Strong Beer

The Yang was insanely bitter but was otherwise rubbish (because, I suspect, it was not at all fresh). Rip Tide (dated branding!) was brill as was Tsar (although it had this weird minty/root beery thing going on I think). Tickle Monster was great, but a little too flat, maybe a little too sweet and had bloody enormous lumps of yeast in it. Wyoming Sheep Ranch is easily the pick of this bunch. Had it few times over the years, keg at the Old Red Cow and a couple of bottles too. When fresh, it's an instabag. Can't find my bottle shot for it though :/

Evil Twin,Yin

It seems that almost every imperial stout gets a 99 on Ratebeer these days. The more of them I try, the harder it gets to distinctly qualify on paper the differences between all these top rated beers. I would say though, that those differences, however subtle, are certainly there and worth mentioning, but, it seems to me, only really in comparison to other stouts in the same style.

I had this one after the other Evil Twin, the 'Christmas Eve In A New York Hotel Room' (*needs pithy comment re: name inserted here*). (Both purchased from Whole Foods Piccadilly - I was quite surprised to see them on the shelf actually and in the very reasonable sub £4 bracket.) Mellower I think than that one (less thick than a Kernel), a vaguely hoppyish nose (unlike, say, Wildebeest), some coffee. Mushroom. Initial sweetness, but only fleeting. Minerally, coca cola, coffee. Hop (I think) and burnt, coffee bitterness in the after. Booze. Not much to lose your shit about, but not much to argue with either.