Flossmoor Station Collaborative Evil 2008

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

(10/14/08) Draught sample at the brewpub in Flossmoor. Dark brown color. Aroma of malt, caramel and dark fruits. Sweet malty flavor with caramel, some raisins and plums. Medium to full body.

Tap and served in Chalice: Mahogany and burnt Amber hued with little head or lace. The aroma has notes of clove, ginger, orange zest, candi sugar, caramel, herbal hops, and almost doughy vapour around the edges, very interesting and complex. The taste is spicy and yeasty up front with a malty base. Lots of roasted malt and sugars initially. Slight fruity raisin and plum midsection. Finish is minerally and a tad grassy. Aggressive and warming, refreshing at first but did seem to wear on me near the end of the glass. A solid ’’hybrid’’ beer, big tilt towards the Belgian Strong side of the house.

This was a dark ale that was sweet with a odd after taste that was not pleasant,maybe it was me but this was not my style and it was only ok .I got it from MJ23 as a favor and i will try again on another day to see if it changes for me.CHERS!

Courtesy hopscotch. The body is a dark, hazy, sienna brown color. A small, swirly, beige colored layer of foam leaves sudsy, wet spotting that slowly rejoins the body. The aroma is big, sweet and complex. Caramel and honey are prominent, as are stewed figs, prunes, raisons, and various other dark fruits. Cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon provide earthy spice notes on the nose. I even pick up surprising hints of pumpkin or squash. Flavors show that same caramel and honey base, with even more fruity depth. Dark cherries enter the fold, joining the aforementioned varieties. There’s a unique pungency that I again attribute to pumpkin, which I find to be completely odd. Medium-full bodied and sweet, but not overly cloying. This is a nice, interesting brew, but ultimately too big and sweet for me.

Beer tasted at mcbackus tasting courtesy of hopscotch. Pours murky brown with copper edges and small off white head. The aroma is dark fruity esters and rip cherries to go along with mild earthiness. Near the end of the draw some vague acidity is noticed. The taste is very much the same starting with tartness and acidity quickly turning toward malts, dark fruity esters and fresh ripe cherries. Toward the finish fruit tannins and astringency show up to pull in the sweetness with a mild wave of dryness. Pretty nice brew. But this certainly could be clocked in at 10.001% ABV, right?

Bottle... Backus’s Backdoor Bash ‘08... Murky, dark, prune-colored ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Spicy, herbal, tart aroma. Medium-bodied with a coarse mouthfeel and fizzy carbonation. Interesting flavor - a wonderful balance of tangy acidity, hop & alcohol bitterness and caramel sweetness. Finishes crisp, then moderately sweet, lightly acidic and pretty darned herbal. The alcohol is nicely tucked away. Different and delicious. Many thanks to scubarex for providing the bottle that I shared!

Tap at the brewpub. This was the first beer mentioned when I asked out server what the ’’special selections’’ of the day were. All he said was ’’some 10% beer... really strong’’. When I asked him what style it was, he was like, ’’uhh... Belgian Dark? lol something like that, I dunno, it’s strong.’’ Idiot. We relocated to the bar.

This did not taste very Belgian though. Tons of peanut brittle in the aroma came across much more like a mediocre Weizenbock. Nothing else but the afforementioned peanut brittle was to be found. Flavor has more nutes, and thankfully a touch of distinct yeast... the first I’ve had at Flossmoor that shows that. Strong and soupy, and the carbonation is too low. Not to my liking.

Sampled from 22-oz bottle during Surly D-Day. Pours a semi-clear dark brown brew with a thin beige head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring. Aroma of roasted dark malt, caramel, candi sugar, honey and some herbal spice. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with flavors of roasted dark malt, raisins, toffee, cloves and Belgian yeast. Finish is semi-sweet with plenty of alcohol presence.