Thunder Canyon Warhead Stout

Brewed by Thunder Canyon Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Tucson, Arizona USA

Another amazing growler courtesy of Skyview. This beer was a great way to end a great tasting. Very dark brown pour with a finger thick mocha brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, cocoa and coffee. The taste was similar to an oatmeal stout. I did not know that they made such great beer in Arizona.

Sampled from growler via trade with Bockyhorsey. Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thick tan head that has some good retention and lacing. Aroma of sweet dark roasted malt, some coffee, molasses, dark chocolate and some smoked citrus wood. Taste is full bodied, lightly carbonated with flavors of chocolate, dark roasted black malt and some flowery hops. Finish is smooth, creamy with a dark chocolate aftertaste. Reading this stout is an imperial stout, compared to most other imp stout, this seems more like a sweet stout than an imperial. Other than that, this stout is very enjoyable.

Growler brought to A&K Holiday tasting by Ken, thanks: The beer is basically opaque with a nice frothy tan head and very good lace. The aroma has notes of coffee and chocolate, grassy and herbal hops, charred malt and smoke, liquorice and prune, and even a touch woody. The taste has sweet malt, chocolate, molasses, and anise overtones. Found some grassy bitterness, smoke and peat towards the astringent finish. The mouth feel was smooth at first with a hit of bite on the middle and ended with a dry mineral finish. Really good and worth a try.

Growler, courtesy of FlacoAlto. Thanks, Sebastian! Swigging this with Stine following his last tasting as a DC local was definitely an appropriate send-off. Pours a very dark, brownish-black color; medium tan head with patchy, fine-bubbled lacing. Very generous, charred malts and milk chocolate; bittersweet, and very roasted; reminiscent of the charred qualities of Otto’s Jolly Roger in the nose. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: tons of chewy milk and dark chocolate, roasted / charred malts, and some viscous dried fruit; excellent complexity and chewiness as it warms. Lengthy, roasted and charred malts and intense chocolate in the finish.

Samples poured from a growler and later swilled from it on the streets of Washington D.C., classy-style. Thick blackpour; film of brown cream. Ashy coffee ground aroma with rich vanilla and plenty of full roasted malt; brown sugar. Plenty of black malt bitterness. A lovely taste of coffee ice cream and singed caramel leads; underneath a kind of cool, quiet fruitiness of an apple, canteloupe and berry character with hints of dry holly and juniper. Nuanced and full, though just slightly thin and unpleasantly milky in the mouth. Finishes while still cool on a glint of plastic and vanilla tinted astringency; as it warms and softens its bite, the beefy tones of roast meat and cinnamon gather strength, softly fading into rich maple warmth at the end. Well done. Thanks for sharing, Ken!

Growler from flacoalto - thanks man!!! This is one beautiful stout with a blackness and hazy, mystic look that is really cool. Aroma has a heavy dark chocolate/coffee mix with some currant and a very intense nose that has some alcohol, but not too much. Flavor is a powerful roasty, dark-chocolate mix that combines the cocoa with some heavily roasted coffee and dark fruits. Alcohol is present, but it warms rather than taking away from the wonderful flavor. Mouthfeel was nearly a 5, but this is a well put together Imperial Stout no matter how you look at it. Awesome brew.

Date: 01/10/2007
Mode: Hand Bottled
Source: Tasting

black with brown edges, scant head, sweet chocolate aroma, big body, rich chocolate flavor, touch of roasted, nice sweetness, touch of coffee, light bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Peripherals: Oily black in the glass, topped by a creamy brown head with slight mahogany touches. Smelled like a burnt vinous espresso, with thin roastiness and a bit of butterscotch underneath it all. First cut: The finish is powerful, a strong push of dry, roasty and burnt chocolate. Easily the standout characteristic. Looking deeper: Oily on the tongue at first, becoming very chewy and "fuzzy." Not very sweet at all, the chocolate and roastiness is all denatured and dry (scrumptious). In the end, the finish gets a bit acrid, which is probably unavoidalbe with the level of bittering hops and roasted malt. Sampled at a gathering of TN Ratebeerians a couple months ago; thanks to decaturstevo for bringing this hand-bottled sample (obtained via trade).