.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (149), on-tap (6).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

No notes at this time.

View: Beers (15) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by SkeeterHawk:

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.7/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours as black as a porter with a thick 1/2" head of tan bubbles that looked like it was going to be there a while. There was already a trail of lace from where I swirled it. The beer leaves heavy lace on the glass after drinking looking like a traditional Stout in a way.

Aroma: I initially got a nice mix of fresh hops along with very noticeable chocolate malt and some roast in there as well. Lots of sweet caramel giving the impression that the beer is bigger than it is. As the beer warms, the hops are coming out quite a bit more, emphasizing the "American" aspect of the ale.

Taste: The flavor doesn't leave the big bold impression on you that you expect from the aroma. Instead the hops are there to greet you early and then gradually fade into a chocolate and caramel malt ensemble that leads you into the finish riding on top of plenty of carbonation. Second and third sips are showing some acidity on the finish is making it a bit harsh as it warms further. I am going back to it to see if the harshness in the finish is just bittering hops that I am misinterpreting, and I don't think so.

Opinion: This is a pretty good beer overall. It is quite acidic for my taste and I am not sure if this is so much from the amount of dark grains or the water chemistry supporting it, but the pH is off a bit according to my palate. Either way, the beer is pretty good and I won't find it hard to drink the whole bomber. That said, I don't think that I will be compelled to come back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:49:37 | More by SkeeterHawk

More User Reviews:

dbkdev

Massachusetts

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

06-16-2013 02:33:50 | More by dbkdev

bigbeerfan

Illinois

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

06-01-2013 23:08:02 | More by bigbeerfan

flip387

Texas

3.11/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: Poured coffee brown, thick dark foamy head. Very dark brown in the glass

S: Heavy rich, and hints of chocolate.

T: Dark and bitter taste, hints of roasted flavor. Mocha in taste.

M: Medium in weight, smooth with a bit of a bitter after taste, some carbonation.

O: Full bodied dark and bitter beer, almost a block coffee or mocha taste
which lingers on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 16:37:27 | More by flip387

Simpleman77

Florida

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

05-23-2013 23:29:30 | More by Simpleman77

civicm87

New York

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

05-14-2013 23:22:41 | More by civicm87

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

05-07-2013 22:39:05 | More by blknikon

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5 rDev -3.3%

04-29-2013 05:49:13 | More by Kelp

JohnBender

Texas

3.75/5 rDev +3.6%

04-24-2013 00:55:13 | More by JohnBender

vcoggins

Texas

3.75/5 rDev +3.6%

04-05-2013 01:44:52 | More by vcoggins

Seakyden

Massachusetts

3.75/5 rDev +3.6%

04-03-2013 01:25:34 | More by Seakyden

match1112

Illinois

3/5 rDev -17.1%

03-17-2013 16:03:29 | More by match1112

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

3/5 rDev -17.1%

03-05-2013 02:55:45 | More by Stevie_Janowski

vinnie

Texas

4.5/5 rDev +24.3%

02-22-2013 02:40:20 | More by vinnie

bashiba

Iowa

2.95/5 rDev -18.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Poured a deep dark brown with light mahogany highlights and a thin tan soap ring of head.

The smell is lightly roasty with a touch of cacoa and a bit of brown sugar sweetness.

The flavor is one dimensional burnt roasted malts with a bit of smoke. Has a bit of an oily bitterness in the finish.

The mouthfeel is light with a long dry finish.

Very odd beer, its like drinking a smoked porter without any underlying caramel sweetness to balance out the roasted barley. Overall a bit boring and cloying after a while.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 23:49:16 | More by bashiba