Evil Twin Most Men Pursue IPA With Such Breathless Haste That They Hurry Drinking It Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale

Evil Twin Most Men Pursue IPA With Such Breathless Haste That They Hurry Drinking It Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale. 

7% ABV. Brewed and Packaged by Evil Twin Brewing, North Haven, CT. 

Someone told me today that it is National Beer Day. Well, here at the Bitter Nib, we celebrate beer every day. Sometimes, five or six times a day.To commemorate this occasion, I will drink an Evil Twin beer. Make that an Evil Twin IPA. No, even better, it should be an IPA named for a paraphrase of a quote by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. (Substitute "IPA" with "pleasure." Though, to me, they are one and the same. Sometimes.)

It's all hazy-like, and milky yellow. Utterly opaque, with a stable layer of ivory froth atop. 

I have violated my ban on the hazies in order to review this beer with a funny name. Although, there is nothing on the label to tell me that this is a hazy. Also, I broke another boycott with this $18 4-pack. (I try to skip anything over $16.) I accomplished this when I was allowed to take it home free as a reward for putting in some hard time in the salt mines. On with the beer...

In the nose: Semi-sweet meets citrus, with a whole lot of fuzz. Orange and grapefruit with a touch of pineapple. 

In the mouth: Blast of bitterness up front, followed by citrus and tropical fruit notes riding the palate. Hoppy bitterness hangs hard on the palate, a factor that I am enjoying. Plenty of yeasty fuzz in the texture. Medium bodied. Fairly drinkable, despite that I keep wishing it was cleaner and clearer. It's a good hazy and you can drink it. 

Tasty hazy, with an unrelenting hoppy, bitter attack. So, I like it. 

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Imperial Stout. Brewed with coffee and with almond and vanilla extracts added. 

11.5 % ABV, 66 IBU. Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NYC, NY. 

Jet black, perfect opacity, slim brown head. 

In the nose: Intense aromatics. Burnt malt. Heat. Espresso and cocoa. 

In the mouth: Massive malt. Rich, thick, immense. The almond and vanilla is coming through just a bit. Increasing sweetness. Gathers complexity as it warms. Mellow as it is fierce. 

My notes ended there. I bought this as a 4-pack because it was a mere $12. I'm glad it wasn't more, I was a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting a bit more. 

The Roman Empire had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ – festive food culture, extravagant architecture and spectacular live entertainment. Some might argue the Emperors where brutal, mad and hungry for power, and the people vain when taking baths and working out all day. Listen – that’s still all part of the secret Imperial ingredient – keep it cool, clean, confident, arrogant and flamboyant. Forza Imperiale.

Evil Twin Even More Jesus Imperial Stout

Evil Twin Even More Jesus. 12% ABV Imperial Stout. On tap at Acadia.

Solid black coloring, rich cocoa nose, slim, but long lasting.

In the nose: more depth, more richness, all the cocoa and coffee, a little bit of pepper and anise. It's got it all going on.

Int the mouth: Massive malt, deep flavors, mild bitterness, great balance. I wouldn't immediately guess that it's 12% ABV. That'll come in later, I presume. Bittersweet, chocolatey, with all the mmmm's. Yeah, I like this one. It'll do nicely.

Oh, but if I were the Evil Twin website, I guess I'd have to put it more like this:
A few times in the history of craft beer it has happened that a highly praised beer rises beyond mortal stardom into a higher godly league. Usually the recipe to make such heavenly drops is thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar, obviously only made in limited amounts and most crucial of all - it must taste rare!

Style: Imperial Stout
Brewed: Westbrook Brewing Co, SC
ABV: 12

Evil Twin Aun Mas A Jesus

I don't usually spend $10 for a 12 ounce bottle, but I've been behind on this "Jesus" series from Evil Twin, and it's time to get on board. 12 % Alc./Vol. This one is brewed in Spain.

"On a pilgrimage for immortal craft beer we tripped on these heavenly drops of amazingly overwhelming aromas, a thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, and obviously only made in limited amounts. Produced and bottled by Evil Twin Brewing and Cervesa del Montseny, Sant Miguel de Balenya, Barcelona, Spain.

Dense blackness, rich brown head, lasting long, looking good.

Aroma: rich chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, anise...all that deep, dark, delicious stuff.

Taste: Hey. There's the stuff. Full-bodied, full-flavored, intense and satisfying. Deep and dark malt flavors, just enough of the hops, and the threat of alcohol coming on strong. It's bright and tasty stuff, for sure.

What it isn't, though, is worth $10 for a 12 ounce bottle. I pay that for a 4-pack, but it's not really that much better than other Imperial Stouts. Live and learn.

Evil Twin Molotov Lite

We have here a beer that was quite the talk of the town when it hit the shelves. It was on tap at Acadia when I started working at that bar, earlier this summer. Never took notes, but I bought a 4-pack recently. Why not sit down with this final can and see what I have to say about it. Because I'm all about...timeliness...yeah....anyway...

Evil Twin Brewing Molotov Lite Imperial India Pale Ale. 8.5% ABV.

Lightly hazed, bright golden hue, large white, long-lasting head.

Boom! That's the stuff. In the nose, an explosion of pine, citrus, lemon, grapefruit, and a hint of the tropical here and there. Slightly sweet, while incredibly bitter. Love it.

In the mouth, pithy, pungent, powerful. Intense. Big, fat blast of happiness. Bristling bolts of bitterness. Citrus-y sensations. Long astringency, lengthy finish. It's every thing you want. Damn. You can't not love it. Just flat out delicious.

I will drink this again and again.

They've got some great gobbledygook, let's look at it: "Back in the days, only uncomplicated and tasteless beers existed and people started feeling bored before happy hour was up. Molotov Lite is an understated tour de force in rebellious happens, it's a subtle spark for action and yet by far one of the most anti-authoritative beers ever made."

Anti-authoritative? Did they mean to write that? What could that possibly mean. Does it espouse willful ignorance, or...ah, I'll let it go.

Evil Twin I Love You With My Stout Imperial Stout

Evil Twin I Love You With My Stout Imperial Stout, 12 fl. oz., 12% ALC BY VOL. Brewed by Evil Twin Brewing, Stanford, CT.

Appearance: full-on ebony, under a tight ring of cocoa-tan head, Looking good.

Aroma: espresso and chocolate greet the nose first, then rich, dark malt, dried fruits,  hints of vanilla and toasted coconut.

Taste: Richness and depth. Dark chocolate, raisins, molasses. Full-bodied, long, bittersweet malty finish. A little bit of black pepper, a portion of plums, and a lot of rich roastiness. Flash flood on the palate of roasted malt, struck with sweetness.

I like this. Don't love it, though. Could definitely be drier. I paid $12.99 for a 4-pack. If I'd went for the tried and true familiar favorites like Old Rasputin or Sierra Nevada Narwhal, I'd have saved four dollars. But, you know me, I've got to try them all.

Let's read the label, shall we? "When I copied the famous Even More Jesus, I had to ask myself as an artist, why am I doing this? I didn't honestly know, it was just an instinct about beer as pure form…in a sense this stout is a metaphor for freedom. The sum of all the beauty that surrounds me and my perfect contemporary existence."--Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso, brewer and founder, Evil Twin Brewing.

What? (Seriously, if you know what any of that means, let me know.)

Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail Imperial India Pale Ale

EvilTwin Brewing Molotov Cocktail, 12 fl. oz., 13% alc by vol., Imperial India Pale Ale. Ale brewed with natural flavors.

Appearance: clear and bright golden, under an impressive white, lace-leaving head.

Aroma: Juicy fruit, citrus, tropical, piney, resin-y…all that hoppy goodness. Sweet, yeah, and plenty of bitter. Well done.

Taste: Bittersweet on the palate, more bitter this time than sweet. Dank bitterness reigns supreme, dripping citrus-y hop bombs. Astringent, acerbic, rich and drenched in uber-hoppiness. Just the way I like it.

And now the booze rises up in the taste department. high alcohol blazes the palate and skewers the flavor, but dang if I don't dig it. There are more flavors and feelings here, that you only get in brews like this, a combination of dried and candied fruits, apricots and peaches, something straddling the ridiculous and the sublime.


Let's read the label, shall we? "Did you like Before During and After Christmas, maybe you thought it poured brilliantly, the alcohol was admirable well hidden and you loved how the arrogant amount of hops numbed your mouth. This beer will knock your tongue off--it's a tour de force in hoppiness and by far one of the craziest beer ever made by Evil Twin Brewing." Brewed by Evil Twin Brewing, Standford, CT.

Evil Twin Ashtray Heart Smoked Porter (Stout?)

Evil Twin Ashtray Heart Smoked Porter. 8.9% ABV. Brewed by Evil Twin Brewing, Statford, CT.

I haven't had much Evil Twin. This is the first one to enter this blog. They're popping up all over, faster than I can keep up with them. But, hey, you've got to start somewhere, and here's as good a beer as any.

Ultra dark. Black as soot, with a toasted brown head, starting proud and slimming down.

Aroma: Char. Cocoa. Toffee. Smoke. Nice. Deep and complex.

Taste: Sweet at first, then come the maple, the licorice, molasses and more. Full-bodied. Rich and filling. Long-lasting flavors. Vast, malty finish. I can't really find a fault with it, yet…I can't fall in love with it. It's not exactly rough around the edges, but it lacks a certain charm. Eh.

hey, there's words on the label! "Amazingly rich, seductively dark and smoking good. Yes a real heartbreaker. We recommend only the truly skillful, heavyweight beer champions to battle this awfully irresistible smoked stout."

Wait, which is it, smoked porter or smoked stout? It's called two things on the label. Make up your minds!

This falls in the domain of "okay", but don't go out of the way for it.