Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Big Bad Baptist brewed by the Epic Brewing Company located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Once again, a big thanks to Adam Hudak and Stephanie Suratos (The HungryDuo) for supplying me with this brew.  This will be my first time ever trying anything from Epic.

I have release #3 and from the website, epicbrewing.com, we find this information about the Big Bad Baptist.

Brewed on August 22, 2011.  Packaged on December 9th, 2011.

This delicious coffee/chocolate nib laced beer shows slight hints of whiskey from the barrel aging. Pours an almost pitch black with auburn highlights. It has hints of dark chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits and vanilla oak. This beer is certainly going to keep you warm on a cold winter night.

Sounds great even though Winter has long since past in my neck of the woods.  Who cares though?  Let’s get this thing in the snifter and see what it’s all about.

This beer comes in a 22 oz. bottle and has an ABV of 11.4%.

The Big Bad Baptist poured jet black with absolutely no highlights showing through whatsoever.  The crown was dark tan, creamy, very smooth and tightly compacted.  It formed to a good size with a very easy pour.  The retention time was more than suitable and the lacing was nice and clingy.  The clear alcohol legs were thick and sticky as well.  Once the head finally did settle, it left a ring circling the top of the liquid.  This beer looked great to say the least.

The nose presented tons of heavily roasted espresso and coffee notes.  Mild touches of chocolate with very light bits of whiskey.  A good dose of woodiness started to come through as the brew warmed as well.  Although the nose was somewhat simple, it smelled outstanding.  One of the best and most solid bouquets that I’ve encountered in quite some time.

The taste brought forth a lot of that roasted espresso/coffee bean character.  The whiskey stepped it up a notch or two as well.  The woodiness was polite, balanced and fitting, while a light relish of vanilla did become noticeable.  The bittersweet chocolate helped tie everything together.  The bitterness was of low to medium strength, which let me concentrate on those wonderful malts.  A superb tasting beer.  Harmonized and balanced exceptionally well.

The mouthfeel was mostly full bodied.  Very smooth, chewy, thick and viscous.  The carbonation was great and a nice bit of warmth was felt at the back end and on into the belly.  An exemplary amount of flavor drenched the palate long after each sip.

Man!!!!  This is one awesome beer!!!!  I absolutely loved it.  As I’ve mentioned before, these “Coffee” Stouts are one of my favorite styles and the Big Bad Baptist packed plenty of that roasted coffee aroma and flavor to more than satisfy me (and most anyone else for that matter).  The whiskey and wood really compliment that roasted bean flavor.  The look and drinkability were top notch as well.  Even with an ABV of 11.4%, I didn’t have a problem at all in downing this entire bomber all by myself.  I took my time however, because I really didn’t want the brew to come to an end.  I enjoyed it that much.  If you guys have the opportunity to try Epic Brewing’s Big Bad Baptist….  I would highly recommend it.  Granted, it probably is more suited for cooler weather, but it can be easily handled as the weather warms.  Be sure to let me know what you think when you sample it.  I would really like to hear some other opinions.   

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.75 out of 5
Grade:  A+