Trillium & The Veil Macaroon

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 12.3%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: N/A
- Beer Advocate: N/A
- RateBeer: N/A

"We teamed up with our friends at The Veil Brewing Co. to brew the latest iteration of our dessert stout line: Macaroon, inspired by the delicious coconut pastry of the same name.

Macaroon presents an inky, opaque black and leads with a rich, wafting nose of coconut, chocolate milk, hazelnut, and marzipan. A thick, creamy mouthfeel is complemented by flavors of Mounds bars, powdered chocolate milk, and a chocolatey hazelnut. Macaroon is decadent, rich and drinkable."

Pours pitch black with light brown edges. The pour produced less than half a finger of brown head that disappeared instantly. There was noticeable sediment (I assume shredded coconut?) sitting on top and it left a film on the glass much like the lacing of the head would.

The coconut is here on the aroma, but it more subdued than I was expecting. Dark fruits and cherries are also noticeable as well as dark chocolate syrup and some vanilla extract. The brown sugar pops more here than the coconut does and there's even some cinnamon sugar to boot.

The taste really is an ideal playground for diabetes. It's a sugar overload, but it isn't enough over the line to make the beer too difficult to approach. It starts off with the promised coconut and a nutty flavor too. Some subtle cherries and bitter dark chocolate follow suit with hints of dark roast coffee. Incredibly sweet molasses and even some moments of soy sauce start coming into play with maybe some maple. Hints of plums and other dark fruits are also here, but they take a back seat to the sugary sweetness. I don't know, I think this one might be too sweet for me.

Mouthfeel is thick and mouth-coating at every turn. The 12% is nowhere to be found, so, props for that. This leaves the mouth sticky which causes a lip-smacking sensation after each sip.

Macaroon might be too sweet for its own good. It's so sugary that I think it overpowers the natural flavors of the coconut and the brown sugar. Hey, I love a Wilfred Brimley stout as much as the next person, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me. Sorry.

Rating
7.7/10

Trillium/Monkish/Cloudwater/Other Half/The Veil Fireplace Bananas

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.92/5
- Untappd: 4.21/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Friends who grill bananas together stay together: Monkish, Cloudwater, The Veil, and Other Half came for a visit and together we made a banana-rific beer!

Naturally, when friends have sleepovers and drinks, ideas flow… especially around a roaring fire. What do you roast in your fireplace? Bananas, obviously! And so the idea for Fireplace Bananas was born.

Since bananas add a relatively light flavor, every advanced banana product we could get our hands on (flame grilled, dehydrated chips, puree, dried & ground dried) went into this unique American Stout. The equivalent of 30,000 bananas generated about 25% of the fermentable sugars for this beer. That's about four bananas for every 750ml bottle!  A nose of subtle smoke, ripe banana, and a hint of dark cacao lead into a palate of caramelized sugar, banana bread, molasses, and a charred chocolate flavor. Finishes with a rich sweetness and full mouthfeel, underpinned by a subtle bitterness."


This doesn't pour pitch black like a standard imperial stout, but it's actually dark brown and muddy with a finger of tan head.

I've read early reviews of this not being big on the bananas, but the aroma sure as hell has a lot of them. There's also a lot of smoke and char, but it still comes back to overly ripe bananas with lots of sweetness. It kind of smells like a loaf of banana bread.

Again, I don't know why people said this was lacking bananas because even the taste is chock full of them. Don't think of the banana esters of a Hefeweizen, but this is actual banana puree. The bananas taste green and ripe, but the burnt char from the aroma is influential on the palate. I'd say the bananas have a small salty or spicy quality which mixes things up a bit. The imperial stout itself contains classic notes of subtle chocolate and just the smallest amount of black coffee with a lot of roasted malt. The charred bananas in this combined with the roasty malt presence work well together. I mean, it's bananas in a stout, and that's all I can say.

That mouthfeel though is exceptional by all accounts. It is sublimely thick (also the name of my favorite movie), velvety, and smooth. The beer has a fair amount of sweetness, but it isn't sticky or cloying at all. The 10.4% is nowhere to be found.

Fireplace Bananas delivered what it promised. Depending on how much you like bananas will determine your level of love and or hate for this beer. Personally, I enjoyed this one and liked how the several different types of banana products used were distinguishable in the final beer itself. It is going to be an acquired taste for sure, but call me a fan.

Rating
8.4/10

Trillium & The Veil Adult Human

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.35/5
- Untappd: 4.36/5
- RateBeer: 3.78/5

"We teamed up with The Veil Brewing Company to brew a juicy double IPA with blood oranges. Adult Human leads with a dank, tropical nose. Flavors of papaya, orange creamsicle and zesty grapefruit wash across the pallet. A subtle ripe sweetness from the blood oranges is balanced by a clean, crisp finish and moderate carb."

Pours light orange in color with an absolutely murky body. I got less than a finger of head on the pour which fizzled away almost instantly.

This is surprisingly bitter on the nose (but in an oh so delicious way). Grapefruit peel and lemon zest follow closely behind as does a touch of mint and wheat.

The influence of the blood oranges is immediately noticeable on the first sip as this has a distinct, sweeter taste. I get lots of zesty citrus: oranges, grapefruit, and lemon are all contributing. On the second half, a solid, bitter character starts to take over, but it doesn't complete the full-on invasion. Instead, a touch of raspberry comes through which adds to the overall sweet character. A healthy malt presence is welcome and adds good balance. The transition from front to back had a flavorful, hop juice taste that temporarily brought a smile to my taste buds with each sip.

Mouthfeel is full with a smooth texture. The alcohol is non-existent and it feels soft all throughout. An aftertaste of hop oils and blood orange leaves me anxious for the next sip. Solid carbonation.

Adult Human is a another rock star of a collaboration from Trillium and the Veil. A fruited IPA can be hit or miss, but this was an example done right as the fruit accented the hops instead of turning the beer into a glass of Ocean Spray. I think these two breweries collaborate every year, so here's looking forward to what they offer in 2018.

Rating
9.0/10

Other Half & The Veil Coir Boiz

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.14/5
- RateBeer: 3.75/5
- Untappd: 4.1/5

"Brewed in collaboration with The Veil Brewing is our tribute to hops and the connection between coconuts and hop farming. Hops are trellised with coir fiber rope which is made from coconut husk fiber so we decided to make an IPA with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops aged on 400 lbs of coconut. Sing the praises of hops!!"

Pours a dark orange color with a turbid, murky body. There was a finger's-worth of white head, but it disappeared immediately like soda.

The coconut is overpoweringly sweet. Crack open a Mounds bar, take out the insides, make a line, and snort and you pretty much have the same experience. Just don't O.D. like Mia Wallace. Citra hops are hard to come by and I can pick up just a touch of the Nelson with some white wine and grapefruit. The coconut may smell artificial and sugary, but it does lend a pleasant toasted aroma to the overall experience.

The taste...well...I know this may not make sense, but this is what I uttered out loud after the first sip...
"It's not undrinkable, but I don't want to drink it"

Up front, that overly sweet coconut blasts me in the face like I'm Mia Khalifa and it leaves an aura around the entire experience. If I may go off on a tangent, I need to regale you with a tale form my childhood. As a child, my family took a trip to Florida. Needing sunscreen for our pale Irish skin, we picked up a bottle of this coconut-scented sun tan lotion. I recall the artificial, factory-made coconut agent as being especially putrid and offensive to the nostrils. As I got some on my face, I accidentally got some in my mouth. The harsh taste of this metallic, fake coconut stuck with me through the years and this beer oddly reminds me of that. Yes, the coconut tastes like sunscreen, but unlike the lotion, this probably isn't SPF 80 (I burn easily). I assure you I am not trying to be facetious for entertainment value, but this is the memory that was sparked. Now, if the beer uncovers a deeply-hidden memory of me being molested, then I will have a bigger problem on my hands other than subpar alcoholic beverages.

Anyway...to be blunt, the coconut is bad. Not only is it shockingly sweet, but it is metallic-tasting. Something just seems off and it doesn't have a very large redeeming factor. There is a small saving grace as the transition is remarkably noticeable with a second half that does manage to let the Nelson and Citra come through. Moments of white grapes, white wine, and orange sherbet are here and they almost try to pick up the save Goose Gossage style, but it was too little too late. Some more unpleasantness at the end with burnt, buttered popcorn coming out, but to the beer's credit, that inviting toasted aroma is back on the taste and it is another positive I can bestow upon this.

Mouthfeel is relatively smooth in texture, which I can attribute to the coconut. It does have lots of carbonation, which is not surprising given how it poured. The off flavors hinder the drinkability and it leaves a sticky aftertaste.

Coir Boiz didn't work for me. I got moments where I enjoyed the Nelson and Citra, but that coconut overwhelmed everything good and left destruction in its wake. These two breweries have produced good stuff on their own, but this joint venture was a swing and a miss. Sorry.

Rating
5.3/10

The Veil Master Shredder

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 5.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.25
- RateBeer: 3.78/5

No commercial description for this one. The Veil Brewing out of Virginia just opened its doors in April 2016. Head Brewer Matt Tarpey was a former assistant brewer at Hill Farmstead prior to joining The Veil, so immediately, you know the place is legit. I scored some of The Veil beers in a trade and what better beer to look at first than their flaghship IPA: Master Shredder.

Pours a hazy, light orange with two fingers of bright, white head.

The aroma has almost a dank, wet hop smell to it with a good amount of grain and wheat. I also get tangerine and grapefruit peel which adds a fruity kick.

The taste is very refreshing. An abundance of non-acidic grapefruit and wheat tale control over everything else. Some notes of oranges, pineapple, and mango make this juicy, but not overly so. It isn't until near the back that a tiny amount of bitterness pokes its head out, but this is by no means a hoppy adventure as the wheat, citrus, and tropical flavors make for a light, but flavorful experience. I mentioned a wet hop presence on the nose, and the same can be said for the finish as this shows (subtle) signs of sweet malts and a little bit of dankness. Some nice bready qualities are here too.

Mouthfeel is light, but not watery. At 5.5%, this isn't a true session beer, but the light body and low abv make this an easy crusher.

Master Shredder is an easy-drinking experience with a light, crisp body and fruity flavors. If Blue Moon was a stellar beer, then it would be this. It's a beer you can sip on slowly to enjoy its complexities, but I can see this being in my cooler at a BBQ during hot Summer months. The Veil's flagship IPA is a winner.

Rating
8.3/10