Clown Shoes "Undead Party Crasher" American Imperial Stout

Is this a political statement? This is supposed to be American, but it's also supposed to be Imperial. America definitely went through a growing stage for a while, but I thought that was all behind us, and we now realize that being an empire is not what we want to be. Or, it's entirely possible this is just the style of Stout. Some things no one can ever know.

One thing I do know is that this beer is so brown that it's black. Not a single photon is able to penetrate this beer. The milk chocolate brown head on top just adds to the effect.The sweet and smoky aroma puts me in mind of a dying campfire where someone has taken the marshmallows and chocolate and tossed them into the burning embers. It's sweet, a little chocolatey, but it's definitely smoky.

First sip follows the nose mostly, but it's sweeter than it is smoky. That's not say there isn't any smoke, but the sweetness is just out there in front, covered with a little bit of vanilla on top of a fairly big slice of chocolate. The chocolate is nice but a bit burnt so that the sugars are a little harsh.

Tip–in is syrupy sweet without much of the chocolate or smoke; instead, it's actually a little watery underneath it all like it was designed as a conveyance for the sweetness. The middle is thick with smoke and chocolate and that syrupy sweetness all kind of melted together with a little bit charred on the outsides. The finish brings a wave of bitterness followed by hollow woodiness that kind of sets the sweetness back on its heels to let more of the bitterness come through.

Bottom Line: I didn't even know this was going to be dessert beer, but it's an okay one.

2.5/5