Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break - Evil Twin Brewing

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

How can a beer with so much abv taste so smooth and balanced? Answer: Evil Twin just does it better. I just love the look, smell, feel, and taste of this beer. The only thing that could make it better is heated leather seats. It may not have the bourbon stout taste of others, but it gives you an enjoyment that makes you fall in love with the style. Never watery, never unbalanced, never boring, this beer just delivers every time. My favorite from a great brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2013 00:23:54 | More by Beer-A-Lot

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

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

Poured from a bomber (does it come any other way but maybe a keg ;-) into a DFH chalice. No "bottled on" date. It was a bit too cold, but I let it warm up.

A - Poured a viscous opaque black, healthy pour produced only a half finger of brown mocha-like rocky head that quickly dissipates. A few swrils bring the head back. Almost no lacing.

S - Big coffee and vanilla notes, sweetness.

T - Vanilla (but not overwhelming like some beers), coffee, roasted malt, hints of licorice, some bitterness in the finish.

MF - Smooth with just a bit of alcohol bite.

O - Excellent beer, unique in that it does not over do the vanilla. Relatively balanced, but sweet leaning. A rich beer so make plans to have someone available to share your bomber. Make sure the beer is at the right temp. Stating the obvious, but as the beer warms the flavors intensify.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 01:23:22 | More by Sludgeman

popery

California

4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours black and thick. Small brown head. A little bit of lacing. Dissipates to swirls of film after a minute. Aroma is big on chocolate. Lots of caramel sweetness and a fruity dose of coffee. Pretty light on the roast but it's there in the background. Very nice sweet, chocolatey stout smell. Mild herbal hop note. The taste adds a bunch more coffee flavor. Big chocolate and caramel sweetness again. It's like a dark chocolate milkshake with a shot of espresso and drizzled with caramel. Mouthfeel is thick, smooth and very full. Works very well with the top flavors. Excellent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2013 05:04:35 | More by popery

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours thick and black. Nearly no head, and what's there settles to only rim bubbles. Some spotty lace, but it doesn't last. No light shines through.

Plenty of chocolate milk aroma. Lightly sweet and mildly chalky.

Think powdered cocoa added to a porter. There's some definitive lactose sweetness. The aftertaste is more of the same. The body is rich; the carbonation low. The alcohol is hidden behind the strong flavors--there's no way I would think this beer has 10+% abv.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:16:36 | More by smcolw

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On-tap at Torst.

Black in colour, IBB has a small tan head that fades quickly. Good lacing.

The nose contains coffee, almond and chocolate. Biscotti indeed! You can really smell it.

Flavour-wise, there is almond, coffee, vanilla and roasted malt. Quite sweet. A dessert beer for sure.

Full bodied, moderately carbonated. Slick and smooth.

Overall, quite good. Did not quite live up to its reputation for me, but quite tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2013 13:20:14 | More by jrenihan

ElSid

California

4.15/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle Date: Possible date code on bottom

A: Thick, midnight black with a cocoa powder brown head, which leaves behind a ring of thin, micro bubbles on the glass.

S: Cocoa and espresso topped off with vanilla and wood. There is a burnt grain, caramel and brown bread center.

T: The sweetness hits with cocoa, marshmallows and brown sugar hand-in-hand with rich espresso. There is a raisin, dark berry and brown sugar spread on a bready, biscuity middle. The finish breaks the palate with oaky, earthy bitterness that builds to a somewhat dry and warm bourbon finish.

M: Thick and chewy; this brew feels substantial. There is a light to moderate amount of carbonation along with a coating linger.

O: The coffee is mostly muddled in the sweetness and bourbon. Overall this remains a significant coffee Imperial Stout. With it's ~$18 price tag out here in Southern California, I would happily reach over and grab some local brews such as Ale Smith's Speedway Stout and the younger Cismontane's Black Dawn instead.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 03:15:06 | More by ElSid

dar482

New York

4.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It comes in a dark black color with almost no head, with a brown mocha bubbling and ring.

The aroma is of chocolate, roasted malts, sweetness, a bit of coffee.

The flavor is of bitter chocolate, coffee. There's a bitter bark feel almost at the end. It's very sweet, but the middle just bites you with alcohol and hits you a bit. It's not a bad thing, just tells you it's there.

The mouthfeel is velvety and creamy.

My friend loved it, though I didn't fall in love with it. It does a great job giving you an Imperial Stout with chocolate and coffee flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2013 03:56:41 | More by dar482

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Got this recently from MegDuf32, thank you very much. Typical imperial stout appearance. Aroma is yeast, dough, slight coffee and biscotti or some type of cookie? Flavor is pretty close to the nose and good. My only complaint regarding this beer is that it is too sweet. The alcohol is hidden but its a sugary beer and I'm not sure I'll finish the entire bottle (though I likely will)

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 02:35:17 | More by ArrogantB

alexgash

Connecticut

4.56/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle.

Midnight dark brown. Viscous and oily looking. Small, filmy, bright cocoa brown head. Some lacing over time. Deep, rich roasted coffee and espresso aromas. Very fresh seeming (as in I just ground some wonderful, recently-roasted beans). After the wall of fresh black Italian roast, notes of caramel, vanilla, almond, and chocolate. Wow! I just want to sit and sniff this.

Italian roast coffee/espresso flavors right off the bat. Smooth, wonderfully roasty, with increasing bitterness. As the bitterness picks up, the palate fills up with dark chocolate, molasses, figs, and licorice. Woody, tannic bitterness toward the finish. Hints of vanilla and almond. Finish features more coffee roastiness and bitterness. Lingering caramel, molasses, and chocolate. Full-bodied, with a thick, slightly oily feel. One of the best coffee beers I've had!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:39:03 | More by alexgash

rapidsequence

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

22 oz bottle from Ridgewood Beer and Wine-- $12.99.

Appearance: Pours super thick, viscous, and black as hell. WIth a hard pour, a tight, dark brown head forms, but doesn't last. Just spots of lacing.

Smell: Cold coffee, chocolate chip cookie, brownies, tiny whiff of chewing tobacco, dark toast. Damn it smells good.

Taste: Rich, cakelike malt flavors with chocolate cookies and delicious coffee flavor. Roasted malt flavor is not overpowering, but rounds out the sweetness. Alcohol is not undetectable, but adds to the overall flavor. The finish is like you just finished a rich chocolate dessert and a cup of coffee.

Mouthfeel: Extremely smooth and soft. Slick, viscous, and thick.

Overall: This is just one of those beers that succeeds in every way, and really nails its goal. Wouldn't want it ever day, but when in the mood, this is perfect.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 00:21:50 | More by rapidsequence

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.66/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass form a bomber during a nice late March snow storm.

Pours a gorgeous dark dark black color held to the light lets nothing through. The head is nice and creamy and dense and rises to about 1 inch tall. Very very dense bubbles. The color is nice espresso and cappuccino tan. Gorgeous.

Wow. Aroma is impressive. Some nice espresso roast that is balanced out by delicious and bright vanilla bean notes. It is not cloyingly sweet though. Amazing nose. There is then some delicious cocoa powder and milk chocolate notes in the aroma. They mix so well with the vanilla and espresso from the front end. The cocoa notes also have some great almond notes and even some hazelnut to it.

Flavor is amazing! Wow. Follows the nose but is more intense and full and complex. Starts off with the perfect blend of espresso roast with some great nutty and almond balance. The chocolate sweetness milds out the coffee some more and it finishes with some slight vanilla bean deliciousness. The nice espresso bitterness also lingers towards the back end of the brew and plays so well with the vanilla and cocoa. Impressive brew. Mouthfeel is near if not perfect. Slick and smooth and slightly oily but not too thick to overwhelm.

Amazing brew that was under the radar for me. Very nice coffee notes that take the lead but play so well with some vanilla and nice coca. Very good brew. I will seek this out more.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 20:39:31 | More by JoEBoBpr

davey101

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber into a tulip glass. Huge thanks to Atomicskis5 for the bottle! Latest 2013 batch, best before 2015.

A - Pours a deep black body with two fingers worth of dense and creamy mocha foam. Crazy levels of lacing and retention here. Swirling the beer gets addictive it looks so damn good.

S - Move over Southern Tier, there's another brewery nailing the aromas of desserts! Roasted coffee beans, delicate french vanilla, and some almond nuttiness. Really digging the end of the nose as everything comes together so well. Smells like a god damn biscotti plus a cup of coffee.

T - Lightly bitter roasted coffee beans. Smooth and rich french vanilla. Cocoa and toasted almonds on the finish. Less direct than the nose but very tasty and satisfying. Rich and decadent but not too overbearing.

M - Rich and creamy. I was expecting something heavier and sweeter, not so. Alcohol sneaks in slightly on the aftertaste.

O - Been waiting to try this beer for a long time, and although I was expecting something much different it did live up to the hype for me. This is a damn solid dessert beer. Just nails the biscotti + coffee motif.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:00:47 | More by davey101

brewtus

Ohio

4.51/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22 oz bomber into snifter. Pours jet black with a deep dark brown head that dicipates quickly. Smell is a lot of chocolate, cinnimon, some coffee, sweet cookie. Taste startes with a smooth marshmallow, lots of dark chocolate, lots of cappuccino coffee, milky, some vanilla. The texture is amazing and it tastes like cappuccino ice cream, alcohol is undetectable. This has a unique coffee flavor for a stout because it isn't a bitter black coffee flavor, it's subtle but obvious in the cappuccino like flavor. This is delicious. Very thick but very drinkable and a real treat.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:38:03 | More by brewtus

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a complete black. Absolutely zero light penetration. Head is even viscous; its a very dark tan (actually brown) and it dies away to a frothy milkshake froth. Tons of lacing, too.

S-Bloated notes of mocha, vanilla bean ice cream and liquified milk chocolate. Also darkly fruited; reminds me of flat Dr. Pepper. Kahlua too. Coffee-dipped pastries that have been burnt on the bottom. Also slightly nutty.

T-This flavor is so unique! Chalky dark chocolate and luke-warm French vanilla coffee. Burnt pastry again and a bunch of truly tangible vanilla notes. The flavor is a bittersweet masterpiece. Definitely has that dried biscotti thing going on. Toasted nuts. Very fudgy. There is a lot going on; and all the flavors collapse upon themselves and create a unified Titan of taste.

M-Perhaps the thickest beer I have ever sipped. Nearly flat. Huge body. Creamy and viscous and fudgy and sludgy. Flavor lasts forever. Cinco!

O/D-This was pretty damn awesome. Its an experience in a glass. One of the better Stouts I have come across. It teeters between general awesomeness and greatness for me. It falls a few figurative inches shy of being one of my favorites but I would recommend this to anyone bold enough to try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 23:26:49 | More by VelvetExtract

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.29/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared by Sammy

Jet black, ring of tan coloured head, no lace to speak of here. Smell is quite vanilla forward, coffee and quite a great deal of roast as well, milk chocolate along with some bittersweet points as well. Taste follows the nose, vanilla and roast, lots of bitter coffee, chocolate, some sweet vanilla sugar flavours, lingering coffee bitterness, big vanilla-chocolate-coffee aftertaste. Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, a little thin at points but medium bodied throughout. Really good stuff here, much more enjoyable than the regular Biscotti Break, very drinkable for ABV and doesn't feel overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 11:58:25 | More by peensteen

Danny1217

Florida

4.74/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dense black with almost no head. Just a slight ring around the edges of the glass. Completely opaque.
Smells of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. The almond is present might might not be noticeable if I didn't know what was in the beer. Smells like a wonderful dessert, and is surprisingly strong smelling despite the lack of foam.
Very rich on the palate, but not overwhelming. Sweet, but not overly so. Imperial Biscotti Break strikes a fine balance between bitter roasted stout characters and a dessert like sweetness. Coffee, vanilla, and almonds are all present in the flavor, each playing its role and contributing a distinct flavor that adds complexity to this beverage.

This is one of those times where I have a beer and I am immediately impressed on the first sip. This is truly remarkable. The perfect dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 06:00:19 | More by Danny1217

SHODriver

California

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: pours dark and viscous into a snifter with a small dark tan head that fades slowly to a collar
S: smells of coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malt, and burnt marshmallows
T: tastes of coffee, dark chocolate, burnt sugar, a bit of bittersweet chocolate, and roasted malt . not a bit of alcohol in the flavor swallow brings more coffee and chocolate. it's almost like a cafe mocha flavored beer
M: full in the mouth and silky smooth with very soft carbonation slightly drying finish
O: absolutely phenomenal. fantastic flavors, killer looks and very drinkable for such a big beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 03:39:36 | More by SHODriver

merc7186

New York

4.3/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bomber into snifter glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Brown Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Dark Coffee Beans, Dark Roasted Chocolate Malts

T: Coffee, Sweet Chocolate, Dark Malts

M: Average Carbonation, Medium to Full Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Mildly Sweet

Overall, pretty damn solid but the coffee comes out a lot more as it warms out.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 02:17:26 | More by merc7186

yamar68

Minnesota

4.49/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I had essentially given up on trying to find this stuff until inebriatedjoker decided to send me a bottle - thanks man!

Burnt brown body with an edge of coffee clarity... an oily half finger of milky khaki carbonation settles down to form a consistent, thick collar which produces more legging than lacing... sexy as all hell.

Rich, shiny coffee bean explodes from the bottle. Definite dry vanilla characteristics... cocoa powder, dark and bitter chocolates, such an excellent balance of sharp dessert dryness and mild pie crust type sweetness.

This tastes absolutely incredible. A whole fucking twist cone (including the cone itself) playing against those oily bitter coffee grounds, toasted grains and plain old espresso. Just as dry on the palate as the nose would suggest; pure black chocolate, chalky, more coffee... this is crazy good.

Wow... I so wish I could drink this stuff on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 00:56:55 | More by yamar68

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Heard so much about this beer that when I saw it, I had to try it. This is the first offering I've had from Evil Twin. Served this at about cellar temperature, in a snifter, from a twenty two ounce bottle. I also love the simple labels....

Appearance: Imperial Biscotti Break pours out black. No other way to describe it, B-L-A-C-K. Not a ray of light passes through, BLACK! A regular pour yields about a finger of dark brown, frothy head. Head didn't seem to linger to long, but did leave some lace behind as I sampled. Did I mention black??

Smell: Wow! Lively nose. Complex and thick aromas. Smells sweet-ish... Cocoa powder stands out for me with a little roasted coffee filling in around the ages. Coffee right out of the grinder that is. A bit of toasted almond and vanilla are also found in the nose.

Taste: Again Wow!! Huge flavors. The coffee is really allowed to shine in the mouth, but not take over. Brown sugar and rich milk chocolate come to mind. I'm getting a bit of char in the background, I'm guessing from the malt. Vanilla kind of rounds out the flavor. The 11.5 percent ABV shows up, but remains hidden behind a wall of flavor. Pretty impressive.

Mouthfeel: Another great characteristic of this beer is it's mouthfeel. Thick and velvety, Smooth. Chewey is a good word for it. Just how a big stout should be!

Overall: What can I say. A great beer indeed. Will have to seek out othe ET offerings

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 21:53:37 | More by jaxon53

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.56/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Pitch black with a dark chocolaty foamy head. The head dissipates quickly, but it leaves a syrupy glaze and a lot of lacing on the glass.

Smell – A strong scent of coffee, cocoa, powdered sugar, vanilla, and hazelnut.

Taste – Coffee, vanilla cookie, milk chocolate, and malt. Really nice.

Mouthfeel – Creamy, somewhat syrupy, lightly carbonated, kind of sweet with a boozy vanilla coffee aftertaste, but hides the 11.5%abv rather well.

Drinkability – This goes down really easy. Not as big as their Aún Más A Jesús, which is my all time favorite stout as of this review. But this is a very tasty beer and another exceptional stout from Evil Twin!

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 04:19:49 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.61/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Assured and lush, Evil Twin puts together a massive stout that celebrates all things imperial, and does so with impeccable balance and power. They put a whole lot of extra awesome in this beer!

Opening with the darkest of dark brown hues, the beer nearly allows the color of chocolate to command the appearance, over that of stout. The dark ale allows for a quick rise of light tan foam to cap the beer confidently and withstanding retention. Well laced and ring defined, the heady froth clings to the glass like milkshake.

Deep aromas are an even-keel blend of chocolate and coffee. If not for the bourbony tinge of alcohol, it would have been easy to assume coffeehouse mocha-brewed blends. Bold sweetness of burnt caramel, roasted barley, toasted hazelnuts, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla all swirl to the nose and mesmerize the senses.

Super creamy, dense and full flavored, its the taste of mocha that leads the charge. The melange of espresso and bittersweet chocolates play out from the initial sip 'til the savory finish. All the while, this lavish stout picks up caramel and brown sugar sweetness early on the tongue, then provides a fat heavy cream and vanilla soaked middle palate before turning to burnt toast, brownie batter, and smooth coffee bitterness in closure.

Velvety on the palate, the beer massages every nook and cranny of the mouth with a dense sheet of silky sweetness. Alcohol warmth eases the would-be cloying texture as the dry roast of the beer ushers in a malty-dry culmination in its infinite aftertaste.

It's one of those transcendent stouts that gives you something new to praise at every sip. Just when you have seen it all in Stoutland, Evil Twin offers something more to entice the taste buds.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 19:47:06 | More by BEERchitect

rodkin

Missouri

4.11/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours dark dark brown, almost no head. Spotty lacing.

Smell is big coffee, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, nuttiness, vanilla, dark bitter roast. The coffee is not super rich, more like coffee grounds. Maybe slightly burnt.

That's more like it. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla, almond nuttiness. Bitter upfront, but smooth creamy sweetness follows.

Mouthfeel is medium thickness, light carbonation. Thicker would be nice, but it's still nice and creamy.

Drinkability is hurt a bit by the ABV. I've certainly had more flavorful beers with lower ABV. But, this is a fine dessert stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 18:39:43 | More by rodkin

shand

Florida

4.64/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Imperial Biscotti Break pours out a very dark brown with a pinky worth of head. The aroma has a strong sweetened coffee flavor jumping out, along with some nutty flavors and a bit of roasted malts and dark fruits. The taste brings out the flavor I got as "sweetened coffee" - there's a very solid amount of milk chocolate backing up the coffee, along with some sweet almond. Despite all the sweet flavors, Imperial Biscotti Break somehow manages to not be cloying - in fact, this is one of the most drinkable imperial stouts I've had in a while. The mouthfeel is very luxurious, it's very velvety feeling, with a perfect level of carbonation and a lighter body than most imperial stouts of the ABV. Overall, Imperial Biscotti Break is a fantastic imperial stout that absolutely lives up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 01:40:38 | More by shand

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Whiskey in the aroma. Little head on very dark brown. Medium mouthfeel. Rich looking, rich in mocha flavour. Good coffee, more of an imperial stout, though a tad thin for an IS. Lots of roast and coffee, much less sweet than the regular Biscotti break.Bottle from Premier.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 14:38:17 | More by northyorksammy