Vampire Slayer - Clown Shoes

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Last beer of the night for me at Mr Garvie's den of decadence and benevolence. Gorgeous penetrating caky dark roast maolt dominates the senses. Good weight without being too much of a lardass. And desapite being headless with some harshish acidity at the end this is still a fairly luxurious treat.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 08:18:06 | More by Zimbo

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served cellar temp in a Tyranena snifter. Good to see Clown Shoes come to WI! Thanks to Aman for getting me this bottle

A - pours a nice jet-black with loads of dark chocolate brown head - I've only seen this dark of a head on the Founders stouts

S - Dark roasted malt is present initially, then chocolate and coffee sneak their way in. No booze on the nose to speak of

T - the roasted malt hits hard up front, and the chocolate, coffee,

M - very smooth and thick, the abv is hidden very well.

O - A very positive result for my first selection from Clown Shoes. I will pick up more of this for sure. I am excited to see what else they have to offer now that they distribute here.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 03:27:16 | More by ncketchum

Danny1217

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Almost pitch black with a nice tan head.
Strong roasted aroma, chocolate, coffee, and hickory.
Bold smokey hickory flavor with some bitter chocolate and general roasted flavors.
Full body and medium carbonation.

A sort of smokey imperial stout, but not overly so. This beer maintains a nice balance. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 20:16:43 | More by Danny1217

barnzy78

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, poured into a 25oz snifter, pours black with a frothy light brown head, good head retention and lace. Huge roasty nose with coffee, chocolate, anise, present.
Tastes are bold with roasted barley, smoky, dark cocoa, anise, piny hop, alcohol is well concealed. Good balance. Ale is medium bodied, a little chalky, nice carbonation. Overall, Nice take on one of my favorite styles. No complaints here.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 02:33:15 | More by barnzy78

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Clown Shoes makes a decent beer, but I really don't like their labels. Anyway, this beer pours a remarkable head considering the strength of a beer. On that alone I have to give it the 5 for appearance because I can't recall ever seeing such a thick head on a beer of this strength. Smell is of burnt malts, taste of bitter chocolate. A little syrupy feel. Overall, it's a tasty beer. Any fan of imperial stouts will enjoy this, but they may also have a hard time remembering it.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 16:44:07 | More by TheRealBigC

FosterJM

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1526th Review on BA
Bottle to Great Lakes Snifter
22oz

Bottled 2/2012
Purchased at Total Wine & More, Las Vegas, NV ( Dont remember how much)

App- Out of the bottle this pours almost black with some browns intermixed and a bit of reddish hue around the edges. The head was a small 1" fast receding one with a dark tan color. Not really much cling or lace to speak of.

Smell- Nose was pretty straightforward on this one. Its a big imperial stout but a little nuanced at times. The malts are quite dominant and then lead into the ash and little smoke wofting up. A bit of a bakers chocolate/creamy aroma comes last. Dare to say a little coffee as well.

Taste- Its a very layered and solid stout. I wasnt too impressed with Blaecorn so bought this on a whim. This was much better. The outstanding malt bill really adds a richness and a good depth of flavor with the additions of the smoke makes it something more. A rich chocolate and creme flavor comes next and then on the finish is a good dry coffee flavor.

Mouth- This was a big and rich stout. A nice creamy base with a solid malt flavor and some good dark chocolate on the finish. The carbonation is a bit low so really adds to the depth and richness of it.

Drink- I was a bit gun shy to grab this one back in June, so I bought it anyway and let it sit. Dont think it changed much since bottling in Feb. Good stout with great base flavors. Lacking a little bit of pop, but much better than Blaecorn. I would have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 15:23:50 | More by FosterJM

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-black with a dark tan head

S-semi-sweet baking chocolate. slightly roasted grains. somewhat bitter.

T-comes in with quite a potent taste of semi-sweet chocolate morsels. there's a heavy roasted flavor to this. there's a good bitterness that comes in with the after-taste. it has an almost smokey bon fire aspect to it. this is pretty decent

M-thick and creamy medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-its not an original tasting stout, but its very good. it came at a pretty decent price considering this big flavor. it'll definitely satisfy any big AIS craving you have.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 01:58:35 | More by AdamBear

BrownNut

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Six months old. Bomber to tulip. Served cool.

A - 4.25 - The usual opaque black with a tan thick head that's both nicely textured and almost oily looking.

S - 4.0 - Smells comforting and nice. Fairly mild. Sweet but not too sweet malt. A little chocolate. Faint fruit of unknown type. No real roasty or coffee notes. Later in the glass, just for a second, I got something almost like a sweet winey note. There's something else I can't identify.

T - 4.25 - As with the aroma, very smooth. Chocolate syrup. The usual stouty char note is there but somewhat muted underneath the smoother chocolate note. Later in the glass that chocolate note has transmuted more into cocoa or semisweet chocolate. You're left with a pleasant moderate smoke/bitterness on the tongue afterwards along with remnants of that chocolate sweetness. After long enough, it's the aftertaste of really good chocolate ice cream. A nice caramel note is left on the lips until you lick it off.

M - 4.25 - Medium-thick and slightly sticky afterwards.

O - 4.25 - This is a fine stout that starts off maybe a little simpler than I'd like but improves throughout the bottle/glass. Be sure not to drink it straight out of the fridge. I gave mine about 20 minutes sitting out and it still improved as it warmed from that point in the glass and open bottle over the next 20 minutes. It's more complex by the end, both in nose and body. I place this somewhere between solid and excellent.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 00:12:05 | More by BrownNut

BWHD

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer

Poured into a large brandy snifter at cellar temp.

A: Opaque, clean, and deep dark brown. Some brown/orange light peeks through at its edges. Decent lacing but below average retention. Around a finger and a half of cappuccino colored head appears at the pour, and it settles into about a centimeter’s worth of head that floats on the surface. Very lively and responsive in the glass, but it looks rather light in body; not thick or imposing in appearance. Swirling leaves some soapy, spotty specks around the inside of the glass. Good, but not great.

S: First impression of the nose is a light and roasty effervescence. Some hoppy bitterness is detectable too with some dark fruit (fig and raisin) and faint chocolate. The nose anticipates a light but complex stout. Nice. It’s a nice change of pace to detect some hops in a stout.

T: Initial taste is warm, comforting, and roasty chocolate. Good balance between sweet and a dark chocolate bitterness. The dark fruit from the nose does not play a huge role in the taste, but it is there. Some nice (almost piney) bitterness from the hops is detectable in the finish. Complex yet very well balanced. The combination of semi-sweet chocolate and the slight hop bitterness is delightful. Perhaps a very faint smoke comes through as this brew warms up.

M: Medium in body, but surprisingly not as light as the appearance and nose would have you believe. This beer is almost dense and thick at first, but it gives way quickly. It is not oily and doesn’t really coat the mouth or tongue, but leaves you with a nice bitter dryness instead. Great PH balance on the attack and midpalate that leads to a slightly acidic and dry finish. Great example of how the style should be.

O: Very complex while remaining balanced and very drinkable… in fact, I just realized now that this is also a 10% ABV. You would never know it was given this brew’s appearance, nose, or taste. The alcohol is well hidden within this multifaceted beer. As I mentioned above, the bitterness from the hops is a great changeup for a beer of this style; it’s not always quite as detectable. This is a very well crafted beer, indeed. Wonderful stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 03:52:55 | More by BWHD

Gus_13

Mississippi

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle to a snifter.

Appearance: Dark, dark black with no light passing through. Very classic imperial stout color. Poured with a thick 3 finger head that faded away to a thin ring over time. Very nice head lacing with alcohol legs all around.

Aroma: Big coffee and dark chocolate notes. Has both sweet and bitter qualities. Kind of like a mix between dark and milk chocolate. The sweetness isn't over powering at all. It smells amazing.

Taste: Front of the tongue the sweetness mixed with coffee is very prevalent. Middle of the mouth a little astringent and bitterness from the coffee shows up. Still kind of sweet. Aftertaste is a mixture of coffee and chocolate milk qualities. Very nice.

Verdict: One of the best stouts I've had in a long time. Big, bold flavors that blend well together. Hope to scoop up another one and let it age a while. This did everything I like in a stout and did it very well. Nice job.

Cheers,

Gus

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 15:37:04 | More by Gus_13

arizcards

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber in mid-May from Total Wine for $7.99. Bottled in 2/2012.

Beer poured black with a nice brown head upon the initial pour.

Nose is loaded with mocha, espresso, and cocoa.

Taste is chocolate and coffee, with a hint of smoke.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and pretty smooth.

Overall another solid brew in the Clown Shoes lineup - definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 00:13:09 | More by arizcards

BierStein711

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into goblet

Pitch black brew with one and a half finger beige coca-cola head

Smells of smoke, reminds me of peat and woodsy smoke from a scotch

Tastes: Wood smoke, burnt malt, and bitter cocoa.

Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy

overall, not a bad beer at all. Don't know if I'd have it again. This is obviously not a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 19:57:23 | More by BierStein711

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours pitch black with a two finger frothy beige head that slowly settles into a lasting cap/ring.  Streaks and spots of lace left behind.

Slightly smokey aroma with roasted dark malts balanced by some sweeter notes.  Hints of toast, dark chocolate, oatmeal and coffee along with smoked meat and subtle hops.  subtle lactic presence.

Medium bodied but a bit thinner than expected with a strong roasted malt presence that is sligtly dry and acrid but not overwhelmingly so.  Hints of burnt toast, deeply roasted coffee, dark chocolate and oatmeal.  Very bitter with subtle hops complimenting the dry, roasted notes.  Subtle lactic presence and some chocolate sweetness. Finishes with boozy heat that gives off a lot of alcohol flavor.  Astringent dry boozy finish.  Looks and smells nice but the flavor doesn't follow through.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 01:40:16 | More by corby112

Arbitrator

California

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chilled bottle into a glass, courtesy of KevSal. Thanks, Kevin!

A: Pours a black body with tan bubbles.

S: Roasty chocolate, earthy hops, a touch of coffee. Mild anise in the back end. It hits all the right notes.

T: Roasted malt gives way to a touch of smoke (does this have smoked malts? Very interesting). Chocolate, coffee, and anise are noted. There is a modest earthy bitterness in the finish that reveals the hop character, but it is not heavy enough to push the beer into black IPA territory.

M: It has a drying finish (though I wouldn't call this a dry beer). The effect probably comes from the roasted malt and bittering hops.

O: This is solid. If I could purchase this on shelves, I would. I liked this much more than Blaecorn Unidragon.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 04:53:49 | More by Arbitrator

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.48/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle served in a snifter.

L - black with a tan head that left a nice bit of lacing.

S - roasted coffee beans and chocolate.

T - rich and roasty all the way through with tastes of licorice, chocolate and bitter espresso coffee.

F - medium/full bodied, smooth and creamy.

O - very nice!

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 01:37:32 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appears jet black, as expected. The 22 oz bottle was split/shared into 2 big snifters. It was poured slowly to get even split so it was hard to get a read on the head. Snifters were almost too big. But what little head I got was tan in color.

Aroma is big on vanilla and hickory smoke, with some espresso and faint baker's chocolate.

I tasted big roasted, charred grains up front with a touch of bitterness and booze. This was followed by notes of hickory, oak, peet moss, and a touch of brown sugar in the finish once the beer came to room temperature.

Mouthfeel was moderate in weight. Not too syrupy - actually a tad on the dry side.

I really liked this brew. The sweetness is refined and subtle. It mixes with the woodsy notes VERY well. I just bought the one bottle a few months ago, and now I wish i bought a bunch :(

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 00:59:31 | More by jbertsch

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours black with a tan ring of head, not much lacing, looks mostly still.

The smell is textbook stout, nice and roasty and chocolate in the malt, just a touch of coffee and anise as well. I enjoy the touch of smokiness to the malt in the smell, it's very good and rich.

The taste follows the smell with a very nice layered taste of smoky peat, roasted barley, cocoa, and a ripple of hop ester. A bit of raw ground coffee beans as well. Overall a solid taste but not very unique or notable. The feel is also good but not amazing.

Solid beer but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:05:22 | More by Dreadnaught33

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer is black with a half inch of tan head. The aroma is a bit sweet, lightly roasted, a hint of coffee and chocolate - smells fine. Nice flavor. Rich and medium to full bodied. Moderate carbonation. A light bitterness in the finish with a hint of coffee. Overall, this was enjoyable. I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 22:15:52 | More by Huhzubendah

ChrisPratz

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Jet black with a nice dark brown foamy head. Starts with a fingers worth of head that dissipates quickly to a blotchy patch of head.

S: Nice aromatics here, i can smell it as soon as I pop the cap. Nice sweet and toasted malts with alot of burnt sugar, smokeyness, chocolate and some coffee tones.

T: Very mellow sweet malt off the bat leads into the bitter chocolate and some smokeyness. Some molasses notes here as well but everything is very mild and subtle, nothing overpowers the next.

M: Light carbonation, left with a creamyness in the mouth and an aftertaste that lingers with a hint of dryness.

O: Very nice imperial stout here. All the flavors blend into each other well and are noticeable with no one particular note overpowering the other. Clown Shoes does it again!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:01:43 | More by ChrisPratz

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 2/2012. Poured in to Founders tulip.

A - Black with half a finger of medium brown head that reduced to a ring around the glass.

S - Big roasted malt aroma up front. Smoke, semi-sweet chocolate and coffee round out a really inviting nose.

T - Big roasted malt profile up front that is complimented by big sweet molasses, chocolate, brown sugar and a touch of coffee. Smoke is present but doesn't dominate ... the perfect proportion. The finish is dry and bitter.

M - Medium body. Creamy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 01:44:55 | More by TheSevenDuffs

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle with a Bottled 2/2012 on the side. Pours a dark black color with an inch of brown head. Lots of lacing. Aromas of smoke, roasted malts, dark chocolate and earthiness. Taste is smokey with some chocolate and roasted malts. The smoke flavor sticks around for awhile. Dark chocolate and smoke finish. Somewhat boozey but drinks fairly easy considering the ABV, chocolate and smoke flavors. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. I would be intersted in seeing how this one ages. Overall, a nice smokey and chocolatey Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 04:17:02 | More by PicoPapa

beesy

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from. 22oz bomber with a bottle date f 12-2011

A - pours a deep brown, almost black with a 2 finger mdium btown had. Some lacing.

S - malty, roasty, lots of chocolate, small note of a nutty aroma.

T - awesome. Thr booze is not apparent at all for 10% abv. Creamy, sweet caramel malts wth some toast and maybe a touch of smoke mixed in. The malt and sweet caramels and roast are tund almost perfectly. No hops really detected anywhere.

M - creamy. A little thick but it does well with the abv.

D - way easier to drink than it should be. Sneaky.

Overall, I love this stout. Easy to drink and full flavored
Just wish I wish had bought another bottle to cellar a bit. I wish it had eithet a bit more hop bitternss or roasty bitterness, but its a damn fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 01:04:16 | More by beesy

tdm168

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - pours pitch black with a soft, dense, dark brown head with great retention

S - chocolate, roasted malts, toffee

T - chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, coffee, alcohol

M - warm, full bodied, smooth, great carbonation

This is a fantastic beer. It has great chocolate notes throughout and great complementary roasted malt and coffee notes. The drinkability is pretty high considering the ABV. Overall, I give this a must try.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 01:43:05 | More by tdm168

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Second Anniversary Ale
Bottled 2/2012 into DFH snifter.

A- Totally opaque black pour with a finger width, creamy dark tan head. Lacing is excellent.

S- Dark chocolate, dark roasted espresso, brown sugar, vanilla and licorice. I'm only getting the slightest smoke aroma, nothing really distinguishable. Exceptionally decadent and complex smelling. I keep going back for another whiff.

T- Sweet chocolate, dark bitter espresso and than the smoked malts kick into action. Dark and smokey, but far from overpowering. More of a slight smoke flavor and a lingering bitter char finish. Brown sugar and molasses sweeten the back end.

M- Full and creamy, decent carbonation.

O- I'm not a smoke beer fan, this is an exception though. This would really go well with a dessert of some sort or a nice BBQ meat choice.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 23:53:22 | More by korguy123

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into Hunahpu snifter. Bottled 2/2012

A- Pours a an opaque pitch black not allowing any light to pass trough. About a quarter of a finger of creamy mocha brown head that quickly recedes to leaving almost no head and some lacing around the sides. About average carbonation, a little bit above average carbonation for a stout.

S- Very aromatic smell of sweet chocolate, espresso, roasted malts, subtle smoked malts. Definitely one of the better smelling imperial stouts I've smelled.

T- The roasted malts and smokiness definitely come out a little bit more on the taste mixed with light sweet chocolate, espresso beans, some very light hickory in the background.

M- On the lighter side for an imperial stout, a little bit above average carbonation for a stout, not too syrupy but full bodied, abv very well hidden, smooth + goes down easily.

O- This was a very good imperial stout. I think its pretty much up there (especially in aroma) with stone's RIS, Speedway Stout, and other imperials in the top 100. The light smokiness definitely added a nice complexity to the beer. Along with Blaecorn Unidragon, Clown Shoes definitely makes some great imperial stouts. I definitely recommend trying them, they are among some of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 00:31:34 | More by jaasen64