Most of the time when I talk about pairing beer it's being paired with food. Today, I pair beer and comics. I have been enjoying the hell out of Jason Aaron's current run on Thor. Seriously, the first 11 issues of Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic, and crew is some of the best comics I've read in years. The God Butcher storyline in which three eras of Thors face off against Gorr the god butcher (one of the best villains in recent memory) will go down as one of the most excellent pieces of fiction the character has ever seen. I have grown incredibly incredibly tired of the word epic. It has been overused to the point that it has lost nearly all meaning. But a story that spans the cosmos and eons of Marvel Comics history from the days of Thor as a young godling, to the present day and Thor the Avenger, to the grizzled and weary Thor of the far flung future, King of a ruined Asgard, truly earns it's epic status. It's Tolkien and metal and Jack Kirby all rolled into one. If you have any interest in the character or the movies or just are a fan of a well told story I could not recommend it higher. Today's beer, Odin's Tipple from HaandBryggert is an ale that would warm the heart of Volstagg the Voluminous. An 11% ABV Russian imperial stout from the wilds of Norway. To the beer!
Odin's Tipple oozes out of the bottle as a viscous, inky, midnight black elixir. Not one iota of light is penetrating this completely opaque brew. It's topped by a thick layer of mocha colored head.
The aromas here are in a word: intense. Massive roasty notes of coffee and dark chocolate accent a bready molasses malt center. Hints of licorice lend to the complexity aside rum like booziness and a bit of smoky burnt grain. Intoxicating. And I haven't even taken a sip.
The flavors of Odin's Tipple are just as intense as the aromas, if not more so. The beer is thick, chewy, viscous, and outlandishly full bodied. Smoky acrid roasted grain gives way to robust flavors of dark chocolate and bitter espresso. All of these outsized flavors are built around a sturdy base of sweet molasses-y malt. On the finish more than a little boozy alcohol heat comes out and lingers on through the sip.
This beer is something else! Massive, intense, brash, but very delicious. As much as I enjoyed this glass, I imagine a year or two spent in the cellar might turn this beer into something transcendent. An ale fit for the Odinson indeed!
HD
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