Evil Twin Auld Yin - Evil Twin Brewing

Jsenay

Texas

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

Served from a bottle into a tulip

A - Pours tar black with medium carbonation and a light lacing.

S - Smells like a sweet slightly smoked chocolate bar. Some rummy raisin hints to it as well

T - Smooth caramelized malt and chocolate up front, bitter smoke in the middle and a smooth smokey medium sweet finish.

M - Very sweet. Subtle smoky bitterness in the middle with mild carbonation. With a sweet roasted coffee/chocolate finish.

O - Very nice offering from Evil Twin. The flavor balance is impeccable and really just wanted the bottle to last longer than it did. Fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 04:05:34 | More by Jsenay

cofeeguru

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -8.9%

05-11-2013 01:02:40 | More by cofeeguru

griffeyb

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

05-08-2013 17:55:58 | More by griffeyb

jklecko2

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

05-03-2013 16:37:07 | More by jklecko2

Erice78

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

04-17-2013 01:25:53 | More by Erice78

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

330ml bottle 12,0% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in a snifter.
Best before 2015.

Appearance: My god, this is an anomaly – a Danish imperial stout that is not going to get full marks on appearance. That said, it is not far off! Auld Yin appears pitch black in the glass, but a back light reveals a little too much ultra deep red along the edges of the glass. A rough pour yields a large dark tan coloured head that lasts fairly well for the Abv. and leaves a few patches of lacing as it recedes.

Smell: Ah man, this smells fantastic and actually reminds me of De Molen’s MacAllan BA Hel & Verdoemenis.
The initial nose offers big chocolate notes (cocoa dusted chocolate truffles and dark chocolate cake batter to be precise), creamy vanilla, dark caramel, butterscotch, roasted malt and scotch whiskey. Initially I thought it was highland whiskey, but after a little warming a smokey peated character begins to emerge. Warming also yields liquorice, more roasted malt, rich chocolate liqueur, a little alcohol, dark fruity notes and some coffee.

Taste: As with most European imperial stouts, the flavor leans more on the roasted side of things than the nose did, but it still maintains a fantastic balance between sweetness, roast and barrel character. Notes include: Roasted malt, some char, bittersweet dark chocolate, dark caramel, cocoa, burned raisins, liquorice, a little vanilla, some smokey peat, a little oak, a touch of coffee and some rich dark fruit. There is a touch of alcohol noted, but nothing that would make me think this was 12%.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied and fairly sticky, with a medium level of smooth carbonation. I usually prefer a fuller body on my imperial stouts, but the combination of the body and fantastic carbonation makes this ridiculously drinkable.

Overall: Auld Yin is a phenomenal barrel-aged imperial stout and one of the best whiskey barrel-aged beers I have had. I really wish I had bought a few more bottles to stick in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 13:09:53 | More by Thehuntmaster

smithj4

New York

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

04-07-2013 01:38:46 | More by smithj4

metter98

New York

4.26/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass along with some wispy lacing covering the surface.
S: Aromas of sweet and dark malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has bits of sweetness along with hints of scotch.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and smooth on the palate with a low to moderate amount of carbonation. There are bits of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is very drinkable considering its strength because there are no traces of alcohol in the taste, although the taste is complex enough that it can be slowly sipped and savored. It's also not too heavy on the mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 01:36:36 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours an opaque but clear jet black in color with light amounts of visible carbonation and some cola brown highlights. The beer has a very thin sudsy dark tan head that reduces to a small patch of thin large bubbles and a thing ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of milk chocolate along with caramel, vanilla, anise, and oak. There are moderate aromas of smoked peat and scotch.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of roasted malts and charred malts. There are lighter flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla, anise, and oak. There are slightly stronger flavors of smoked peat and scotch. Light amounts of lingering bitterness.

M: Full bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with light amounts of alcohol warming.

O: Overall this beer is very well balanced and I was impressed that the scotch barrel aging was very complementary and did not dominate the flavor. This is a very enjoyable sipping beer and one that I really enjoyed and would consider picking up another time.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 01:34:34 | More by dbrauneis

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

04-06-2013 19:53:44 | More by DoubleSimcoe

n2pux

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

04-04-2013 17:52:04 | More by n2pux

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

03-30-2013 21:03:40 | More by iL0VEbeer

dar482

New York

4.59/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This pours in a deep black color with a slight head.

The aroma is of chocolate, caramel, and deep roasted notes.

The flavor has this char deep richness. It reminds me of BCBS, but less complex. There isn't quite the bite that some Russian Imperials have. I actually compare it most to those. It doesn't have a big coffee or chocolate flavor like some barrel aged beers. It has this wonderful motor oil, rich body. It has a great malt, oak, smokiness to it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2013 04:00:19 | More by dar482

Googs

New York

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

03-21-2013 16:35:58 | More by Googs

BeerWorld

New York

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

03-19-2013 22:44:53 | More by BeerWorld

Texasfan549

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

03-09-2013 05:45:25 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

03-09-2013 03:23:36 | More by kjkinsey

jpd7374

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +13.9%

02-02-2013 00:18:20 | More by jpd7374

Jspriest

Maryland

5/5  rDev +13.9%

01-20-2013 20:05:16 | More by Jspriest

iKrystin

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

01-13-2013 20:56:48 | More by iKrystin

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8.9%

01-12-2013 20:02:43 | More by spycow

twelveinches

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

01-01-2013 18:30:32 | More by twelveinches

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed while attending Cantillon Zwanze Day 2012 at Avenue Pub! Shared this one as a pre-game to the event. Served from bottle into a chalice. Poured a massively dark brown with a minimal light tan head that subsided to none quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, peat, wood, sweet alcohol, dark fruit, and raisin. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, wood, peat, dark fruit, sweet alcohol, plum, and raisin. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. When I saw this one on the beer list I had to give it a shot as I’ve been trying as many Evil Twin brews as I possibly can. This one was definitely worth my time trying. It was really complex and rather enjoyable. I usually hate peat being present in a beer, but this one has so many other aspects going on that it actually blended in quite nicely. Definitely a must try brew if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 13:22:40 | More by thagr81us

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black with a finger of frothy chocolate colored head. Fades medium-quick.

S - Oak, vanilla, whiskey, chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruits, black licorice, molasses, earthy hops, some booze.

T - Chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruits, vanilla, oak, whiskey, black licorice, earthy and pine hops, molasses, and some booze.

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

D - Nicely balanced. Barrel aging adds some nice depth and complexity to the base beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 07:22:12 | More by ngeunit1

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

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

Best Before 2015. Poured in to snifter.

A - Black with a thin layer of medium brown head.

S - Sweet vanilla, whiskey and a touch of oak up front. Some chocolate, molasses and roast aromas are also present.

T - Fairly sweet overall with chocolate, vanilla and molasses flavours accompanied by a sweet whiskey presence. There is a big roast profile with a slight bitterness and some warming alcohol.

M - Medium body. Creamy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:22:26 | More by TheSevenDuffs