Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout

I'm late on this one, too. It's been available in the Minnesota market for years, and I've never picked up a bottle and actually brought it up to the checkout counter. And I like to try all the Imperial Stouts. Why did it take me so long? There is no reason. Let's drink the thing.

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout. Stout with cocoa nibs and coffee added and aged in whiskey barrels. 11.9 % Alc./Vol.
Epic Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado.

Utter blackness, with a tight, cocoa-tinged ring around it.

In the nose: bitter, sweet, revealing chocolate, espresso, more. Earthy, lush, and deep.

In the mouth: Big sweetness, followed by some bitter. Increasing heat, then some mellow malt. Vanilla beans bump up in the flavor, then oak. Rich and irresistible. Dark, mysterious, and full of deep pleasures.

does this say release #55 or #65? I can't read it!

That was the end of my notes, before the Sandman called me to sleep. I didn't finish the contents of the bottle, but I think I got it. That's what it was, that's what it is, good beer, go drink it.

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout

Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist. Exponential Series. Brewed and bottled by Epic Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado. 10.7 % Alc./Vol.

Appearance: Complete and utter blackness, roasted tan head, looking great.

Aroma: Oh, that's the stuff. Rich, deep, decadent. Massive chocolate flavor, less cocoa than fudge. then comes the coffee, and wait, …whiskey? Before reading the label, and after putting the snifter to my sniffer, I had no idea it was a coffee & barrel-aged & cocoa nib imperial stout. Whoa, Nellie.

Taste: Dense and delectable. Immense mouthfeel, drastic texture, tremendous body. Thick and luscious. Bittersweet, some, with plenty of coffee, tons of cocoa, and some of that whiskey flavor. Sweet, medium-length finish. Nice balance.

Could this be better for an Imperial Stout, could it be more perfect-er? Of course. It could be drier, it could be bolder, it could even be more dense and ridiculously delicious. But as it is, I'm liking it very much.

Hey, is there gobbledygook on the neck of this bomber? Sure is! "You are holding something special--one of only a few thousand bottles released. Intrigued? Visit www.epicbrewing.com to explore this limited brew's precise details."

No! Tell me about them here, on the bottle, and now, right here, so I can read it, and not look it up. God damn it! Can't you just do that much? Sigh….Sorry I went off the rails there. It's okay. It's okay...

Epic (Utah) Hopulent Imperial IPA

Epic Hopulent IPA. India Pale Ale. Elevated Series. Release #37, 8.2 % ALC./Vol.

Opaque appearance, peach/apricot hue, smallish wheat head, leaves lace and lots of tiny bubbles. Nice.

Aroma: classic American IPA nose, Cascade and then some, citrus and pine, plus peach and so forth. Getting more prickly, and pleasant, the more I drink it in through the nostrils. Just right.

Taste: Mmm, mmm, mmm. Almost perfect. Tons of pine and citrus, with the merest malt, providing a plump pillow. Hitting all the marks, plucking all the strings, striking all the notes. Nothing too over the top in bitterness, not too heavy, not too lean. Not too high in alcohol, either, though it is on the strong side. Very palatable, very approachable, easy to please for the experienced hop-o-phile. Plenty of pure hop flavor, here, gets a touch astringent, but not too much of anything I can't handle. Gets increasingly bitter and pungent, but, again, that's right up my alley.

Let us now put to rest the notion that there is no good beer coming out of Utah. Eventually, that will be claimed for all 50 States, just you wait and see.

Epic Brewing (Utah) Brainless on Cherries

Epic Brainless on Cherries, Salt Lake City, Utah, Belgian-style Golden Ale, blended with pureed cherries, aged in oak barrels.

Ripe crimson coloring, clear at the bottom, big pink end, slims down a modest ring.

Delicately sweet and sour cherry aroma, soft and fruity. Pleasant.

Soft and creamy in the mouth, as well. Nice, moderate bitterness, and the cherry flavor is mild, as well. It's there, but not as bold as in a Kasteel Rouge, or most Belgian kriek lambics.
 (I picked this one for Battle of the Belg #3, back in mid-October, to go up against Kasteel Rouge, and I knew it was going to lose. Real cherries in quantity, vs. puree? Sorry.)

Good malty flavor, Belgian yeast, and a touch of the oak. Tartness hangs in here, fruit stays quiet, but never leaves.

Tasty stuff, nice effort, but for the price they ask, it simply doesn't stack up against the best Belgian fruit ales out there.

And I still don't understand how they thought "Brainless" was a good name for a beer. Maybe there's a good story, that I haven't heard?

Epic Brewing Imperial IPA

Wednesday night, I attending a tasting at the Ale Jail (first visit, at long last, good work, Adam!) of a new brewery from Utah, about to enter our market, due to the tireless efforts of Brad the Beerguy. Never even heard of them, and when Brad sent the email out that day about Epic (Ale Jail certainly helped the hype with some internet teasing earlier.), I confused it with the Epic Brewing in New Zealand.
About 35 people there by my head count, sharing 22 22-ounce bombers. An impressive array of styles, much more than you'd expect any brewery to have on hand at once. Impressions all around were positive, but it's hard to really get a handle on a brew with less than an ounce to gauge. Someone noticed that one of the 22 bottles was missing. "Hey, we never did the Imperial IPA." It was nowhere to be seen. Where did it go? Oh, well, none of my concern...
Until Brad shows up with one of his employees, Tara, and the Epic owner, Dave, at the Blue Nile Thursday afternoon, with bottle in hand. I love unexpected gifts! So wonderful of him. Drank it up last night, here's what I thought:

Epic Brewing Imperial IPA, Exponential Series, Release #2, 10.1% a.b.v.
"You are holding something special--one of only 1800 bottles released and numbered. Intriqued? Visit www.epicbrewing,com to explore this limited brew's precise details. Brewed and bottled by EPIC Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah."


Let's crack the crown and drink it down!

Beautiful peachy color, clouded, opaque…long-lasting ivory head. Looking lovely.

Aroma: ah, there it is, everything you want in an imperial IPA. Grapefruit, mango, orange and lemon confer with some piney permutations to give this wondrous hoppy bouquet. Potent and piquant, loud and looming, big and beautiful. Just is.

Taste: Bam! There is is, again! Everything enjoyed in the aroma comes back in the taste. Fat flavor, blistering bitterness, very lively, alert and alive. I just plain like it.

Bitter fruity flavor lasts and lasts. A constant barrage of juicy, bitter hoppy flavor. Slightly astringent, but sweet fruity flavor keeps it going . Wow, the hoppiness keeps on coming. Wow. Here's an excellent entry in the ranks of imperial IPAs. The flavor doesn't quit. Yum meets yum, and it keeps on coming.

Can't help loving this IPA. Mmmmm.