Evil Twin Lil' B - Evil Twin Brewing

Halcyondays

California

4.14/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On-tap at Beachwood I,

A: Pours black with a medium firm tan head, some good lace.

S: Lots of dark chocolate, soy, with a hint of dark fruit.

T: Dominated by dark chocolate and roasted malt. Sweet and flavourful, almost a dessert beer. Definite sweet raisin component.

M: Rich, thick, in-your-face. Soft carbonation, never really cloying which was nice.

O: A very good big porter/stout. I don't know the price in bottles, but this is certainly a good effort.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2013 03:36:50 | More by Halcyondays

oline73

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on-tap during Baltimore beer week. Served in a sampling glass.

Appearance: The beer pours very dark brown, almost black. There is a layer of tan head on top of the pour that fades to a ring around the glass.

Smell: Sweet and malty right off the bat. As you smell the beer, bitter notes of coffee and dark chocolate balance things out a bit. I'm also getting some dark fruit.

Taste: I think this one has a pretty good balance to it. Bitter roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate flavors show up along with sweet malt and dark fruit. The bitter notes linger a bit longer through the finish.

Mouthfeel: The body is thick and syrupy with tingly carbonation and a finish that is drier than I would have expected.

Overall: I thought this one was quite good. The balance of flavors was very nice. The mouthfeel could have been a bit less thick. I might have another depending on the price point.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2012 22:28:46 | More by oline73

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Looks like one would expect. Notes of chocolate and dark fruit in the aroma. Taste has a little more of a charred malt taste along with chocolate, figs and a little raisin. Feel medium-heavy with little carbonation. All in all, it's got some taste, but I can't help comparing it to this year's Black Butte XXIV and favoring that one. This isn't quite as good and costs more. However, this one isn't a one-and-done brew, so there's that.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2012 02:02:24 | More by TheRealBigC

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

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

Poured from tap into oversized snifter at Avenue Pub NOLA. Pours an oily black color with thin tan head. Crazy good roasted sweet malts, booze, dark fruit aromas. Taste is so smooth boozey dark fruit, chocolatey bourbon vanilla, slight coffee as well. This is just so crazy good and it gets better as it warms...wow. Slightly bitter mouthfeel, which I dig, nonetheless a spectacular amazing brew. Go have one now!

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2012 03:30:47 | More by DrinkSlurm

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

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

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

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, bottled on 03/20/2013. My first beer from Evil Twin Brewing, and a big one at that. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours an opaque oily jet black body with a half finger of creamy mocha colored froth for a head. Looks pretty nice. Thin wispy tan lacing.

S - As the others have said, initial blast of soy sauce, followed by big roasted malts and creamy milk chocolate and roasted coffee bean.

T - Taste is big bold and rich. Velvety chocolate cake, bitter coffee bean roast, some boozy characteristics, but hides it's high abv well. Crisp & smooth with some alcohol warmth in the finish.

M - Feel is sticky and moist with an underlying chocolate / coffee bean bitterness.

Overall, a big intense & complex brew. A nice introduction to this brewery for me, if I do say so myself. I got this bottle from a friend, and I've veered away from Evil Twin beers in the past because they tend to be pricey. However, after this I think I might risk it next time. A very nice beer, one well worth trying.

Evil Twin Lil' B ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 22:09:47 | More by mfnmbvp

kemoarps

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Absolutely beautiful pour. Black coffee black, with a creamy deep brown head. Dissipates leaving just a ring around the edges and a little swirl in the middle. Enticing.

The nose is kind of disappointing. almost a soy sauce twinge, and some dry cocoa. roasted coconut husk as it warms

Once it hits your lips, though....
Before I can even start appreciating the flavours (which are tasty), The silky satin smoothe... The only analogies I can think of are not particularly appropriate for a public forum, but let's just say it would be the kind to make you want to put a ring on it...
But back to flavours. Roasty chocolate. Chocolate somewhere between silky milk chocolate and dry cocoa, some of that coconut, a tinge of candied dark fruits: mainly on the sweeter side, with the bit of bitterness there is mainly being of the cocoa variety.

This.
If you can get it, try it. I had high hopes coming in, and do not feel let down. Mainly due to that body. Silk. chewy. like a velour fog...
My least favourite aspect of this brew is mainly just that I feel compelled to listen to The Based God while drinking it, and, while I respect that he's doing his thing and trying to stay pure yadda yadda yadda... I don't find him to be a very good rapper. His songs just don't do anything for me. The beer is substantially better than the rapper.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 23:46:34 | More by kemoarps

mjtiernan

New York

3.68/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into an oversized stemmed tulip

A: Can’t tell if this is black or if the lovely dark brown head is influencing me to think that the body is also brown. Either way, it’s dark as you would expect. Head faded away pretty quickly, leaving a thin ring around the edge. Not much lacing as it went down.

S: Sweet milk chocolate. Roasted chocolate malt. Cocoa. Some caramel. Slight floral hop presence.

T: Starts syrupy sweet and evolves into some nice roastiness. Fills your mouth with rich flavor then dries it out in the finish. Getting some soy sauce which isn't ideal. Some hop flavor shows up in the middle toward the end. Pretty intense flavor overall.

M: Full body, medium carb. Drinkability pretty low for me due to the sweetness and overall flavor intensity.

O: A well brewed beer, but most sweet porters/stouts just aren’t my cup of tea. I didn’t care for Imperial Biscotti Break and this isn’t different enough for me to like it more.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 03:51:25 | More by mjtiernan

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance. Pours viscous and black with half a finger of dark tan head

Smell. Sweet chocolate and some dark fruits; mainly cherry and dates. A little molasses and dark roasted malts as well.

Taste. Semi sweet chocolate, roasted nuts and molasses, a little dark fruit but not much for alcohol which is kind of scary for an 11.5% abv beer!

Mouthfeel. Full body, slick. Lowish carbonation.

Overall. Nice big porter. Now what's the difference between a porter and stout when it comes to a beer of this magnitude anyways? Shit I don't know about beer could fill a room.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 02:25:04 | More by Rutager

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.26/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a quarter inch tan head that didn't stay around for too long. Not much lacing at all. Aroma is very nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, dark fruit, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, and a bit of coffee and licorice. The brew tastes mostly sweet, like dark fruit, vanilla, milk chocolate/chocolate syrup, molasses, roasted/charred malt, and some coffee. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's smooth and syrupy with low carbonation. I think it's a good brew overall. If you like sweet tasting beers, then you should enjoy this one. $12.49 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:01:56 | More by bluejacket74

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Elysian snifter. Pours pitch black with no initial signs of carbonation, but just after the pour a thin film of light tan covered the glass and dissipated to a ring around the glass. Nice complex aroma of sweet toasted malt, vanilla, chocolate, dark dried fruit. Flavor follows with toasted malt, vanilla, licorice, chocolate and dark dried fruit, rather sweet. The ABV is completely undetectable, which is amazing. Heavy bodied and decent mouth feel, but I couldn't help but think how superb this would have been with some active carbonation. Guess you can't have everything, this is still an excellent complex imperial porter. I've enjoyed the whole Biscotti Break family and hope to see more.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 03:44:20 | More by LiquidAmber

Damian

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Drank from a 1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Liquor World, Cambridge, MA
Served in a snifter

Inky jet black in appearance. The liquid poured viscous and slick with a motor oil-like consistency. Completely opaque. There was no head but some spotty patches of cocoa colored froth. The froth quickly dissipated to a thin ring of lasting foam.

The nose was remarkable. Rich, dark and complex. Super smooth and quite sweet. Bourbon notes were apparent, even though this beer was not barrel aged. Boatloads of dark malts. Good amount of vanilla and brown sugar. Strong indications of licorice and dark fruits. Plums, figs, raisins and prunes were noticeable. Lots of dark chocolate and freshly brewed coffee. Some smooth, port-like notes came through as well. Touch of smoke as the beer warmed. This reminded me a lot more of a rich and robust, well-aged imperial stout than a relatively fresh porter.

The flavor profile was even more impressive than the nose. Quite sweet with intense bourbon and brown sugar notes. Tons of vanilla. Lots of semi-sweet chocolate and molasses. Dark fruits galore. Strong notes of plums, figs and raisins. Good dose of black coffee. Slightly roasty on the finish. The 11.5% ABV was completely undetectable. Like the nose, the flavor profile shared many similarities with an aged imperial stout.

The body was super viscous. Rich, oily and slick. Creamy on the palate with a fine, mild effervescence.

Even though this beer is classified as an imperial porter, it drinks much bigger. Lil' B is the base beer for Imperial Biscotti Break, but I liked this so much better (and I happen to be a huge fan of espresso, vanilla and almonds, which are added to Lil' B to create Biscotti Break). With its smooth, sweet, indulgent richness and over the top mouthfeel, it brought back memories of earlier Dark Lord vintages.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:15:49 | More by Damian

cvm4

Mississippi

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours thick & black with a light chocolate head. We sure this is a porter? Could be a stout from the pour.

S - At first it's sweet milk chocolate & malts. Some black licorice lingering then a tinge of black coffee.

T - Sweet malts, dark chocolate & a bit of dark fruit. This is good!

M - Creamy, smooth, medium body & low carbonation. Abv is well hidden.

O - Seriously impressed, but this is a stout or borderline RIS. Either way, I dug it!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:16:34 | More by cvm4

ngeunit1

California

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

A - Dark black, bit of brown, with a very thin layer of chocolate-khaki head. Fades quickly.

S - Dark chocolate malts, molasses, some cherry and other dark fruits, black licorice, a hint of coffee and vanilla, and some booze.

T - Sweet dark chocolate malts, dark fruits, cherry, molasses, black licorice, coffee, vanilla, coffee, vanilla, a bit of sourness, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate-mild carbonation. Smooth with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Big, bold, and complex, but very well balanced. Fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 09:21:42 | More by ngeunit1

Chadster

Alberta (Canada)

4.71/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

just a beautiful ing on tap, At Avenue Pub last Year in New Orleans
This Gem Tastedof Vanilla , chocolate and sweet molasses hint to it..
Better on tap then in bottle but still well worth the buy..

Also recommended, St Arnold Bourban stout, Old Rasputin bourban barrel stout,

Serving type: cask

12-24-2012 11:47:00 | More by Chadster

lackenhauser

Maryland

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

Pours just like used motor oil-thick and viscous right out of the bottle. Jet black with a very slight tan head on top. Deep raisen, dark dried fruit aroma. Chocolate and espresso notes. Mild oak and port. Slightly treacle like and a faint caramel sweetness. Big and bold dark roast flavors. Deep espresso and bakers chocolate. Sticky toffee sweetness to it as well. Velvety smooth mouthfeel. Lip smackingly sweet finish. No sense of being so high in abv. WOW! My first offering from these folks and I am just blown away. Just a huge wonderful beer all in. Has desert island beer written all over it.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 02:00:02 | More by lackenhauser

Reaper16

Alabama

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

*drinks beer to Lil B's "I'm God" album, for thematic effect.*
*Scratch that: listens to the Clams Casino instrumentals from that album because Lil B is an awful rapper but his beats are fantastic*

22oz. bomber served into a snifter

Pours like an imperial stout. It's ink-black, with no head. Seriously, I'm worried that the beer will taste flat. There's just the tracest suggestion of tan foam. No lace to speak of then, but there are alcohol legs.

Upon first smell I wonder if this beer is named "Lil' B" as in "Little Biscotti Break," because this beer bears many resemblances to Evil Twin's lauded, super-sweet imperial stout. The aroma is full of cookie dough and vanilla and chocolate. Full of it. There's also an aroma that smells like a stout being brewed in a commercial brewhouse; It's uncanny how much this smells like a brewhouse. Lots of dry, crumbly cookies. Brownie batter. A flash of darkish fruit, like prunes meets blueberries. If I'm scoring this aroma as a stout? It does very well for itself.

Let's get this straight: this does not taste like a porter. Imperial Porter is a mostly bullshit style anyway, usually it just means "this imperial stout is more roast-forward." But while I can even mentally twist myself to consider, say, Deschutes' Black Butte XX__ series of beers to be related to porters, Lil' B is a stout all of the way. There's no roast. Like, at all.

But what there is is a melange of sweet flavor that together make for a very good stout. The dark fruits are strong here; lots of purple and blue fleshed fruit flavors. Those are grounded in a heavy dose of milk chocolate and vanilla. This tastes like eating a variety of cookies at the same time that you eat a Russell Stover's sampler. It's not cloying, though. This is a marvelous dessert sipper.

The mouthfeel is extremely thick. Many imperial stouts don't achieve the fullness and silkiness that Lil' B does. Overall, this is a very good imperial stout. Forget this porter business. It's a big ol' stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 21:15:10 | More by Reaper16

inlimbo77

Delaware

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

22oz, Summer '12
DFH signature

A: Pours a deep dark black color. Poured like motor oil, pretty darn thick. Basically no head. Just a thin ring of dark tan. Leaves some spotty lacing.

S: Licorice, dark chocolate, dark fruits, roast, molasses, etc. Smells big! Bigger than normal porters. Some booze.

T: Tip of the tongue, you get dark chocolate bitterness. Really dark cocoa. Then some of that roasted malt and coffee in there. That molasses. The beer really smooths in the center. It's got a creamy mouthfeel. Surprised me. Big beer. Big porter. Dry finish. No really alcohol burn, but abv is there. Lingering dark chocolate. Delicious.

M: Full bodied. Very silky.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 17:21:39 | More by inlimbo77

Rickythejeweler

Maryland

4.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Pitch black, one finger dark mocha head, light lacing.

S - Smoked malts, vanilla, dark chocolate, roasty/grainy.

T - Amazing! Smoked malts, tobacco, chocolate wafers, walnuts, vanilla, espresso beans covered in Hershey's syrup!

M - Full body, viscous, low carbonation.

O - So very good! I have tried it both on tap and from a bottle; I actually prefer the bottle.

22 oz. @ Liquor Pump, Baltimore, MD $15.99

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 14:26:34 | More by Rickythejeweler

jtd1969

North Carolina

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

A - OIl can black, low carbonation. Slight lacing

S - some dark fruit and chocolate otherwise sweet malty

T - Syrupy chocolate, light coffee, dark fruit, creamy

M - heavy body with low carbonation lightly hopped

O - It was a pretty good imp porter (eventhough it felt like a stout), ABV really comes trough. Could have used a tad more carbonation for me and maybe a few more hops..

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 01:44:30 | More by jtd1969

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a one-finger, head of light brown foam. It left some sudsy sheets of foam residue on the glass.

S - It smelled malty, chocolatey and very boozy. Almost bourbon-like.

T - Big sweet malty flavors up front with chocolate and molasses flavors. Very boozy but it mellows as the beer warms up.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is a big, strong porter as the ABV would indicate. Really tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 23:43:08 | More by zeff80

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

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