Style: Strong Ale

ABV: 8.0 IBU: 20.0

89/100
Aroma: 12
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 17
Mouthfeel: 5

Founders Brewing Marvelroast

What the brewers say

Imperial golden ale with coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and milk sugar.

What our panel thought

Cocoa-marshmallow wafts demand a blood sugar check—sweet coffee, vanilla, pie crust, Nestle Quik. In the flavor, cocoa-vanilla up front. Unsweetened baker's chocolate stands firm; flickers of cotton candy. Coffee drifts in and out. Crème brûlée latte.

What our editors thought

Smell the sweetness—the lactose-coffee-vanilla blend is pervasive, grounded by nutty, earthy cocoa-powder. The sip pushes that cocoa with a bitter-coffee touch, softened by vanilla. Not too sweet—a feat of balance for a beer that convinces you it's going only in one direction.

Review printed in: Brewing Craft Classics (Feb-Mar 2021) (View All Issues)


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Bootstrap Brewing 1956

Floral, herbal hop aroma with low, cracker-like malt; slight orange notes. In the flavor, Wonderbread-crust biscuit malt nicely balanced by light touch of hop-bitterness. Light notes peach, orange, pear. Dry, clean finish. Very good drinkability.

Lawson's Finest Liquids Above the Clouds

Aroma: “Assertive orange, grapefruit, and lemon hops. Slightly piney and earthy. Hints of lemongrass, green pepper, and green onion with a background of herbal tea and mint. There’s a touch of bready malt behind the hops.” Flavor: “There’s a lot of hops complexity. Bold citrus with a lemongrass focus. Malt flavors get lost in the shuffle. Light, clean body. Bitter and dry finish with a lingering hops-derived bitterness.” Overall: “More akin to a light-bodied session IPA/dry-hopped pale ale than a golden ale. Still, pleasantly assertive hops aromatics with a bold, hops-forward flavor in a super-light, clean ale. A unique dichotomy of styles.”

Odell Brewing Company Jolly Russian

__Aroma:__ “Rich roast and chocolate up front, with a light smokiness and a touch of malt sweetness. There’s a light dark- fruit/date note, with cherry, dark fig, and vanilla. The sugar sweetness and smoke reminds me of candied bacon.” __Flavor:__ “Chocolate and roast add complexity up front, with a light alcohol warming toward the finish. Notes of rum, but also a note of tequila. The oak quality of the barrel is evident. Flashes of cocoa and vanilla weave through dark fruits of fig, plum, prune, and raisin. Intense flavors, but no single flavor dominated.” __Overall:__ “This beer is hot and boozy, with a rum presence that’s really just complexity and heat. Could use some aging to let the alcohol mellow out and the flavors shine through. A beautifully rich and complex beer that takes a minute to wrap your head around, but once you’re into it, you don’t want to leave.”

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