Evil Twin Lil' B - Evil Twin Brewing

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a dfh snifter.

A: pours black with little to no head at first then a slight almost quater finger of coffe colored head forms and dissapates rather quickly, some little lacing.

S: mild on the aroma, I get some hints of chocolate, slight dark fruit, not to much otherwise.

T: I primarily get dark fruits and chocolate here, particuarly raisin but deffinatly a touch of pruniness as well, a bit of alcohol and some sweetness in the middle, a touch of hop bitterness and roast on the end.

M: heavy bodies and viscous will little carbonation, the alcohol deffinatly makes it self know, I am a bit confused as to why this falls into the imperial porter family, deffia you seems like a stout to me.

O: I'm kinda dissapointed here, especially after seeing the reviews this beer has gotten so far.... This is the second time I've tried it, once on tap and once out of the bottle and neither time was I overly impressed, I am not a huge fan of dark fruit and. Deffinatly do not expect to find them in my porter wether it be imperial or not, I felt this could have been good with much more coffee and roastyness. But overall this is just an average brew to me,

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 06:55:55 | More by PeterIngemi

ehammond1

California

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

A beautiful stout: black throughout, small dark brown head, thick, viscous, and substantial in the glass, leaving messy, irregular splotches of lace down the glass.

Bold aroma of roasted malt, mild coffee and chocolate, along with some licorice, especially as the beer warms.

The flavor follows a similar trajectory as the aroma: roasted, chocolate, coffee combine initially, with more and more licorice flavors emerging as the beer comes closer and closer to room temperature.

Full bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Rich and thick.

Delicious, straight-forward, stouty goodness.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2012 16:36:31 | More by ehammond1

Dope

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours an inky pitch black with a small dark brown head despite an aggressive pour. Fades at decent pace but has good retention at least. Leaves just bits of lacing here and there.

S: Nice dark fruit aroma, primarily raisin, fig and plum. Anise too. Roasted malt aroma strong but not too strong. There is a nice bitter chocolate and ashy coffee aroma. Creamy and smooth (can a smell be creamy and smooth?). Wonderful aroma.

T: Loaded with dark fruit up front. Raisin, fig, plum and lots of cherry. Almost tart just for a moment. Roasted malt kicks in in the middle with some char initially but then turns into a really nice dark and bitter chocolate. Grows more bitter towards the finish until it's almost pure baker's chocolate by the end. Finish is creamy and mellow. Lingering bitter chocolate and char between sips. This is one hell of a beer.

M: Heavy and creamy and borderline chalky.

O: Wow, unexpectedly good. Especially for my first Evil Twin beer. One of the best imperial porters I've ever had, if not THE best. Strong fruitiness and milder roasted malt (though there is still plenty at 11.5% ABV) keeps this firmly in porter territory and doesn't cross over into imperial stout-dom. Wonderfully fruity, smooth and creamy. Balanced flavor. An expertly crafted brew in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 02:28:04 | More by Dope

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation. The beer poured with essentially no head, just a partial thin dark tan ring of bubbles around most of the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing is observed. Kind of looks like soy sauce when it pours.

S: Moderate aromas of chocolate and some lighter notes of sweet dark fruits.

T: Rich with lots of roasted malt flavors and chocolate. Lighter notes of dark fruits but not overly sweet (not quite as sweet as other beers in the style).

M: Light to medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Alcohol is extremely well hidden in this beer as you can detect none of the 11.5% ABV at all. Enjoyable but definitely a beer you need to take your time drinking, so drink it slow and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 17:21:08 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: The beer is jet black in color and only poured with a few bubbles on the surface. It’s not very thick and poured with the consistency of soy sauce. The beer originally had a thin tan head that quickly dissipated, leaving only a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderate to strong aromas of licorice and dark malts in the nose.
T: The overall taste is a lot more complex when compared to the smell and has notes of dark malts, roasted malts and licorice. There is a very slight amount of carbonation.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink considering its strength because the alcohol is very well hidden from the palate and it isn’t that full in body. It’s also not nearly as sweet compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 03:15:52 | More by metter98

zac16125

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Evil Twin Lil B
750mL bottle into a snifter
No born on date

A: Pours a thick looking, opaque jet black with 1 fingers width of dark mocha colored head, which dissipates down fairly quickly to only an outer ring. Leaves effectively no lacing.  

S: Dark fruits and rich dark chocolate, anise, a nutty almond-like character, sweet bread.  Actually smells like a biscotti, not as much as IBB, but definitely reminiscent of the cookie.  A hint of booze. Excellent.  

T: Herbaceous, roasted malt, dark fruits, sweet apple,a nutty character, chocolate syrup, the faintest hint of booze.  A lot of subtleties add to the complexity of the palate profile, but dont be fooled, roasted malt and an earthy/herbaceous character are the most prominent players here.  

M/D: Moderately thick.  Smooth, but slightly syrupy.   ABV is very well hidden.  I would have liked it to be a touch thicker and chewier.  Not a bad mouthfeel though, and drinkability is good.    

O: Overall, this is a really good beer.  Honestly, my expectations were through the roof, as my last couple of Evil Twin beers were just spectacular.  Ive heard this is the "base beer" to Imperial Biscotti.  Im not exactly sure what that means, and dont know if its true or not.  There are definitely similarities, but there are differences as well.  It doesnt live up to IBB, but then again most nothing does as thats one of my favorite beers, but this one is very good in its own right.  My limited experience with Imperial/Baltic Porters has me rating them as if they were IS's, which may not be fair.  Either way, certainly an enjoyable beer, that I recommend and gladly would drink again.  I wont be running to the store to buy up the rest of the supply like I did for Imperial Biscotti though.  

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 00:43:59 | More by zac16125

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours an incredibly black color, produces a thin mocha head with some spotty lacing.

S- Sweet, rich aroma, very heavy on chocolate, creating a nice brownie aroma. A bit of coffee and vanilla, some really amazing nut aroma as well. Light booze and vinous fruit. Wooo, swag.

T- Wooo, hoes on this beer cause it tastes like Jesus. A really delicious blend of chocolate and juicy dark fruit from the outset, roasted coffee beans and milk chocolate follow. As in the nose there's a very nice walnut/hazelnut flavor that lingers into the finish. A bit of bitter coffee and smoky roast in the finish, as well as a bit of lingering chocolate and mild booze. Hunned thousand dollars.

M- Full-bodied, smooth, velvety and creamy, low carbonation, if this was just a bit thicker it would be perfect.

O- This beer got bitches on deck. Seriously, this is a damn fine Paris Hilton style beer. The price is a bit steep, but I'm glad I picked this up, it's really delicious. Very drinkable for such a big beer as well, alcohol is nicely hidden. Master-chef cook chef cook swag swag swag.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 06:23:11 | More by WillCarrera

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

With the major differences in porters and stout being in the amount of "roast" character and in body, the recipe formulators of Evil Twin blur these lines and push the limits of this imperial porter into a highly specialized taste.

Lil' B pours with a dark, bark-brown color and a cloudy haze that creates a slightly murky appearance. Even with a vigorous pour, the beer lackadaisically amounts to a dainty creme-like foam to top the beer. Remote islands of foam attach themselves to the snifter with understated lacing.

Strong aromas of all-things-dark spring from the glass and into the nose- chocolate, coffee, nuts, molasses, light smoke, vinous fruit, sherry, and savory notes of soy sauce come to mind with a single whiff of the beer. With no real hop presence, the beer's aroma relies on complex near-roast notes and wine like counterparts to achieve its balanced scent.

Flavors are even stronger as the intense taste of French press coffee, smoky chocolate, bittersweet fudge-like notes, walnuts, slightly scorched toffee, and charred wood all flood the palate with richness and succulence. Savory soy sauce, sherry, and port wine weigh in after mid palate while the taste of dark, dehydrated, and pitted fruit mingles with alcohol. Dates, figs, raisins, and grapes are all well represented when layers after layers of taste are lifted and exposed as the beer warms.

Its highly viscous texture allows the full bodied ale to caress the mouth with velvety smoothness, creamy softness, and somewhat powdery warmth. The strong alcohol presence seeps into the soft tissues of the mouth with warming delight and free of harshness or bite.

With its extended finish of milk chocolate, vanilla, and fruit, the beer continues to reward the palate with the same satisfaction as fine brandy or cognac, in place of after dinner dessert. With beers like Lil' B, Evil Twin continues to remind me why it's alright to pay such exorbitant prices for their beers- they are simply worth it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 18:50:57 | More by BEERchitect

Impfan

Washington

5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The best porter I’ve ever tasted, hands down. I’m not usually a big fan of Baltic style porters, only because I find them to be too sweet, but this Imperial version is deceptively complex. At first, I thought it was a bit flabby in texture, and totally straightforward in flavor. However, as I continued to sip this voluptuous monster, flavors other than chocolate, toffee, and vanilla began to emerge...leather, tobacco, plum, kumquat, raisin, sandalwood, smoke, Cabernet, and bourbon began to poke out their heads, seemingly out of nowhere. The richness continued to build, but the sweetness never became overbearing, and leveled out at just the right point. This may be the best Evil Twin I’ve tasted, which is even more surprising when one takes note of the fact that it’s a contract brew executed by Westbrook Brewing Co of Mount Pleasant, S.C. I’d never heard of them, but I’ll definitely be looking for any future nationally distributed beers of theirs.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 22:25:02 | More by Impfan

StuartCarter

Alabama

5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: jet black - motor oil. Fluffy tan head that collapses to a thin ring.

Smell: chocolate, caramel, fruity, a little coffee. Much heavier on the chocolate/fruit than coffee.

Taste: revelatory. Chocolate, fruit, caramel, gentle coffee. This is a porter rather than a stout - the chocolate is up front and centre, the coffee is in the background, but still there.

Mouthfeel: for such a thick beer the mouthfeel is lovely - dense and creamy rather than viscous.

Aftertaste: rich caramel fruit, chocolate, light coffee.

As it warms: the coffee becomes more apparent in the nose, but the flavour leans to more chocolate and fruits.

This is a truly wonderful beer deserving of more recognition.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 15:20:14 | More by StuartCarter

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Because MSquared2 told me to tick Evil Twin brews this night… Served from bottle into a Mikkeller Teku (semi-proper!). Poured pitch black with a one finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, bread, milk chocolate, sweet alcohol, vanilla, and very subtle coffee. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, bread, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla, sweet alcohol, and coffee. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was fairly great brew. Where did this one come from!? Wow… Everything going on in this one was nothing short of fantastic and made it quite easy to drink despite the ABV going on here. The flavors and aromas going on here are nothing short of excellent as they are all on-point. This is definitely a really well done brew. If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying this one, you need to make it happen. Nicely done guys!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 10:38:51 | More by thagr81us

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.73/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at eulogoy in philadelphia
A - pours out of tap like motor oil, very dark beer, small head goes away quickly
S - dark frutis, choclatey and roasted malts, little bit of ether bourbon or just alcohol
T - follows the nose , veyr complex every moutful a little different
M - a little thin, but still very good
O - very cool beer, happy I had the chance to have it on tap

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 09:57:34 | More by vicsju1991

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Black with a moderately sized cocoa-coloured head. Moderate retention.

Smell is very rich. Roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruits, caramel and toffee, almost butterscotch. Smells like dessert, and a heavy one at that.

Taste is like the nose. Rich chocolate, toffee/caramel, roasted malt. A bit of dark fruit. The reviewer who mentioned blood orange has a point- I wouldn't have caught it but looking for it I do see how it comes out. Sweet but not overly so.

Full bodied and velvety smooth, with low carbonation. Feels great.

Overall, a really excellent beer! I guess it is unlikely that I will encounter it again, but I sure am enjoying this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 18:23:24 | More by jrenihan

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

32 ounce growler (an alarming serving size of such a strong critter, to be sure) poured into an oversized snifter. It's definitely got the "imperial" look going, dark and oily body topped with a dense cap of red-tinged tan foam. Considering the wide glassware and strength of Lil B, the retention and scattered lacing aren't bad at all.

Nice nose on this stuff. Fresh brewed coffee,dark fruits, old-fashioned caramel candies, sweet citrus (think tangerine and blood orange), dryish roast with stray notes of cocoa. Alcohol?? I reckon I'm catching a stray whiff here and there, but dang, this is shaping up pretty dangerously so far...

Oh yeah, dangerous stuff here. As it warms, the fruitiness takes a turn toward vinous and mixed berry jam territory. Viscous but smooth with a nice slippery feel. Plentiful juicy and tangy flavors midswallow, with bittersweet chocolate, leafiness and some dry roast showing up in the lengthy finish. Even at this ABV, it's not overwhelmingly sweet, and certainly not boozy. Appropriately warming, but you'd never guess 11.5% while sipping on it. A surprisingly potent undercurrent of bitterness is a nice complement to all the sweet/fruity/tangy components of the flavor profile; I suspect it will cellar like a champ, but damned if it ain't tasty now. A touch more roast would really send it over the top. The price point's a bit tough to swallow, but I'm still inclined to grab a bottle or two to age.

Epilogue: Lil B will creep up on ya like the ninja of getting hammered. Proceed with caution...

Serving type: growler

08-28-2012 00:27:43 | More by PDXHops

cosmicevan

New York

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Notes from a tasting on 8/15. can't remember who brought this one out (BeerWorld? thebeerbug? one of those fine gents) thanks for bringing this one out. great tick and great beer!

a - chocolate decadent appearane. looks like a deep dark stout.

s - roasted dark fruit porter. some soft char to remind me that it is a porter and not a stout.

t - porter. dark fruit with nice roasted malts.

m - extremely smooth. not much char in the feel. the booze is invisible. can't believe it is 11+

o - overall, this was a big surprise. VERY impressive beer with great dark fruit flavors integrated with decadent chocolate. i didn't really know what to expect and have had mixed experiences with evil twin, this one is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 02:51:39 | More by cosmicevan

beer2day

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from Bottle Revolution in Raleigh.

Dark, dark brown pour with a faint suggestion of red. Dark, dark mocha head. One of the darkest heads I can remember. Only 1/2 finger's worth, but retains a thin film on top of the glass. Laces well, but the lace is fleeting.

Nose is strong dark coffee, mocha, esters and light citrus, along with burnt but not quite scorched caramel malt. Well done, but maybe a tad bit understated.

Taste is ... delicious. Chocolate and light roasted caramel, medium roast coffee, a splash of vanilla cream, and light citrus bitters in the finish. Gets a bit sweet in the very end, with only a hint of the abv showing in a quick breath of alcohol.

Feel is perfect. Smooth and creamy, velvety smooth.

Get this one while the getting is good. While it is expensive, it is really good.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 01:15:13 | More by beer2day

avalon07

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a jet black color and a thick texture. There was a small amount of tan-colored, foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing.

S: A big aroma of coffee, chocolate and dark fruit.

T: Tasted of coffee, dark chocolate, a nice shot of malt, light hops, and dark fruit (plums, raisins). Like the aroma, the flavor is big. It's well balanced, complex and powerful.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a somewhat slick and viscous finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a beer that's closer to a stout than a porter, but that's not a problem. Well made and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 12:19:32 | More by avalon07