Brewery: Left Coast Brewing Company
Beer: Ale Epeteios
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout
ABV: 9%
Character: An anniversary brew made with the highest quality Imported Specialty Malts.
Ratings at the time of Review: BA: 84 | RB: 95
Metal Connection: KRONOS – Zeus Dethroned
BeerMetalDude Rating: 4.5/5
Left Coast Brewing Company out of San Clemente, CA has been available for purchase at the local stores here in San Antonio, TX for quite some time. From the look of it though, not every single release has been approved here in TX, but we get a good chunk of their brews.
Ale Epeteios is an anniversary beer. In fact, the name Ale Epeteios means “Anniversary Ale” in Greek. The label design reeks of Greek Mythology, and it is awesome! The artwork is etched onto the bottle as are most of the bottles by Left Coast Brewing Co. The main piece is a flaming sun face, worthy enough to be a Greek God. Even the text used for the beer name looks Greek God-like. The best part is that it is all draped in gold and a bit of white. The colors really pop right off the bottle.
I poured this Imperial Stout into a Real Ale Brewing Company Baltic Porter 12 oz glass by Libbey. The beer was a thick looking black color that was topped with a near 1 inch dark tan foamy head. There was good head retention , leaving lines of lacing down the glass.
The nose on this beer was full of dark Stout characters. A nice big hit of chocolate, and cold coffee is right up front, followed by a blend of some light caramel, wood, roasted malts, some hints of leather, dark wheat bread, some smokiness, tobacco, dark fruits, and an aroma similar to beef jerky. There was a hint of grassy and earthy hops underneath all these dark scents. The lingering aroma was chocolate, coffee, and smoky beef jerky.
The taste was similar to the nose with all the same characters. Chocolate and cold coffee again hits the palate right away. Other flavors present in this beer were wood, leather, roasted malts, dark wheat bread, light caramel, smokiness, tobacco, dark fruits, with an earthy and grassy hop presence, as well. The aftertaste was smokey beef jerky, chocolate, and coffee.
The body was surprisingly thinner than expected, but it had an overall medium body. The mouthfeel was smooth, and warming. Moderate carbonation. The finish was warm, smokey, and a bit dry.
Overall, I was impressed with this brew by Left Coast Brewing Company. It’s a great anniversary ale. The flavors were big, and bold. These guys have a good year round selection, but I also see that they release brewery only beers, which I am sure are all excellent. Each beer I have had by Left Coast have all been good. I do need to remind myself of the other beers soon, so hopefully I could go pick up some more of their releases for future reviews here on my site.
Metal Connection: As I did not find a good Metal song sharing the same name as the beer, I had to think about another way to connect Metal to this beer. Since Ale Epeteios is Greek, and the label on this bottle also represents Greek, I went with a song that is themed around Greek Mythology. I give you Kronos, from France. These guys have been around since 1994, and have jammed Brutal Death Metal themed around Greek Mythology since their inception, and keep doing so to this day! I have been a fan of their music since I first heard them, which was back on their debut album, Titan’s Awakening from 2001. The song chosen here is called “Zeus Dethroned” from the band’s 4th and newest album, Arisen New Era from 2015. This is an amazing track. It’s fast, brutal, and actually really fuckin’ catchy. This has been a trait for Kronos for several years. These guys really do pump out some catchy tunes. The riffs stand out on this song. The never slowing down drums, and memorable vocal patterns round out this song. Lastly, the production on this album really helps out, as it is top notch. Their newest vocalist, Trivette provides an awesome new element to their sound.
Beer Metal Media 