Evil Twin Yin - Evil Twin Brewing

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance
Pitch black with 3 fingers of loose, brown head that dissipates quickly. Tiny bit of light penetration along the edges.

Nose
Espresso, charcoal, dark chocolate, dark fruits and a little booze.

Taste
Deeply roasted barley and charcoal. Light notes of espresso and dark chocolate. Earthy and roasty with a bitter, piney finish. A little bit boozy.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, smooth, creamy and dry.

Overall
A good beer but it seems to be lacking depth. Perhaps a tad too bitter for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 13:32:43 | More by justintcoons

zac16125

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

8oz pour from a bottle into a tulip
Bottled on: 3/13/13

A: Pours an opaque jet black with 1 fingers width of mocha colored head. Head dissipates fairly quickly and leaves only the faintest spots of lacing.

S: Huge leather notes, followed by tobacco. Char, roasted malts, stale burnt coffee, burnt toast. Not my favorite IS aroma profile, but well done and very strong nose.

T: Follows the nose with leather and tobacco coming out in full force. I also get roasted malt, char, subtle notes of dark fruit sweetness, burnt coffee, hints of piney hop bitterness, a touch of booze towards the end of glass.

M/D: Full bodied, but would benefit from being thicker. Carbonation on the higher end of the spectrum for the style. ABV is well restrained, and drinkability is moderate.

O: Overall, good not great, but well above average. Evil Twin really has an impressive lineup of Imperial Stouts. They make many others that I prefer to this one (IBB, Even More Jesus, Minigrowler), but I would definitely drink this again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 00:02:22 | More by zac16125

UCLABrewN84

California

3.71/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 2/13/13.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Thin streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, slight dark fruit, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with intense burnt cocoa and char flavors on the finish. There is a high amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the roast presence in the flavor is quite strong.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 05:34:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

barczar

Kentucky

3.91/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque black with a foamy one inch caramel head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving spotty lacing. A half inch cap lingers indefinitely.

Notes of coffee and roast malt are evident at arm's length. Citrus hops become noticeable upon further investigation. Grapefruit and tangerine, along with dank cannabis complement the roast, slightly charred notes. Chocolate becomes more prevalent as it warms.

Flavor reveals a huge citrus underpinning, with a roast malt backbone, finishing with coffee ground and hop bitterness. Grapefruit, lemon, and sour orange hit the tongue initially, eventually giving way to burnt breadcrust, coffee, and nutty notes. Pine surfaces in the aftertaste, along with dark chocolate.

Body is fairly thick and smooth, with low carbonation, a touch of astringency, and moderate alcohol warmth.

One of the hoppier stouts I've tried. The interaction between roast malt and citrus is intriguing. But I think malt flavor is a bit lacking in complexity and substance.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 22:47:28 | More by barczar

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

As the counterpart for "Yang" Mikkeller sets aside this massive Imperial Stout to possibly form the worlds strongest "Black & Tan".

Yin pours with an ominous black viscosity. Light 30-weight motor oil, the beer slowly allows a mocha-stained head to build upon its back. It culminates into a dense medium-statured head that makes penetrating its meringue a bit of a chore. Persistent retention and blanketed lace are hallmarks of its testament to quality.

Strong aromatics of roast abound: espresso, cocoa and burnt embers all set the stage for masculine session. Overcooked toffee, maple, and malt begins to round out the beer- giving the roast support. A tinge of grass and citrus are a prelude into hop bitterness to come.

Again, strength is the name of the game when it comes to taste as well. Embedded toffee and maple sweetness is quickly dwarfed by the roast character of bold espresso, bitter chocolate, light campfire smoke and charred toast. The beer slowly fades into a malty-dry finish of both coffee-derived and hop bitterness. Warming a bit, the taste of black licorice and cherry seem a bit like spiced rum.

Absolute fullness exudes in the beer's mouthfeel. Very full, thick, and nearly chewy- the beer slowly fades to a malty-dry finish of alcohol warmth, roast dryness and hop dryness.

Yin is far more hoppy than I expected, but balancing so. It seems to make sense as a stand-alone sipping session. The beer is effortless in its taste, but intimidating in its power. Though its nearly a perfect stout in many ways, I keep looking for some attributes to stand out and make it a world class example, but there are none- its just a really good stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 17:41:58 | More by BEERchitect

babaracas

Florida

3.99/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown with transparent edges, two fingers thick creamy dark brown head settles to a thin ring, a few splotches of lace on the glass. Smell: molasses, french roast, green and slightly citric hopping, dark chocolate, buttery note. Taste: bitter chocolate, pine and lemon peel, brown bread, dark roast. Creamy feel into drying and sugary. It's good, but that's about it.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 05:17:05 | More by babaracas

daledeee

Iowa

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Still working on my Christmas presents.

Poured a dark brown/black with creamy tan head and good lacing.

Nose is quite strong with chocolate, fruit and hints of yeast.

Taste is much different. Taste is quite bitter with a smoky tinge. I mean this beer has malt bitterness to the max. It poured rather watery and the mouth feel comes across that way too. This is surprising due to the ABV. There is cocoa and espresso also.

I find this beer to be a slight disappointment, too bitter for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:18:06 | More by daledeee

Tone

Missouri

4.44/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a black color. 1/2 inch head of a tan color. Great retention and good lacing. Smells of sweet malt, alcohol, slight liquor, roasted malt, hint of hops, slight bready yeast, hint of dark citrus, and a hint of wood. Fits the style of an American Double / Imperial Stout. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of roasted malt, sweet malt, alcohol, liquor, slight hops, hint of wood, hint of dark citrus, and a hint of bready yeast. Overall, decent appearance, good aroma, great body, and great blend.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 14:02:25 | More by Tone

acevenom

Louisiana

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass. Pours black with a thin, tan head that doesn't hang around for very long.. The beer is opaque with no light shining through the edges. The aroma is of dark roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, molasses, anise, and some alcohol. I also get some hops, which adds some piney scent. The taste is very roasty with piney hops, bitter coffee, dark chocolate, and anise. The alcohol is there as well as some dark fruit notes. The body is full and thick with moderate carbonation. The finish leaves a roasty aftertaste. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 22:11:06 | More by acevenom

macrosmatic

Florida

4.39/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed from notes. Had at the Independent. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into an oversized tulip glass.

A: Extremely dark brown, opaque, with a good-sized mocha brown head that fades slowly. Low visible carbonation.

S: Chocolate and coffee, booze and some oak in the background.

T: Sweet chocolate, some coffee, strong but not unpleasant booze, with tobacco, leather, and dark fruit in the background. Booze flavor at the hang.

M: Thick body, low carbonation sensation but average for the style. Alcohol noticeable but seems an integral part of the beer.

O: This is a pleasant, tasty beer. Thoroughly enjoyable, and I'll likely have another if I find it around.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 00:05:19 | More by macrosmatic

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black, finger chocolate colored frothy head. Fades medium.

S - Roasted chocolate malts, coffee, molasses, dark fruits, black licorice, earthy and pine hops, and a bit of booze.

T - Dark chocolate malts, roasted coffee, dark fruits, black licorice, molasses, earthy and pine hops, and some booze.

M - Full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth and syrupy with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Nicely balanced bold imperial stout. Good malt character.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 06:05:48 | More by ngeunit1

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a snifter. No best before date on the bottle.

A - deep black in color, no light penetration whatsoever. Creamy one finger tan head resolves to a thin rim of head a lacing at the edge of the glass.

S - lots of the usual imperial stout elements: espresso, licorice and a hit of smoke after warming. One unexpected element is a slightly vegetal quality (green pepper).

T - rich and deep flavours starting with a slight bitterness that is quickly overtaken by a rich, creamy black coffee and licorice malt. It never gets sweet and the bitterness returns in an enduring finish. A very slight hint of smoke at the end of the flavour. Maybe even a slight acidity as well. Very dry finish.

M - full bodied with light carbonation to tickle the tongue. It doesn't get cloying or syrupy. Definitely some alcohol warming, but not boozy.

Overall a powerful and interesting Imperial Stout. Lots of muscle and power. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 23:01:24 | More by DoktorZee

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer is black with a moderately-sized tan head. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it is an imperial stout. Head dissipates almost totally before very long, leaves some lace.

Nose has toffee and roast malt, along with wood. A bit surprising and not what I expected.

Taste contains toffee, roasted malts, some dark fruit. Wood. Toffee is the strongest flavour for me, a bit burnt.

Mouthfeel is thinner than I look for in an imperial stout, though obviously still a big beer. Moderate carbonation level.

Overall, pretty good, but a bit disappointing. The toffee-flavour doesn't totally work for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 02:07:20 | More by jrenihan

warrenout330

Ohio

4.55/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into my duvel glass

A- pours a nearly pitch black color... starts off deep brown, once the bottle is fully poured you get a combination of complete black... little to no head, minimal lacing

S- dark roasted chocolate, sweet smelling fruit? Cherries? Strawberry? Pumpernickel bread

T- sweet dark fruits covered in dark chocolate. Pumpernickel bread in the back

M- slick, oily mouthfeel. Oily thick body. Mild hop bite...

O- very interesting take on this stout... I get sweet fruit, bread and malt in one complete
Layer of beer.... very complex for the style.... kudos evil twin

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 03:27:39 | More by warrenout330

DocJitsu

California

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an entirely opaque, very dark brown. This is as dark brown as it gets before becoming black. A gorgeous, foamy mocha colored head forms and lingers. Mild aromas of coffee with emerging light notes of both cherry and chocolate. It has a viscous, nearly chewy mouthfeel with some carbonation scrubbing mid to late. Flavors of toffee and dark chocolate balanced with some grassy hop that emerges in the middle. It finishes strong with coffee. No alcohol warmth. Weird for a 10 ABV. This is a nicely balanced stout and is quite drinkable. A very well crafted brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 03:59:15 | More by DocJitsu

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass. Liquid comes out almost completely black while pouring it. Once the liquid settles it's still black for the most part, dark to cola brown on the bottom and top edge areas. Coffee with a little milk colored head that comes up pretty strong. Sticks around awhile and has better than average lacing.

Smell is good, really good. Very robust and super roasty. Mild (earthy pine) hop presence with hints of dark fruit as well. Slight charred more sweet than bitter chocolate.

Taste is on par with the smell. Big on the roast again, plenty of roasted grains. The chocolate is present but there's a coffee flavor that presents itself stronger here. Sort of a not exactly a mocha/java type thing but sort of. Slight vanilla and some dark fruits present at the end. Sweet without being too overwhelming in any way. This is a really great tasting beer.

Mouthfeel is great. It's full bodied, smooth and a great carbonation level. More sweet than bitter but it's a good balance. Smooth for most of it with a nice bitter finish. No bite from the alcohol. Great drinkability, it's a nice sipper, but if your not careful it can be drank like any stout.

I'm digging this brewery even though I've only had a few beers from them, looking forward to more.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 00:14:49 | More by AndyAvalanche

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle from Bullocks (Marietta, GA). 6.99. No bottling info. Served in a Sweetwater snifter.

Pours jet black with a finger and a half biscotti tan head. Tiny sporadic chips of lace.

Smells of dark chocolate, roasty malts, figs and coffee.

Bold dark tastes. Dark chocolate covered dates, coffee, molasses, currants and a hint of piney hops towards the finish. Good smooth blend that only hints at it's 10% abv.

Fairly full creamy thick feel with moderate carbonation. Long bitter cocoa aftertaste.

I'm glad I revisited this one. Previously I'd only tried it in partnership with the Yang. It was excellent blended but this is quite worthy on it's own. Any stout fans that see this on a shelf should know that it's drinking quite well right now.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 03:41:09 | More by ThickNStout

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into tulip 14/9/12

A black with some dark cola at the edge, two fingers of brown foam fizzes out quickly and leaves zero lace

S lots of molasses and some chocolate fudge, some licorice and cold coffee and a slight booze sting on deep whiffs,

T booze is better concealed and the flavors a little richer, some mild smoke and charred wood and the hops are still noticeable, some chocolate covered raisins but not overly sweet

M silky and just enough carbonation too give it some life but it could use a little more but its not flat, has some weight too it but not that thick considering the color

O its good but not great, quite easy too drink for the strength but although a solid beer its missing something to put it into the upper class of big ass stouts

I liked it but I didn't love it, perhaps I had high expectations for this brewer but I still have a few to get blown away by. Perhaps some age would help its cause but a few more bubbles would help its cause too

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 04:40:25 | More by wordemupg

Rickythejeweler

Maryland

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pitch black, one finger mocha head, nice lacing.

S - Chocolate, olive, smoked malt, oats, earthy hops, tobacco, alcohol.

T - Black malt, dark chocolate, bitter hops, brown sugar, hint of ash, grains, alcohol.

M - Medium-full bodied, medium-low carbonation.

O - Very tasty, I love trying Evil Twin's stouts and darker beers, always interesting.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 14:12:41 | More by Rickythejeweler

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330ml bottle. Evil Twin jumps the English Channel to try their lot at Brewdog. Sure.

This beer pours a solid black, with slight reddish basal highlights, and two fingers of dense, puffy mild chocolate brown head, which settles steadily, leaving a nice rocky shoreline of painted lace around the glass.

It smells of roasted malt, bitter chocolate, astringent wood fiber, some green banana peel, a touch of thin soy sauce, and a whiff of floral alcohol. The taste is sugary, lightly toasted grainy malt, a hefty dose of bittersweet baker's chocolate, some softer boozy vanilla, more pithy, sharp wild woodiness, a bit of sour black cherry fruitiness, and a further underlying edgy alcohol twinge.

The bubbles are very sedate, to the point of being soporific, the body a decently sturdy medium weight, with the smoothness quite up in the air with all those wood and liquor notes swirling about. It finishes sweet, but ever so tempered, that besotted 2x4 character still a big-ass fly in the ointment.

There seems to be the requisite malt weight, attitude, and alcohol integration here to really have a go at things, but unfortunately that edgy, raw barrel character (was this offering even actually shown the wood?) detracts just a wee bit too much. Evil Danish twin meets crazily sly Scot, and worlds collide, providing balance, if I'm to believe the label marketing babble. There is certainly a collision here, but I'm not grokking any real balance, sublime or otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 05:49:53 | More by biboergosum

oberon

North Carolina

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

Poured into a snifter a deep deep dark chocolate brown with a thin deep beige head atop.Dark fruit dipped inalcohol,bitter chocolate,and faint wood smoke in the nose,the alcohol is big and sweet.The alcohol is a bit more restrained on the palate with dark fruit and chocolate being the main flavoring,again faint smokiness in the finish.After awhile it gets a little sticky but it's a solid imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 19:44:29 | More by oberon

mltobin

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle of this over the border in New York.

Appearance is black in color with a short tan head. Its` nose hits with roasted malts, chocolate and wood. The taste has vanilla, more of the roasted malts, coffee. It is a fairly tasty beer, but not quite as good as I had hoped. Mouthfeel is medium, a sweetness lingers in the finish. A tasty, but pricey 12 oz bottle of beer. Worth trying, but likely would not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 02:40:59 | More by mltobin

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BA smoked for hooking me up with the yin and yang pair of bottles. Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into a tulip the brew appears black in color with more than a finger of mocha head sitting atop. The cap slowly fades leaving spots and stringy lacing pattern on the glass. When held to the light, a bit of ruby clarity is seen around the edges.

The aromatics are quite roasty on this bugger. It displays a very rich and inviting char to chocolate quality that hints towards super strong espresso, earth, leather, tobacco and some dark fruited elements. Once the sweeter dark fruit gets inside your nostrils, it is hard to shake. Initially it was all about the bitter roasted grain and chocolate elements, but once that fruity quality takes hold, good night to everything else. As it warms up and the glass is swirled, even more dark fruit and a kiss of fusel alcohol emerges.

The flavor of this brew is perplexing at first. The roasty espresso and bitter unsweetened cocoa you might expect are missing in action. In it's place you find a bit of mineral element and solvent alcohol. As the palate becomes accustomed, a rich earthy roast quality emerges. Digging deeper, you get a bit of leathery quality mixed with tobacco and more earth. It has almost an ashy aspect about it with a very minor hint of dark fruits or molasses with the alcohol coming out towards the backend.

This is a medium to fuller bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. It is roasty, bold and aggressive with the alcohol not hiding at all. The nose and the taste of this brew are seemingly polar opposites at times. It has a lasting oily hop character to it that keeps me thinking american black ale. Regardless, it isn't a bad brew it just isn't something I would return to considering the price.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 01:43:04 | More by stakem

Flounder57

Massachusetts

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

11.2 oz bottle was poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: The beer poured a one finger mocha head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is pitch black with no clrity and some signs of bubbles at the upper rim of the glass. Looks delicious.

Smell: roasted and bready malts, mocha, and somce smokiness too.

Taste: roasted coffee, bittersweet choocolate, bready and sweet malts, alcohol, and quite a tasty treat.

Mouthfeel: very smooth, a bit dry, full bodied, medium to high carbonation, and very easy to drink given the high ABV.

Overall: This is a pretty solid DIS that could of sat for 3 more years. I have completed the Evil Twin black and tan beers and next time I will venture into the expensive mix now that I have had both compnents separately.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 04:25:25 | More by Flounder57

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A quite nice Imperial Stout, on the dryer side with an especially nice dose of licorice to it. Pours black with a relatively thin tan head that settles to a thin ring, and no lacing. Smells predominantly of licorice- the unsweetened Swedish kind, there is also a bit of ash, and a touch of soy. Smells very dry. The taste is somewhat similar, but a bit sweeter, with chocolate notes and a touch of vanilla being predominant and the licorice taking a back seat. A bit grainy in the mouth, but with a long finish with the cocoa notes particularly lingering on. A solid Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 02:04:47 | More by Georgiabeer