Beer 304: Evolution Menagerie #7

Mr. Blog Named Brew inquired as to what I was going to write about tonight and I thought, I'm kind of beat...it may just be a beer review. But no, it's your lucky night. I'm going to tell you how I'm being menaced by a cardboard man.

Mr. Pain in the Ass, I mean Blog Named Brew, snagged a "Stand Up Joe" a couple of weeks ago. It sat in the basement, folded up and relatively harmless. Sunday night cardboard Joe struck the first time.

Lurking in the corner of our home office, six feet of cardboard scared the crap out of me as I walked in to toss something in the trash. I muffled a scream and resisted the urge to attack. Fast-forward to 48 hours later and that goddamn cardboard jerk sneaks up on me again. This time it was Mr. Blog Named Brew who nearly got it. I'm now terrified that he's going to move Joe to somewhere better in the house -- a place that I'll pass by and not nearly have a heart attack when I think a stranger is in my house.

I may never leave the living room again.

Perhaps Stand Up Joe needs a Menagerie #7 from Evolution Craft Brewing Company to make himself a bit less creepy. Evolution is brewed in Salisbury, Maryland. Interesting note about Salisbury...I applied to go to college there. Not at the brewery...but at Salisbury University. It's basically the beach. Their mascot is a seagull. I imagine things would have turned out a lot differently had I gone there. Like beach bum college dropout differently...



But I digress. Menagerie #7 is a Belgian strong dark ale with an ABV of 9%. It poured a hazy chestnut color with a thin light tan head. It smelled strongly of Belgian candi sugar and grapes. Yes, light aromas of grapes. It drank with an almost lactic creaminess. It had a strong malt profile with hints of biscuits. There was some mild spiciness to it...maybe cloves and peppers. I also noticed a faint concord grape flavor.

This is a great beer. Cheers!