Doubly Down 'N Even Dirtier - Tyranena Brewing Company

alcstradamus

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a near black with a late rising quarter finger of head.

The aroma is mostly dry dusty cocoa and oak. The vanilla sweetness is also quite prominent.

The flavor is a pretty big letdown based on what this beer is. Not really complex despite the barrel aging. Dusty cocoa and oak dominate with some citrusy hops. The vanilla sweetness is a bit cloying.

The body is medium and carbonation is low and somewhat watery. Overall this beer is pretty average and quite disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 03:44:40 | More by alcstradamus

arboristfish

Wisconsin

3.18/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours a deep black color with a tan head that faded fast. The aroma of the beer smells of vanilla, bourbon, and hints of chocolate and roasted malts. The taste is of vanilla and chocolate malts. There is also a good hop flavor and bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium and is drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 21:32:43 | More by arboristfish

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

$2.49 for a single bottle at Discount Liquor in Milwaukee

A: opaque with a nice lacy tan head
S: medium nose, cocoa nibs dominate
T: decent but not as good as some of Tyranena's others of the same style, not a lot of depth, surprisingly thin all-around, nice roasted malt and creamy mouthfeel probably from cocoa nibs, no noticeable barrel-aging taste
M: somewhat thin and creamy
D: okay, but a bit weak for the style and EtOH

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 02:44:52 | More by wisrarebeer

GDBEERMAN

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz into bruges tulip, from notes.
A: Pours a good looking black body with a nice tan head. The head settles into a foamy layer, lacing is left, but lasts longer than the head retention.
S: The aroma is a very strange example for this type of stout. Low on the intensity and overall flavors. A bit of chocolate comes through. A lighter ale aroma is present.
T/M: This is a very light bodied double stout. The front is a smooth and quick mouthfeel of light stout and then hits flavors of the chocolate and vanilla, which are both very subtle. The dry mouthfeel, does not project much of a linger, while I am not finding any notes of barrel aging.
D: This being an average double flavored stout, it does not stand up to the rest of the competition. A middle of the road offering, while not shining too bright.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 16:46:13 | More by GDBEERMAN

bennetj17

Arizona

3.35/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Average looking stout, dark black, not overly thick, with barely enough foam to make a head. The aroma is less sweet smelling than expected for a chocolate and vanilla stout. I get more bitter chocolate and notes of charred, roasted malt. It smells like it could be heavy on alcohol too.

Strange how the overall flavor is kind of muttled. It's a boorish, semi-sweet stout, and while the vanilla wants to come through, it never really does. Unfortunately the beer starts and finishes the same way for the most part, and starts to get cloying after awhile. It could have used some more bitterness/alcohol at the back for contrast. The carbonation plays out too softly also, making it seem watery despite the actual thickness.

Perhaps I am too spoiled by some of the other Brewers Gone Wild beers, but this one is just a letdown. The beer itself can't live up to it's name...

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 04:42:11 | More by bennetj17

ejyoung

Arizona

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Nice black color with a small head that quickly disappeared, leaving only a light ring around the edges of the glass. Smell is of oak, bourbon, and cocoa. Taste follows the smell as there is a nice blend of cocoa, vanilla and bourbon. Mouthfeel is lacking for this type of stout as it is pretty light. This lightness does make it easy to drink though. Overall, a pretty nice stout but nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 04:17:27 | More by ejyoung

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer has a black body with a thin wisp of tan head that fades to a ring and is a bit to dense to see any carbonation.

S- The clean aroma has hints of chocolate with a light coffee roast in the finish.

T- The mellow roasted black malt has a soft cocao nibs note to it and a water flavor that grows as the beer opens. The finish has a light chocolate note and some roasted bitterness that lingers for a moment.

M- This beer has a full mouthfeel with no alcohol heat noticed.

O- The light chocolate flavor and soft stout malt flavors is not nearly as impressive as the bottle describes it. This reminds me of a chocolate Charleston chew without all the chewing.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 21:43:06 | More by rhoadsrage

TStron

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Decent size head of tan, almost white, head. Black body.

S - Chocolate and vanilla aroma. Nothing really strong. Pleasant.

T - Initial thoughts is this has a root-beer like flavor. Like the aroma nothing to overpowering here. Low on the bitterness as well as sweetness.

M - Lots of carbonation here and very noticeable on the tongue.

O - A good stout with plenty of flavor for enjoyment but nothing too powerful to have multiple glasses in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 20:55:41 | More by TStron

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A- pours black with a solid one finger tan head. About par for the course, really. Lacing is great, solid and all the way around.

S- a lot of chocolate, with hints of vanilla in there as well. Smells like it would be a hell of a dessert beer...damn good, but hopefully the taste won't be overwhelming

T- super sweet from the combination of vanilla and chocolate. Getting a little roasted coffee in the finish. The characteristics of the barrel are coming through very well, but all that vanilla is killing my palate

M- yeah, it's thick. Thankfully, not too syrupy. Too much with all that vanilla

O- the vanilla is choking the everloving hell out of me. I think I may need to start trading away my bal-aged stouts

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 23:37:31 | More by bigfnjoe

chicagobeerriot

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A very solid stout from Tyranena.

As Ron Burgandy would say: it is the color of fine mohogany. Not the pitch black of some impys, but let's wait until we taste it before getting too bent out of shape about this.

The smell shows considerable promise: complex blend of coffee char, molasses, vanilla and wood. No one note bowls you over; just a nice subtle blend.

The mouthfeel is a shade thinner than some of the category leaders, but it holds its own.

Lots to mull over on the taste buds. Some baker's chocolate, nutty breadiness, some mild coffee and vanilla. With repeated sips, the vanilla begins to club the other flavors into submission and the finish has a very mild acidic note that detracts slightly. That said, this is a solidly above average stout. Well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 01:48:41 | More by chicagobeerriot

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.6/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Matt (mtunnell) for this one. Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a Darkness snifter.

A: Not the most carbonated beer. Elevated pour barely yields a thin mocha film atop the brew that dissipates as quickly as it forms. Beer is an opaque black. Lacing is nearly non-existant with a spot here or there and little cling.

S: This one is described as a barrel aged chocolate, vanilla imperial stout... I barely get any of those flavors in the nose. Not to say that its not pleasant. Hints of roasted malt, bitter chocolate, cocoa, and fudge. Slight booziness as I breath deep. Very subtle though and barely detectable.

T: Opens sweet and oily. Notes of sweet booze, chocolate, roasted malt, and raisins. Sweet soy sauciness creeps up towards the middle as the carbonation builds just a bit. Chocolate gets sweeter and is complemented by a subtlely sweet vanilla towards the end. Finish is cocoa and roasted malt bitterness. Aftertaste is more fo the same.

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation. Oily and viscous in the mouth. A surprising amount of bubbles though, given the appearance. Finishi is sticky and drawn out and aftertaste lingers just a bit.

D: I think I was expecting a bit more from the description but this beer actually comes across as very enjoyable and solid overall. Not the most complex and the barrel-aging barely comes through the other flavors but the chocolate and vanilla are detectable and the feel is almost spot on. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 19:38:19 | More by SpeedwayJim

nataku00

California

3.63/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours a very dark brown, just a shade under black with barely a half a finger of light brown soapy head that dissipated immediately to a few bubbles around the edge of the glass. A little light lacing when you swirl it around, mainly a few spots of head here and there.

Smells decent, dark and bitter roasted malt, milk chocolate, vanilla, toasted coconut, coffee. A touch of the bourbon barrel woody smell comes through as it warms.

Taking a sip, chocolate and roasted malt, a bit of coffee, middle of the tongue, some light vanilla mixing with some light bourbon, caramel, and coconut. Finish is dry and short, just a touch of roasted malt bitterness and some bourbon warmth.

Light to maybe medium bodied if I was feeling generous with a few scattered sensations of carbonation here and there. A bit thinner than I would expect from an imperial stout. Alcohol is only felt on the back of the throat, which is surprising for 7.5% abv beer as it should be easier to hide. Flavors are decent, though not as bold as I would have expected from barrel aging and the added ingredients.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 02:10:58 | More by nataku00

biker30x

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a snifter.

Pure black, little head gone quickly. Redolent of vanilla and coco on the nose. First sip is bitter coffee and vanilla with the deep mocha following behind. A rich and complex stout with layers of flavor, perfect for sipping on a cold evening.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 00:19:23 | More by biker30x

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance -- Pours an inky black with no highlights and a thin foamy tan head. Minimal lacing, but coats the glass well.

Smell -- Dark chocolate, coffee with cream, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, and a little bit of leather.

Taste -- Cafe mocha, black patent malt, oaky vanilla, brown sugar, gentle bourbon, leather, peat smoke. Lingering flavors of dark chocolate, leather, and oak.

Mouthfeel -- Medium-bodied in body with milder prickly carbonation. Mild oak tannin astringency is present. Needs body big time. Not distracting, but a thicker feel would make this beer so much better.

Drinkability -- Barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout? Nice. A little on the sweet side, but not cloying. Got to hand it to Tyrenena for really knowing their way around a barrel. The bourbon influence is gentle - partial BA blend? - that tends to accentuate the oaken barrel influence more than the bourbon, keeping drinkability high. They could possibly use a heavier hand with the bourbon influence, but again many brewers could take some notes from these folks.

With all of this good stuff going on in the taste, the mouthfeel becomes a bit of a letdown: a bit thin for the style with gentle carbonation. Had the carbonation or the body been upped a little I'd be more inclined to give this a better overall grade. That said, this is another satisfying Brewers Gone Wild from Tyranena.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 01:08:10 | More by yeahnatenelson

maximum12

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Always happy when Tyranena dumps something into a barrel - Devil over a Barrel & Dirty Old Man were two of the beers that introduced me to the wonders of the barrel. Been looking forward to this one, & it's finally arrived. A Christmas nightcap.

Pours dead black, still & silent. Nose is chocolate milkshake, with a touch of vanilla thrown in. Nice, but subtle.

Doubly Down 'n Even Dirtier holds true to form of the base beer. There's a melange of flavors flowing through the gates, but nothing dominant. Vanilla, a touch of bourbon, chocolate, roast and/or coffee. Smooth as untrampled snow, far lighter in the mouth & intestines than the majority of barrel-aged brews. Session barrel-aged stout? Maybe.

Overall a nice sipping stout that comes in under weight compared to most BA stouts. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 05:22:02 | More by maximum12

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. Brewer's Gone Wild series into a Great Taste of the Midwest taster glass.

Deep dark brown with some red highlights when shown the light. Initial surface layer yields a thin film that bubbles and dissipates leaving a modest clumping long the edges.

Initial scents of coffee sitting on a layer of roasted malt. Underneath sits some dark chocolate and a very mild, understated bourbon presence and a healthy whiff of vanilla.. Clearly, at least based on the scent, the barrel aging is complimentary, but not the star of the show. Overall, quite mellow.

A chocolate bomb with loads of dry, bitter dark chocolate. Not be feel left out, vanilla shows up for a guest spot. Together, these two complimentary flavor decide to play nice together. What doesn't work as well is when big, bad barrel shows up to strut his stuff. He's a bit harsh and doesn't integrate to make this a smooth experience. Maybe this beer needs some more time to come together, but it's not there yet.

Carbonation is low and the body is on the lighter side of medium. I'm not in a hurry to finish this though I very much appreciate the fact that Tyranena continues to strive to make affordable, local barrel aged beers. Not my favorite of the bunch, but a nice effort and one I hope improves with time.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 23:15:43 | More by BarrytheBear

mavbrew

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The color is a deep, dark brown with a small tan head that quickly dissipates and leaves little to no lacing.

S: The smell has some nice notes, roasted malts paired with dark chocolates, a bit of vanilla and the slightest hint of bourbon.

T: The taste was kind of a let down for me, it wasn't as bold and flavorful as I was expecting. There are roasted malts up front, slight chocolates and a bit of bourbon in the finish.

M: Thin medium bodied with little carbonation. Slight roasted and chocolate feel.

D: Overall, this is a decent beer. As mentioned above I was expecting a more flavorful beer, the bottle makes it sound excellent but I was disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 21:32:57 | More by mavbrew

zhanson88

Montana

3.7/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received this beer as an extra in a trade with accordelux. Thanks!

Appearance: This beer pours out a medium brown color that appears an opaque black when settled in the glass, with a slight amount of brown around the edges. About half a finger of light tan head forms; retention time is pretty short and a thin film remains afterward. Lacing is decent. Overall it definitely doesn't look as intense as many imperial stouts that I've had.

Smell: Roasted malts, cocoa, vanilla, and slight bourbon barrel quality are prevalent. Not too bad at all.

Taste: Slight roasted malt, cocoa and vanilla show up, as well as a hint of bourbon barrel quality. The flavors are pretty good but less concentrated than other elite imperial stouts.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: The body on the beer is medium which I find pretty light. There is a fair amount of carbonation but I don't think it retracts from the feel much. Overall this beer has some nice flavors but just isn't as rich and flavorful as others out there in the same category. It is pretty drinkable in the end though due to lower ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 03:53:09 | More by zhanson88

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.73/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Dark black pour, faint hints of brown around the top edges. Medium tan head of less than a finger.

Big, woody, bourbon notes come off this thing. It's a big aroma, but it's not offensive. The sweet vanilla can still be noticed, along with the chocolate. There's a nice caramel or buttery butterscotch notes coming through a LOT on the back end.

There is a lot going on with the taste. Though, unlike Silva Stout (in terms of loads going on), it doesn't flow as smoothly and seamlessly. The bourbon notes kind of spike at the start, and then bubbles back up on the finish. Midway through you get the chocolate and some espresso, not much in the way of vanilla, or at least hard to pick out. There some bitterness, like bakers chocolate that lends itself to the lingering finish. Some buttery notes are tucked away in there too, similar to the aroma.

The feel is a bit disappointing. Mainly, it's just too thin. It's medium, but with the great aroma and solid taste, it really would have rounded this out nicely with a more chewy feel.

This is good. Loads going on, and though may not be the most fluent, it's tasty and definitely warranting of multiples. The fairly low ABV for the style helps too.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 23:05:45 | More by EgadBananas

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a snifter. Big thanks go to goodstrongbeer for including this in a recent exchange. Thanks Jon!

Pours black, maybe a deep brown, with a finger of tight dark mocha head. Swirling this elicits a rich ½ finger of froth, leaving back a robust cascade of thick foamy lacing. The aroma is heavy with the bourbon barrel at first, but then starts to mellow out as this warms, creating a rich mélange of molasses, burnt wood, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and a dash of brown sugars. There's just a delicious complexity to this in the nose.

The barrel is much bolder in the taste, with a dry and charred tannic character that bonds to the roast and citric hops of the base Stout. Chocolate malts add some sticky sweetness to the edges of the profile but this just missing the delicious flavors and complexity of the nose. A warm burnt dryness lingers in the finish. The mouthfeel is fuller medium bodied, with a mostly mellow creaminess to the carbonation in the mouth. This just seems a touch light for the size and flavors that are involved here, with those tannins from the barrel thinning this out just a bit too much. Any alcohol warmth seems to be coming strictly from the bourbon flavors and not from the body.

This was a bit of a let-down for me, especially considering that I really like the regular Down & Dirty, as the barrel aging just kind of ran over the over flavors at times and couldn't nearly compete with that wonderful aroma. Like all BGW beers from Tyranena, it's definitely worth at least trying but this one just didn't wow me like I thought it would.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 16:21:49 | More by Kegatron

Phelps

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter. This one’s an imperial stout brewed with cocoa nibs, then aged in bourbon barrels also filled with cocoa nibs and vanilla beans.

Pours from the bottle a syrupy jet black that looks thick as heavy creamy. There’s almost nothing in the way of head — an ephemeral layer of bubbles appears after a time but disappears right away.

The aroma begins with sharp burnt toast and bittersweet chocolate. The bourbon is very subtle, with some graham crackers and soft vanilla behind more layers of chocolate.

In the flavor, burnt toast and cocoa nibs give way to mild vanilla. It’s a bit acrid at first, but sweetness steps up after the swallow to smooth things out. The bourbon is incredibly subtle, but it does lend a bit of boozy heat.

The body’s a nicely velvety medium, with a whipped feeling on the tongue. Bitterness is fairly hefty. Very soft, electric carbonation. Alcohol is apparent in the form of ethanol fumes and some heat in the throat.

A nice showing from an off-the-shelf BA stout. The flavors are smooth, but I could use more bourbon presence.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 06:11:09 | More by Phelps

harrymel

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled Nov 4, 2010

A: Pours dark/black ale with little to no translucency. Small, transient light latte head falls away within seconds. The head falls to, well, broken and spotty surface foam. No lacing.

S: Lots of chocolate, milk chocolate. Coffee is subdued yet present. The vanilla is a good accent to the rest of the beer. Bourbon is sweet, subtle and nice. Plenty of rye bread base malts. Biscuit flavors.

T: Again, quite a bit of milk chocolate flavors here, very sweet. Biscuits, vanilla much more up front in the beer. The coffee seems like is comes through on the back end and resonates. The beer is really, really sweet. As the beer warms, the bourbon comes through with a vengeance.

M: Thick yet hollow, interesting. Moderate to high carbonation for the style.

O: Nice beer. The amount of modifications from the style makes it more of a novelty to me, but nonetheless delicious. I can say if this was local to me, I would make a batch of brownies with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 16:41:25 | More by harrymel

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle courtesy of a LIF from Madvike. Thanks!

A: Good thick pour yields minimal head and leaves a trace of it after the beer settles. It's black as an RIS, though.

N: Chocolate syrup, oak, plenty of vanilla. Great mixture of the bourbon components, the base beer, and the nibs.

T: Balanced, but a little lacking. However, there's an excellent mixture of the coffee and roasted malt "bitterness" and the chocolate and bourbon aspects. However, I'm docking points for noticeable alcohol. At 7.5% this shouldn't even be an issue.

M: Hurts the beer. It's a little bit thin and watery, and as such can't deliver the flavors with a right hook. I know it's a double stout, but it still feels like it should have a bit more oomph.

O: This is so close to being brilliant, but the mouthfeel continues to hold it back. I don't know if it can get any thicker at 7.5% ABV, but if there was just a little more something here this would probably walk briskly into mid 4 territory.

Edit: Dropped this a couple points because it doesn't deserve a 4.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 02:20:07 | More by writerLJBerg

CruisaC

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Received as an extra in a recent trade with nwu008; thanks Erin.

A fairly wimpy dark khaki head forms with a fairly vigorous pour into my Rodenbach snifter.

Smells a little weak. I get some coffee and chocolate but I find I have to take in a pretty big drag to pick much up. Maybe a hint of bourbon on the end.

Taste is better: tons of chocolate-flavored iced coffee. A bit of bourbon on the back end but I had to let it warm (as I probably should have from the get-to) to get much of this. pleasant overall.

Medium body, good carbonation. Would prefer just a touch thicker but I'm reaching here.

Overall lots of potential here that seemed to just slightly miss the mark. Still pretty tasty and I'm glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:51:16 | More by CruisaC

Centennial

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A. Pours a dark brown with no head present and this appears on the thinner side

S. Vanilla and Bourbon smells are inviting and have my hopes set high. Roasted chocolate is there in the back.

T. Sweet milk Chocolate with muted Vanilla and Scotch w/water flavors with alcohol burn lingering more then the other flavors.

M. Very light, lightly disappointed that it is not richer and fuller in body, it would really help the overall on this.

O. Good, but not great, was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 04:50:21 | More by Centennial