Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon

Clown Shoes Beer comes from the Mercury Brewing Company of Ipswich, Massachusetts. This is a 12.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout. According to the bottle it uses a monstrous amount of dark malt and aggressive hops and is designed to improve with age. Good thing this has been in my basement waiting for its turn for about a year.  They couldn't decide whether to call it Black Unicorn or Soul Dragon, so they settled on the mish-mash Blaecorn Unidragon.

The beer pours opaquely black, just a hint of brown at the top if held to the light. There is about a half inch of dark beige head. The aroma is rich and chocolatey, with some dark fruits and dark roasted malts. The taste is dark roasted malts, dark chocolate and cocoa, a bit of char, a bit of very dark fruits, a touch of molasses, sweet, yet tangy, yet dry, yet spicy. The finish is moderately bitter and more dry than sweet, although there is also a lingering sweetness. The beer drinks very smooth and rich. As it really warms, a touch of anise comes in. This is a really nice stout, I can’t wait to try the barrel aged version soon.