Beer Review: Brewfist Italian Ales/Prairie Artisan Ales Spaghetti Western

Brewery: Brewfist Italian Ales
Beer: Spaghetti Western
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.7%
Character: Brewed with coffee and cocoa beans
Ratings at time of Review: BA: 89 | RB: 98
Metal Connection: GRUESOME STUFF RELISH – Spaghetti Terror (is Pretty Cool)

BeerMetalDude Rating: 4.5/5

*Queue in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly theme song*

Here we have Spaghetti Western, a collaboration beer between Prairie Artisan Ales from Oklahoma, and Brewfist Italian Ales from Italy. Ever since I first saw this beer online, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I love the Spaghetti Western genre of movies, so a beer named after it was definitely something I wanted in my collection. Thanks to my good friend, Jorge Espinoza, a fellow beer reviewer himself with animebeers.com, it was all possible. Cheers my friend!

Just like in a typical Spaghetti Western movie poster, this beer label features a column of four featuring two outlaws about to throw down in a gun fight. The top scene features a far shot of gunman #1 walking through an old Western town, shotgun in hand. Right below that is a nice close up of his face with a scowling expression. Then there is a close up of the other outlaw’s grimacing face, followed by a far shot showing him standing in duel position. The name of the beer is written in a cool looking font similar to those of Italian Spaghetti Western movie posters. I really love this label, and would love to have it as a poster.

Poured into an American pokal style glass, the beer was an opaque, deep black color, looking a lot like motor oil. It was topped with a large nearly 2 inch khaki colored foamy head. There was decent head retention as a thin layer wight spotty soapy lacing down the glass.

My nose was met with a hit of chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, coffee, caramel, dark rye bread and a trace of booze. To me, this beer’s aroma reminded me a lot of a Tootsie Roll candy.

The taste had all the same characters as the aroma, for sure. There was a big bold taste of chocolate, and cocoa powder right up front. There was a mixture with flavors of vanilla, coffee, caramel, faint dark fruits, earthiness, and dark dry bread. I am met again with the flavor of the Tootsie Roll candy. The sweet caramel candy taste, then turns to chocolate and coffee in the aftertaste of this beer.

The body was a medium thickness with a smooth, and slick mouthfeel, with a slightly mild carbonation bite. The finish was dry.

Overall, I was really impressed by Spaghetti Western. This beer delivered on it’s promises of flavors. I loved the sweetness of this beer mixed with the strong bold flavors of chocolate and coffee. The beer really lived up the expectations I had. If this beer was easier for me to get, I would definitely love to buy this beer again. Now, where did I put that six shooter?

Metal Connection: I knew right away that I wanted to pair this beer with a sick tune of Goregrind, but which one? I already knew the band I wanted, and I hoped that I could find a song fitting for this beer. I knew they would not disappoint. I am talking about Spain’s Gruesome Stuff Relish. I remember hearing these guys back in 2001 on their split EP release with Brutality Reigns Supreme. I was an instant fan. In 2002, G.S.R. released their debut full length album on Razorback Records, a home for some of the sickest Grindcore and Goregrind around. It is on this album, Teenage Giallo Grind that they recorded the song “Spaghetti Terror (is Pretty Cool.” Though, it may not be exactly about Spaghetti Westerns, the lyrics are about their love for Spaghetti Terror/Horror films, like Cannibal Ferox, The Gates of Hell, Deep Red, and may others. They mention the kings of horror gore splatter cinema, like Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and others. I just love the word spaghetti used to describe these genre of movies. Spaghetti Western is a term used to describe Western films that were made in the ’60s, which most were by produced and directed by Italians.