Brewery: DuClaw Brewing Company
Beer: Brimstone
Style: Wheatwine
ABV: 9.5%
Character: Brewed with equal measures of smoky roasted malt and hops, and added rye.
Ratings at time of Review: BA: 87 | RB: 89
Metal Connection: NAGLFAR – The Brimstone Gate
BeerMetalDude Rating: 4/5
I had heard of DuClaw years ago, and I was fortunate enough to be part of some awesome bottle shares, and my earliest experience with DuClaw Brewing was with their Barleywine, Devil’s Milk, their 2012 vintage bottle, and then of course, I had the chance to get their famous Sweet Baby Jesus!, their Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Since my introduction to this brewery, I have been on a hunt for some of their other offerings, and thanks to one of my friends who visited Maryland and brought some bottles back, I was able to taste and review a few of their beers. Brimstone is the first one to grace my site. I am happy to have such a Metal beer in my collection.
Brimstone, also known as sulfur, which is associated with evil, burning hell fire, and of course, in paranormal research, the smell of sulfur means demons, or evil spirits. This beer label has a background that is cracked black stone, and the main feature is the word Brimstone written rather largely, in a Metal band-type logo, with pointed edges, large dripping points, and demon wings. I fell in love with this simple, yet Metal as fuck beer label. I mean, shit, even the DuClaw Brewing Company logo is Metal as Fuck. I am really digging what these guys are doing up there with their beers.
I used one of my favorite pieces of glassware for this session, my Satan Red snifter glass. Brimstone’s appearance was a hazy dark crimson red color that on the pour, was topped with a light tan colored half of an inch foamy head. There was a thin layer atop the beer for most of the session, leaving small spotty traces of lacing down the glass.
The aroma was sweet up front, in my opinion. There was a big hit of brown sugar or molasses right away, followed by the big body of dark fruits like, raisins, and figs, mixed with caramel malt, toffee, some earthiness, and a whiff of rye spiciness that lingers a bit with the dark fruits, and caramel.
The taste has all the same characters in the same order of appearance. Right up front I get a taste of sweet brown sugar or molasses, followed by dark fruits like, raisins and figs. Mixing in with the dark fruits is a big flavor hit of caramel malt, some toffee candy, earthiness, and some rye spice. The aftertaste is a nice combo of sweet sugar, caramel, raisins, and rye, with a bit of a boozy alcohol presence.
The body is medium-heavy, with a thick, chewy mouthfeel with a velvety touch. Towards the end the beer has a slick mouth coating feeling that ends up being dry and boozy in the end.
Overall, I will say that I was pretty impressed by this beer. It was heavy, boozy, and flavorful. I have been overall impressed by all the beers I have tasted from DuClaw Brewing, to be exact. I look forward to tasting more of their offerings and sharing my experiences with you. I also hope to one day get another bottle of this fine beverage here.
Metal Connection: I’ve said this several times, and I will say it again… Naglfar is my favorite Black Metal band. I have been a huge fan of this Swedish band since the release of their debut album, Vittra in 1995. I have used this band on the site before, and I will more than likely use them again. Each album they release has several songs I really like. In 2002, they released Ex Inferis, a 5 song EP put out in between their full length albums, Diabolical (1998), and Sheol (2003). On this EP, was the song, “The Brimstone Gate,” which is a demo version of the song. This demo version was originally released in 1998 on the picture disc, When Autumn Storms Come. A newly recorded studio version can be heard on their 1998 full length alum, Diabolical. I really enjoy the rawness of this demo version, so I went with this one here for today’s Metal Connection. All hail the mighty Naglfar, and Brimstone Wheatwine.
Beer Metal Media 