Thunderfoot - New Albanian Brewing Company - Pizzeria and Public House

RickS95

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Just the way I like my beer. It's as dark as you can imagine. Looks like spent oil, thick. The head is made up of both large and small bubbles and is about an inch thick. The head is a light shade of brown, about as dark a head as I've seen...good retention.

Very malty nose with plenty of it roasted. Slight whiff of coffee and licorice. It even smells dark.

Taste is a bit of a letdown. All flavors are muted, with only some of the roasted notes shining through, til the swallow where the flowery, bitter hops say hello.

It's immediately creamy, but has a watery feel. Looks thick, but feels thin...so disappointing. The alcohol is well hidden and the hops give it a slightly bitter finish.

I had such high hopes for this, but it's only slightly better than average. The loose, watery feel and somewhat watered down taste don't do it justice.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:10:03 | More by RickS95

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

22 ounce bottle, not sure if this is a new or an old bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours very dark brown/black with about a half inch tan head. Head retention is good, and there's a decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like dark fruit (cherries, plums), molasses, roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, and some coffee. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like dark fruit, roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, malted milk balls, molasses, and a bit of anise and burnt/charred malt. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating with moderate carbonation. I think it's a good enough brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 22:06:53 | More by bluejacket74

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Picked this up in Evansville, In.

Served in an Olde Hickory glass.

A: Black as night, head slushy and off, off, off white.

S: No roast, no char, but lots and lots of malt. Smelled great to me, actually.

T: Bitter on the front and back end, with quite a bit of milk chocolate in the middle. Nice.

M: Ridiculous lacing, low sugar content, and low carbonation (which was appropriate).

0: As a $6 bomber, this was nice, but I paid about $12 for it. On that note, I'll say: skip it....

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 06:16:30 | More by Chaney

phishbone23

New York

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

02-03-2013 16:11:27 | More by phishbone23

MordorMongo

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

01-14-2013 14:04:34 | More by MordorMongo

MaseFace

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +9.6%

11-17-2012 04:01:46 | More by MaseFace

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by Jason, picked up at Deloch's, IN a while back. 650ml into a tulip.

Black with a real dark brown head. Sticky lace and some moderate retention. Nose of molasses, rubbery tar, sweet chocolate and some roast. Tastes of tar, dark chocoalte, bitter roast and sweet dark malts. Licorice and anise as well. Medium body, low carbonation and a touch metallic. OK, but not an imperial stout I was particularly fond of.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 17:57:54 | More by liamt07

TheDarkKnight

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

10-14-2012 16:23:04 | More by TheDarkKnight

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours a jet black body with a cocoa colored head that last as a thick sticky ring around the glass. With each sip. the beer coats the glass before sliding back down There is the random bubble popping out of the murky body, trailing up the glass.

S- The dark roasted malt has black olive and black cardamom hints with a lovely dark nougat character. There is a wintergreen hop note to a minty hop finish that is also dark and green.

T- The notes of brewer's licorice and black roasted malt has some nice dark fruit esters and dark roasted coffee character to it with inky black malt and dark toasted malt flavors aswell. There is a nice graham sweetness with a nice gentle hop bitterness in a pretty clean finish. The malt doesn't give off any bitterness or the hops hide it.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a gentle fizz and a touch of alcohol warmth that compliments the big dark malt flavors.

O- This is what I would consider the classic RIS. Great rich complexity in the malt bill but lots of good yeast character and good hops support. This beer went down very easy for such a big beer. I hope to find this one again.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 15:29:15 | More by rhoadsrage

BeerHunter76

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

07-30-2012 20:23:25 | More by BeerHunter76

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

06-12-2012 02:01:59 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

homebrew311

Illinois

2.55/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Well I grabbed this at a little liquor store when I was trekking to Three Floyds. Saw an imperial stout from a local Indiana brewery, figured I'd give it a whirl. I didn't see a price listed until I checked my receipt and was gone, 15.99!? Seems a little high. Anyhow.... poured into New Holland tulip glass. Pours a opaque obsidian with dark brown head. Significant dark brown lacing is left on the glass with decent head retention. The aroma leaves a bit to be desired. I get medicinal cherry syrup paired with metal and cardboard. Something smells of off. Now for the taste... brash waves of astringency come first with some sharp chocolate character. There is some dark fruit which gives it a sweet tinge. Mouthfeel is medium body with mellow carbonation. Overall, this is a huge let down. The balance is terrible and the price is absurd.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 06:30:52 | More by homebrew311

duels

Indiana

4/5  rDev +9.6%

02-18-2012 08:56:15 | More by duels

imperialking

Illinois

3/5  rDev -17.8%

02-17-2012 22:52:47 | More by imperialking

MeisterSmudge

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -31.5%

01-16-2012 10:01:19 | More by MeisterSmudge

CummingsK21

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.6%

01-04-2012 01:47:44 | More by CummingsK21

forummember

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

12-04-2011 00:55:24 | More by forummember

mdvatab

Indiana

3.03/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Recommended by the beer guy at one of my local bottle shops. "Better than CBS"

Poured from 22oz bottle into Bordeaux glass.
2011 Vintage

Aroma: Roasty chocolate malt, molasses, and an odd plastic-like note. Lots of other things going on here, but once I notice the plastc note, it's hard to ignore.

Appearance: Pitch black body, dark tan 1/2 finger head. Nice foam washes onto the sides of the glass.

Flavor: Nice, rich, dark chocolate, but then there's that plastic note again. Phenols? Probably. I can also taste some grape juice, and a strong bitterness toward the end. It's hard, however to get past the plastic.

Mouthfeel: Thick, medium-high viscosity. Medium carbonation. Some lightly peppery booze.

Overall: While I wanted this one to be great, I just couldn't get into it. The phenolic plastic note dwarfed the positive qualities of the beer. I wound up pouring 3/4 of the bottle down the drain, and, therefore, cannot recommend that you plop down the relatively healthy price tag for it.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 01:33:35 | More by mdvatab

doughanson78

Washington

4/5  rDev +9.6%

11-15-2011 08:14:58 | More by doughanson78

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Split during a stout tasting party.

Pours a like a black sludge syrup.

Lots of tart cherries and licorice in the nose.

Cherry doesn't come through as much in the flavor, although my friend said the previous bottles he has had, had more cherry character in them. Cherry did come out a little bit more once it reached room temperature. Finishes dry adn roasty.

Mouthfeel was a touch thin and the carbonation levels were medium-high for the style.

Solid beer by an in-state brewery. I'm not sure the cherries really did much to add to this outside of the aroma. Still decent complexity and it's uniqueness is a plus.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 11:01:50 | More by jmarsh123

Auracom

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Part of my stout tasting on October 22nd, 2011. 2-3 oz. into snifter. Likely the most random beer we included in the list.

A – Semi-dark black coloring with a ruby-red edge. Mocha head with poor retention.

S – Tart cherries predominantly. Lesser cherry sweetness coupled with milk chocolate. Figs and dates underneath supply a bit of body to the aroma.

T – Dark chocolate and espresso enveloped by cherry pie. It’s not a huge beer by any means but you get the intent of the flavors.

M – Finish is peculiar but works. Dry and tart. Typical medium body, fair carbonation. Not smooth. I’ll attribute that to the fruit addition.

D – Alright. I argued with a friend about the overall strength of the cherries. I thought it was a bit weak and the mouthfeel didn’t benefit from it.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 03:34:21 | More by Auracom

alleykatking

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Winterfest.

A- Pours a black color. Half finger tan head shows medium retention. Some light spots of lace left on the the glass.

S- Light roasted malts in the front of the beer makes for a gateway into a semi-sweet baker's chocolate like aroma. Some citrus notes with caramel like sweetness in the middle of the nose. Ending is some warming alcohol and light cherry notes.

T- Roasted malts in the front give way to a light chocolate covered cherry note. This really shines until the middle which brings forth a oaky wooden note. The cherry really pops in the middle then comes in the chocolate notes. Ending of the beer has higher than usual alcohol heatness I thought. A nice balance of hop bitterness in the backing.

M- Medium heavy mouthfeel. Carbonation is great for the beer. Cherry and chocolate notes left on the palate. Aftertaste is higher alcohol, bitter like hops, cherry, and chocolate malts. The beer itself is balanced for the style. I personally thought there were no off flavors but the alcohol heat gets to be a little much. Medium high alcohol drying on the palate.

D- This beer was a nice sipper but as far as a drinker goes it is a little hot. The ABV is very high which limits the beer itself. I liked this beer don't get me wrong but it was a little too much with the alcohol.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2011 04:44:29 | More by alleykatking

Tone

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a black color. 1/4 inch head of a tan color. Decent retention and slight lacing. Smells of chocolate, sweet malt, alcohol, slight citrus, and slight roasted malt. Fits the style of a Russian Imperial Stout. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of oak alcohol, slight roasted malt, slight sweet malt, and slight citrus. Overall, an interestingly fresh RIS, the citrus, alcohol, and sweet malts work well together. Very drinkable and not overpowering in alcohol flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2010 20:54:57 | More by Tone

merlin48

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft sample is an ebony body topped with a creamy, light brown head. Lots of sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma of cocoa powder, coffee, sawdust, and cherries. Full bodied and creamy mouthfeel with an ideal subtle carbonation. Taste has lots of cherries and coffee accented by cocoa. Alcohol is very well concealed. Some woody oak is lurking underneath. Incredibly drinkable for such a big stout.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2008 13:43:16 | More by merlin48

blakesell

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found on tap at Gravity Head '08, straight from the source at the brewery/taproom. Poured into a 10oz glass.

Appearance- Opaque with no lacing. A slight red hue around the sides similar to a porter. Ring of carbonation around the sides as well. No legs present on this high ABV beer.

Smell- Cherry and dark malts. Cherry pits, hop bitterness but not over the top. Fig, dates, and prunes. This beer is quite nice on the nose.

Taste- Oh my.. Cherry with an imperial stout backbone. Hoppy just enough to imply that hops are present. This is one impressive stout and it deserves high praise. A very chocolate covered cherry flavour covering this beer.

Mouthfeel- Creamy, full-bodied, and decently carbonated. Warming with it's 10% ABV and the warmth fits in well with the beer.

Drinkability- Very nice, a bit high on cherries but I really can enjoy this Russian Imperial Stout.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2008 23:31:20 | More by blakesell