A Review in Honor of a Few Bozos Opening a Restaurant ~ Charleston Craft Beer

A Review in Honor of a Few Bozos Opening a Restaurant

We’ve been sitting on a few beer reviews for a while now, and, in honor of Edmund’s Oast opening this Friday, we thought we’d break the fast with a review of Evil Twin’s Bozo Beer. Bozo Beer is a collaboration or at least was inspired by Rich and Scott of The Charleston Beer Exchange/Edmund’s Oast. In addition, it was brewed at our very own Westbrook Brewing Company. It’s a big @$$ Imperial Stout clocking in at 17.2% ABV. The label is Jeppe's classic triangular pixelated dude(s)-involved-in-the-brewing-process (and guess who this one features?). The myriad of ingredients/characteristics mentioned on the label is enough to send a chill through a Cicerone’s spine. They include molasses, lactose, chocolate, almond, hazelnut, vanilla bean, cinnamon, oak spiral, chili, marshmallow, muscovado sugar, chestnut, and coffee.

The beer pours motor oil black with a thick, dark tan head that sticks around for a while. Stouts can sometimes be a one-trick pony when it comes to appearance, and this one sets itself apart with a beautiful, creamy, stable head. It is quite mesmerizing, much like staring into Rich’s eyes.

On the front end of the nose are very prominent roasty aromas. The roasty coffee gives way to caramel, vanilla, and a nuttiness that was very pleasant. The taste, like the nose, starts off with a prominent coffee roastiness. These characteristics then take a back seat but remain present throughout. Sweetness takes the wheel in the middle and end of the beer, with caramel and molasses notes with vanilla and nutty notes also present. For such a huge ABV, alcohol is barely detectable until a few sips in.

The key to a great beer is layering and presentation. You can have a beer that uses a ton of great ingredients and that’s very complex, but if you can’t parse out that complexity, you hit a ceiling on how good a beer can be. This beer has a lot going on and could have easily fallen into that trap, but it doesn’t. It presents each ingredient in a clear layer, in a clear order. This presentation catapults this beer into another level of enjoyment. Everything that the Charleston Beer Exchange guys do, from their store’s inventory to Brewvival to Edmund’s Oast and beyond, is meticulously and thoughtfully crafted, and those fingerprints are all over this beer as well. We are extremely excited for Rich and Scott and wish them the best with their new endeavor. We’ll see you there!

Cheers!

Review By Reece LeMay

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