Yesterday was a beautiful day. Although partly cloudy most of the day, the temperature did make it up to 75, and that’s a very welcome development indeed in late March. I decided to take advantage of this and go for a run in the park in the early afternoon, and then stop at my local Taco Mac here in Canton to reward myself with a beer. Which I did, though not the beer that I was expecting, as we’ll soon see.
Thing is, after a run, I was in the mood for a quenching pilsner, or perhaps a hefeweizen. That never happened, though, because as fate would have it they had just (and I mean just) tapped a fresh keg of Red Brick Holy Brother Belgian Stout. It wasn’t even on the menu yet, but I always tip the bartenders well, and they take care of me. They always let me know when something special just came on, or is about to. Yes, I’ve hung around waiting for beers to be tapped at times, before you ask.
Anyway, Red Brick Holy Brother Belgian Stout is a draft-only specialty brew offered in a very limited number of venues. This is the first in a series of draft-only specialty brews that Red Brick will release. The manager came out and I overheard him mention that only 7 Taco Macs got kegs of this, which means it won’t last long. Red Brick says on their Facebook page it was distributed to a few other local beer bars and growler shops here in Georgia as well.
You can see the tap, if faintly, as the 4th from the left here.
Red Brick Holy Brother Belgian Stout is a stout of 9% alcohol by volume that I assume is fermented with Belgian yeasts, though there are few details on the brew. I paid $5.75 for an 11-ounce draft (I rehydrated with an ice water first, in case you’re wondering).
My glass of Red Brick Holy Brother Belgian Stout arrived a jet black color with a very faint, wispy head formation. I got roasted malt/barley in the nose, pudding skins, and some minty hops. Taking a sip the beer has a medium to full body, then flavors of intense roast, dark espresso really, coffee grounds, burnt toast, and chocolate pudding. Some rock candy and Belgian funk come through but the intense roastiness suppresses them really. A dry roasty bitter finish with a big alcohol warmth and subtle minty grassy hops finish off the whole affair.
All in all, a very nicely done beer. Belgian stouts are not something one sees very often, at least I don’t those I have are usually like this one, strong (really an imperial stout), and with Belgian yeast and fermentable character. I do think more of the latter would be welcome here, but I did enjoy this beer very much all the same.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler