Nøgne Ø / Mikkeller / BrewDog Horizon Tokyo Black American Double / Imperial Stout at 16% ABV (C$12.02 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 250 ml, bottle date 29-Nov-2012, best before 29-Nov-2027, acquired 3-Jul-2015, reviewed 22-Jul-2016)
Appearance: opaque black with a short-lived loose beige head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: boozy dark fruit, chocolate, liquorice, dark roasty and peaty malt, vanilla. (7/10) Taste: high bitter, moderate-high sweet. (7/10) Full body, soft carbonation, lingering boozy finish. (3/5)
Yeah, it’s another 11 years and then some before the BB date, but it’s good to be proactive, right? I went into this assuming that over three years of ageing should be sufficient to allow this thing to smooth out as much as it was gonna. I might’ve been mistaken. Or maybe this thing is never gonna settle down. Either way, it’s a hot, boozy mess. I’m the last one to criticize a hot, boozy mess, because that pretty much describes me (heyyy-ooo!) but this is just… well… I debated using “harsh”, but, yeah, it’s harsh. Not brutal, perhaps, but definitely harsh. And way overrated: if I’m gonna struggle to drink a mediocre beer, at least let me not have to pay fifty bucks a litre for it? (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
