Trillium and Omnipollo Covered in Puppies

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Current Ratings...
- Untappd: 4.37/5
- Beer Advocate: 4.37/5
- RateBeer: 3.93/5

"Initially brewed and released as a draft only beer in Sweden, Covered in Puppies has now arrived stateside! The label design was inspired by Karl & Kevin's favorite artist when they were kids: MC Escher. Karl and Kevin were able to fully realize the inspiration from Escher and meld that with the respective styles of each brewery. A nose of tropical fruit and bubble gum take the lead with and woody resin undertones. Palate is juicy with flavors of creamy pineapple and freshly baked bread, wrapping it up with a soft -as-a-puppy bitterness."

Pours a bright, glowing orange with hazy body and two fingers of white head.

The aroma has a nice dankness to it as well as sweet citrus. Berries and lime zest also stand out to go with some melon. Good bitterness throughout too.

The taste leans towards the sweeter side which matches up with the aroma. It reminds me of blood oranges, grapefruits, and clementines. That bitterness from the aroma is well represented here, and like the aroma, it is a constant from start to finish. Further notes of bubblegum dance on my tongue and a dank quality greet me on the transition, but touches of spice and black pepper kick in for even more complexity. The back end opens up to a solid malt character and more of the bitter hop juices.

Mouthfeel is full, creamy, and relatively calm. No sign of alcohol and the sweeter citrus flavors make drinkability easy.

Covered in Puppies was able to extract many characteristics of the hop varieties used to produce a big, flavorful Double IPA that retained high drinkability. I liked how the citrus and bitterness were able to work together, but the beer also succeeded in not letting one single hop used dominate, but rather had everything working as a cohesive unit. It made for good complexity and a vacation for the taste buds.

Rating
8.8/10

De Proefbrouwerij To Øl / Omnipollo Brewmance

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.20%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.08/5
- RateBeer: 3.77/5

I remember picking this up years ago at one of my local stores. It is a very nondescript label with an aura of mystery. To my surprise when I poured it out, the bottle was actually green. The imperial stout inside combined with the wrapping on the top with cork and cage hid the true color of the bottle. Not that I store my bottles in direct light, but I'm hoping this bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout with honey has not been negatively affected by the green bottle.

Pours jet black with less than a finger of light brown/tan head.

Tons of oak and char on the aroma with even a little bit of smokey tobacco. Bourbon is present, but mellow and smooth.

Well, the taste is interesting. Every quality you look for in a big barrel-aged imperial stout is so sedated and falling asleep that you'd think this has just taken an Ambien. Subdued, bitter dark chocolate greets the front of my tongue with a thud of bitterness and mellowed-out flavor. The charred oak from the aroma steps forward near the middle of the mouth, but it is not accenting other flavors, but instead it seems lost and alone. I can't help but feel that the green bottle has allowed some light damage to take place because I'm getting a distinct black licorice taste that I want to go away. As for bourbon, I mean, finding it is like finding Waldo in a crowd: it takes forever, and once you do it, you really aren't jumping for joy. Even with a few years on this, there's a tinge of alcohol flavor, but luckily it isn't stinging. As for the honey, it would be nice to find some of that sweetness to come in and combat the bitter, dark flavors, but I just can't find it.

Mouthfeel is ludicrously thin for an 11.20% imperial stout. I won't go as far as to call it "watery", but the body is diluted to an almost poor quality porter. Some of the unpleasant flavors overstay their welcome, but even with that aforementioned minor alcohol taste, the 11.20% is well-hidden.

Brewmance is a letdown to say the least. Omnipollo is known for creating some unique beers overseas, but this collaboration just didn't pan out. Every flavor was watered down and what was there seemed to have gone bad. Add in a watery feel and this one just missed the mark completely.

Rating
5.3/10