Blaecorn Unidragon - Clown Shoes

womencantsail

California

2.9/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks for sharing, Rich.

Black in color with an khaki colored head. Intensely roasty with a metallic tinge to it. There's an ashy quality to it as well as some smoke and burnt toast. The flavor is really no better. I get lots of smoke, ash, and char. The metallic character is still there as is a mild acidity. Maybe some molasses, licorice, and dark chocolate, but sort of a moot point.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 02:43:16 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Lunch for opening up this bottle. Served in a SAVOR wine glass.

Pours near-black with a tan head. Spotty lacing and a collar throughout. The nose carries some heavy sweetness and a bit of booze. Loads of chocolate. Flavor really pulls back from there with too much booze and too much of the roast from the malt. Medium body with a slightly-boozy finish. Nose was great, but the rest was just pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 14:15:10 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle - $8.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Bottled 10/11.

Appearance: Pours out an unassuming, black body with one inch (and only one inch) of tan suds. A few pen points of lace is all you get.

Smell: Slight smokiness from the burnt, charred malts edged by dark chocolate with a rather high cocoa content, scant dark fruits, a chimney's contents, resinous-traced hop pellets, and fine spirits.

Taste: Roasted, burnt malts with some sweetish, sugary treacle and malted milk balls covered in dark bitter chocolate. Floral, resinous hops, maybe a little hint of white grapefruit in there as well. Medium-high bitterness. A handful of burnt raisins. Some alcoholic heat in there. Occasionally, you get an additional blip of sugar. Resinous and tar-basted on the warming finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. A bit chewy, a bit sticky.

Overall: A hard roastiness for a fully charry flavor with a generous hopping and a noted though not overly forward alcohol presence. It can be tiring, honestly, and, for me, it grinds to a very slow sipper about halfway through the bomber. I'm far less of a proponent of beer aging than I was in years past, but this, this beer seems like one that could really require some time to smooth out.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 18:03:58 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque black with a dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and coffee. Taste is the same with a medium roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice roasty presence in the aroma and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 03:04:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this as a nightcap last night and it's a good thing it was.Poured into an imperial nonic jet black with a thinner deep khaki colored head atop.Deep roast with a hint of smoke to go along with big sweet alcohol and dark fruit in the nose,I could tell this was gonna be a big sweet monster.First off the sweetness and dark fruit hit hard and pretty much dominated the flavors for me,sure there is some roast and bitter chocolate notes but they seemed to cower under the sweet alcohol onslaught.It's thick and coating with was nice but it took alot for me to finish this beer,is it possible for a beer to seem bigger than 12.5%ABV?....Yes.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 13:58:14 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Thanks to VDubb86 for sharing this bottle!

What happens when you can't decide on a name for your beer? name it two things at once, o' course! This case-in-point pours a deep black (no fancy synonyms can do this black justice, so it's just plain black here) topped by over a finger of sienna foam. The nose comprises darkly roasted coffee, roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark greens, and a small whiff of char. I never thought I'd say this, but this beer smells too damn dark... The taste holds notes of burnt malts, light char, light leather, bitter dark chocolate, and pine resin. It's good, but comes awfully close to being too bitter for its own good. The body is a hefty medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta dry finish. Overall, a mostly solid stout, but I think they overdid a few things here, particularly with the over-roasting of everything. That, coupled with a slightly too-thin body and an overly aggressive hopping make for a less-than-fully-enjoyable stout experience for me (see my reaction to Hoppin' Frog's DORIS, as the two seem very similar to me).

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 21:27:58 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer shared by Lunch, thanks Paul. Beer is dark brown / black with a thin tan head, low lacing, low carbonation, low retention.

Aroma is a little metallic but mostly sweet, alcohol, malt, strong.

Beer is a little boozy, strong with a great malt thickness to start, thins toward the back of the palate, strong throughout, decent finish, mildly bitter from the roast, I might have it again.

I did have this again a few days later, the second bottle was less impressive.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 02:06:17 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glad to see this on the shelf and glad to see Clown Shoes now available in Texas.

The beer pours an inky black color with a small tan head. The aroma is full of heavily roasted malt with some chocolate and alcohol mixed in.

The flavor is also very nice. I get a lot of heavily roasted or burnt malt, with some chocolate and coffee mixed in. I also get some cream notes and a little bit of bitterness from the piney hops.

Thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 04:20:09 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a one-finger, tan head of bubbly foam. It left sticky patches of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled spicy, peppery and piney. Good roasted malt aromas, too.

T - Good burnt toast maltiness with strong roasted flavors. Some chocolate and spicy hop bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a pretty good Russian Imperial Stout. Another good brew from Clown Shoes.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 01:13:22 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a quarter-finger high mocha head that quickly dissipated, leaving a bit of lacing on the surface and a thick ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some hints of licorice.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has flavors of roasted malts along with a bit of licorice and bitterness.
M: It feels full-bodied on the palate and has a low amount of carbonation. The beer coats your mouth and has a little dryness in the finish.
O: This is a good sipping beer given its high alcohol content and the light amount of bitterness and dryness.

Note: Bottled November 2011

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 12:43:58 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at Binny's. Bottled 9/11/2011. Served in a Cigar City snifter.

A - Quick-dissolving light mocha foam settles to a thin ring, some faint wisps, and no lace. Very, very dark brown body.

S - Intensely roasted grains, light smoke and char, licorice, dark chocolate, and some moderate alcohol presence. Very intense, and very roasty and dry, with minimal sweetness present.

T - Taste is again intensely roasted and charry, with anise, dark chocolate, and perhaps a hint of vanilla sweetness that valiantly tries (and fails) to offset the burnt malts and smoke. Alcohol is bit better hidden here.

M - Medium body that seems surprisingly light for 12.5%. Otherwise it's smooth on the palate, with lower carbonation and a surprisingly clean finish that only retains a little of the smokiness. Some alcohol presence, but nothing excessive.

D - If you dig intensely charry European stouts this will be right up your alley - I could imagine Mikkeller or Amager making something like this with the intense roast and char flavors. Not my cup of tea unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 00:06:17 | More by MasterSki

Halcyondays

California

4.19/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours black with a medium off-white head, some notes of spotty lace.

S: Dark mocha notes, chocolate syrup, molasses.

T: Nice dark chocolate flavour, pretty much like eating a candy bar, that flavour is direct and real. Long aftertaste - all chocolate. Hint of roast, but this one is like a liquid chocolate bar. Nothing wrong with that, in fact it's a lot of fun.

M: Full-bodied, rich and creamy, soft carbonation, nice big feel.

O: Fun beer, the label reminded me of a Magic card, which was an impetus among many factors for me buying this one. This is a good beer, the $11 bomber price is too high, but makes me want to try other Clown Shoes beer. Glad to have another brewer in the Southland.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:12:41 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Jet black with a dull tan head in a tulip glass. Some spotty lace and a swirling skim of foam on the surface. Foam takes a few minutes to recede.

Mild roasty aroma, seems a little muted but still pure. Slightly sweet fruitiness, subdued in general.

Flavors of roasted malt, slight char, ample bitterness for sure. Not as hoppy as anticipated, but still packs a punch. Dry and bitter, not very sweet or confectionary at all in the aftertaste, more resinous hop character and deep bitter dry roast. Medium bodied, the bottle was best shared. Abv was somewhat apparent, but still pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 06:32:13 | More by emerge077

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a deep dark brownish black color with good carbonation presenting a nice brown cap, some bubbles and good amount of lacing

S: Big roasted and perhaps black patent; chocolate and coffee are big

T: A good roastiness upfront with light booze sting buried between layers of cocoa and coffee. The finish is rather dry, clean and some bitterness witha booze burn

M: Big bodied with good carbonation, sweet, coating and heavy on the palate with lingering roastiness

O: Pretty good overall

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 13:25:58 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thick, frothy beige head. Leaves plenty of spotty lace. Deep, dark brown color where no light shines through.

Chalky with an alcohol kick to the nose. Mild black patent in the background.

Dark berry flavors behind the coffee-like taste. The swallow is interesting blend of black patent and warming alcohol. Looonngg aftertaste of mocha. The body is thin, but the carbonation matches this well.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 00:56:32 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to portia99 for this brew.

22oz. Bomber
Bottled On: 2/2012

Poured into a chalice a nice black color, nice carbonation, nice fizzy tan head, with some minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is nice with some dark malts, nice hop note, chocolate/toffee/coffee notes, with a nice little touch of vanilla. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, lots of dark stuff. Medium body, ABV hidden pretty well with is one. This is a very tasty brew, thanks Bill.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 19:59:35 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a three finger brown head that fades slowly to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Black color, no highlights, ton of yeast left in bottle. Medium carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Coffee and alcohol nose, flavor is roasted coffee, some alcohol. Light burnt coffee finish. Decent RIS. $11.20 for a 22oz bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 23:13:31 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours an inky black opaque body with a thick milkshake cocoa colored head with a few microbubbles popping up below head.

S- The dark green musty hops are overcome by black smoky charred malt aroma. There is a new sneaker aroma that comes through in the finish.

T- The black inky yet smooth smoky roasted malt with a cloth band-aid hint soon covered by dark fruit and charred coffee malt flavor. There is a chocolate malt flavor and some chalky qualities come through aswell. There is a dry smoke note to the black malt that lingers a bit.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has no alcohol heat but a slipper texture and an alcohol warmth that grows in the exhale.

O- The dark malt has a nice smoky rich flavor with some peat character but it is not overpowering. Not a lot of depth but some good flavor that taste like an imperial dry stout that a Russian Imperial Stout. With some nice warmth.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 17:57:22 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber bottle, "Bottled 9/11"

Pours black, with a very dark head, lasting and leaving all sorts of froth, collar, sheeting and well developed lacing. Nice looking beer.

Some booze in the nose, but mostly chocolate, coffee grounds and ample roast malts.

Intensly flavor, complex, robust and enjoyable RIS. Loads of chocolate abound, roasted/burnt malts, light smoke, earthyness, black coffee. A lot going on here, all blended into a quite heady mix.

Super rich and smooth on the tongue and in the entire mouth. A chocolate/coffee milkshake comes to mind.

High Quality night capper or a natural with a decadent chocolate dessert. Well done. Likely the most impressive Clown Shoes brew I've tried to date.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 01:55:56 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 10/28/11 notes. Thanks to jslot38 for sharing this one.

a - Pours a pitch black color with two inches of tan head and low to moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty good.

s - Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, smokey malts, molasses, dark fruits, toffee. Very nice and roasty, really liking the nose.

t - Tastes of chocolate, roasted malts, bitter coffee, a touch of alcohol, and sweet dark fruits. A slight step down from the nose as the alcohol comes througha bit, though guess that is expected on a 12.5% RIS.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Smooth and thick, nice mouthfeel for a big RIS.

o - Overall a pretty good RIS. Very roasty and the taste is a little sweet, this is one I'd buy again.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 20:50:38 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

really excited for a Clown Shoes RIS, their other dark beers are mostly great so this should be awesome.

Pours a nice fluffy darker 1/2 finger head that never wants to fade, although leaves a nice lacing as it eventually does, over pitch black thicker beer, no light at all coming through.

Nose brings lots of cocoa, powdered cocoa and hot cocoa, dark bitter earthy chocolate and bakers' choc, a bit of roast but not much with a hint of espresso. then more sweet additions with light caramel and molasses and hint of vanilla. I even get hints of raisin and fig like fruits, and some booze but not a ton.

Taste starts rich and creamy, but with a powdered like cocoa flavor, hot cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, baker's chocolate again, which fades to molasses and caramel. The dark chocolate really has that super high 85% like cacao mix bitter chocolate taste that seems to pool and sit on the tongue like I'm trying to let the chocolate melt on my tongue. It's pretty thick and coats the mouth. As it swirls around some light coffee beans and espresso come out with a hint of roasted malt. Bitterness starts to take over as it goes, with some earthy hops and lots more from the scortched malts, with a hint of salty briny roast but not a lot. No fruit this time, but I do seem to get a hint of smoke. Creamy luscious like chocolate malt lingers as it tries to finish, and by try I mean it just coats the mouth and lingers for a while. As it warms the booze finally starts to come out, but it never reaches anywhere near 12.5% burning booze feel, although I can taste the alcohols a bit on the finish. The chocolate, light vanilla and caramel seem to linger for a while with it, and more bitter espresso roasted coffee grinds and light briny earthy spicy hops. It seriously just sits on the mouth for many minutes after each sip letting the memory last for a while.

Mouth is pretty big bodied, thick and syrupy but smooth at the same time, light but decent for the style carbonation, and a bit of warming booze.

Overall really nice, delicious malts, tons of chocolate all dark and bitter, bit creamy, light coffee and espresso, lots of great flavors all combines. It's actually fairly drinkable since you can barely tell the booze, and would never suspect 12.5% even after it warms. the only thing that really takes away the drinkability a bit is the thick syrupy sticky mouth feel that never goes away.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 00:55:27 | More by jlindros

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours pitch black with a 1.5 finger beige head that very slowly fades into a thick lasting ring. Streaks and sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

Roasted malt aroma that is surprisingly hop forward. Lots of resin and earthy pine needle overpowering the dark malts. Underneath, there are hints of dark chocolate, coffee bean and oatmeal.

Chewy full body with a strong bitter hop presence that lingers over the dark malts into a dry finish. Again, surprisingly hop forward for the style with dry, sticky, resinous pine needle flavor. The hop compliment the malt but really bring out their roasted bitterness. This makes the beer a bit one dimensional with very little sweetness balances things out. Hints of dark chocolate, coffee bean, toast and oatmeal as well as some slight booze. Surprisingly very little heat at 12.5%. Pretty easy to drink but a bit one dimensional and too bitter for my preference.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 04:50:54 | More by corby112

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Served in a tulip glass, opaque black with a creamy cap of tan head that retained well and left a bit of soapy lacing on the glass. Aroma of dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, and not much else. Similar taste, dark malts, chocolate, roasty with a good balance of sweetness, a bit smokey, with hints of dark dried fruits, and some mildly resinous hops in the finish. On the heavier side of medium-bodied, noticeable alcohol warmth, and pretty nice overall.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2012 15:16:00 | More by Rifugium

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Black. An inch of deep brown foam formed during the pour, falling very slowly. Very hoppy right out of the gate, citrusy and resinous aroma with a bit of a powdery character. Good head retention, some clumpy and streaky lacing. Chocolate and roasted notes in the nose, caramel and toffee, coffee and nuts, alcohol with mild fusels. Nice texture, full bodied without being extremely heavy, carbonation was on the lighter side but not as fine as I would have liked, alcohol warmth was apparent but not hot. Solid bitterness throughout, with hops and sweet malts battling for supremacy. Citrusy with a piney edge, caramel and roast, dry cocoa, toffee and dark chocolate, slight vanilla. Overall, a very hoppy take on a big stout. I'm partial to a maltier balance, but this worked out alright for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 00:27:39 | More by DrJay

Brad007

Vermont

4.38/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had this in my fridge for a few weeks. Just finally got around to cracking it open.

Pitch black. Nothing new. Nothing trendy. The perfect color for the style. Really!

The roasted malt is strong with this one. Stupid cliches aside, there's more depth to this than Vampire Slayer (in terms of imperial stouts).

My taste buds certainly agree. The hops strike with a renewed enthusiasm, followed by heavily roasted malt. Somehow, I feel compelled to sip, not chug.

The mouthfeel confirms my suspicions. This isn't something that you want to sample in a hurry.

I would probably suggest aging a bottle of this to see how it compares. It's solid as is.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 05:13:41 | More by Brad007