The Route of All Evil

We got a babysitter last night, and Sally and I went to Two Roads Brewery to sit down and have a few beers.  Wow, right?  It was pretty awesome.  Sally got a glass of their No Limits Hefeweizen, which we both like, and it came in a .6L glass that looked almost as tall as a half-yard.  I ordered a round of their Octoberfest, which tastes a lot like a spicier version of a brown ale and was good.  I also ordered a sampler of their winter seasonal, the Route of All Evil Black Ale.

Oh man, that one was terrific.  I liked it so much I ordered a glass.

The Route of All Evil features an
undead clown on the label.

Two Roads' website describes Route of All Evil like this:

A hefty Black Ale with profound malt and hop complexity. Neither Stout nor Porter, it will be its own thing – full-bodied, bold and black. Flavor characteristics of dark chocolate, mocha, molasses and dark fruits. Balanced by piney citrusy notes of Pacific Northwest hops. Full-bodied and uncommonly satisfying at 7.5% alcohol. 

The beer pours thick and black with maybe a half inch or more of dark tan head.  The website is right that it's not a stout or a porter, it definitely tastes like beer, albeit strong beer, beer that wants to kill you with its bare hands.  There's no chocolate or coffee in there--at least those weren't the flavors that sprang to my mind when I drank it.  Strong hop presence, though.  It's not like a double IPA or anything, but it's decidedly bitter.  Like a 40-year-old porn star who knows she has only herself to blame.

I really, really liked this beer.  On Untapped, I wrote:

Terrific, terrific beer. Weird and flavorful and hoppy and just as black as sin. Beautiful. I loved it and can't wait to have another.

Five stars.  Seriously, I need to go find a couple of bottles to sock away before they quit makin' this stuff.

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While we're talking, yeah!  I  got a merit badge on Untapped.  How cool is that?