Hello All!

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This weekend has been kind of chaotic. On one hand, it is the first time in a while I've just been able to relax. On the other hand, the inspection report for the house we are trying to buy came back quite negative to say the least. On the bright side, had a backup house, so hopefully our offer will go through on that one without too many hiccups.

Last time I wrote, I mentioned I was working on a lemon ginger vodka. It has since finished up and turned out decently well, but I think it needed more time with the ginger. It ended up turning into more of a LEMON ginger vodka, if you get what I am saying.

I still haven't started the coconut lime tequila I mentioned in my last review, but I'm hoping to get around to that this week. Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding infusions. I am still new to this process, so I would love to hear your thoughts!

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That being said, it is time to move on to the beer! Today I will be sharing with you a brew from Clown Shoes. This is another one of my favorite breweries. While I cannot say I have loved all of their beers, I have yet to have a "bad" one. Their beers generally fall into one of 2 categories. Either they are rather unique and interesting brews that try a combination of additional ingredients and unconventional barrel aging, or they are just solid examples of a certain style.

They also have FANTASTIC label art! All of them are quite colorful and often amusing. I encourage you to check out their website here.

As to where this brewery is located, well that one is a bit trickier. They are somewhat of a "ghost brewery" in that I don't think they actually have their own brewery location and pretty much work out of other established breweries. Initially they worked with Ipswich Ale Brewing, found in Ipswich, MA. It would appear that they have now come under the umbrella of Mass. Bay Brewing Co., who also owns Harpoon and UFO. Currently, they are producing their beer in Boston, MA and Windsor, VT, at what I believe are the Harpoon breweries in those cities. If you visit Harpoon on a trip to Boston, MA, you will be able to try some Clown Shoes brews in their tasting room.

The name of the beer I'll be sharing today is La Bestia Furiosa, or "The Furious Beast". Oddly enough, if you look it up on their website, it is called La Bestia Furioso. I'm not sure what's going on here, but it is the same beer, so I'm not overly bothered by the inconsistency on the name. If the label above was too difficult to read, here is what the front of the label says, "Mexican-Style Imperial Stout Aged In Bourbon And Rum Barrels With Chiles And Spices Added." Below is the back of the label where it talks about the beer.

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Now that I've dragged this out long enough, let's open her up and taste what's inside!

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As you can tell by the picture containing two glasses, I shared this one with my wife. I am rather glad I did as well. First of all, it comes in at a solid 10% ABV. In addition, it is a very rich beer and not the easiest to drink 22 oz of. Not that I wouldn't enjoy all 22 oz, but just like fudge, too much can sometimes be just that, too much.

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This one did not have much head on it. It was rather thin. What head was there, was a nice off-white color.

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I did not drink this one out of a Clown Shoes glass because... well, sadly, I don't actually own one yet... Oh well, on to the review!

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La Bestia Furiosa Mexican-Style Imperial Stout

La Bestia Furiosa	Brewed by Clown Shoes - Boston, MA, USA - Windsor, VT, USA
Style	Mexican-Style Imperial Stout with Added Flavors
Alcohol	10.0% ABV
IBUs	N/A
Format	Bomber (Poured into pint glass)
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Appearance	Pitch black, with a small, tan head. Head fades quickly.
Aroma	Sweetness, roasted malt, chcolate, spice, oak, hint of rum and bourbon, and something else I can't quite identify, but I suspect to be the chiles.
Taste	VERY complex taste. It starts with a large amount of sweetness on the palate, followed immediately by flavors of bourbon and oak. This segues into chocolate and rosted malt which linger into a finish that showcases flavors of rum and spice. A slight, prickly heat from the chiles slowly builds up from the beginning to the finish of each sip.
Mouthfeel	Light carbonation, creamy texture, prickly heat from the chiles, very full-bodied.
Tasting Notes	This a wonderful beer. I truly have no complaints. All I can say is well done! Clown Shoes almost always does a great job, and this beer did not disappoint. The flavors were rich, complex, and developed throughout each sip. The heat was there, but mostly faded before the next sip, so you got to experience it all over again. If I had to describe this beer with one word, it would be decadent. There is just so much going on with this beer, that all I can say is that you need to try it yourself if you have the chance.
Score	9/10 Outstanding! (This is my subjective score)

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Thank you for reading my review!

If you have any advice/criticisms/suggestions by all means please share them with me below. I will do my best to review and use them to improve my reviews in the future.

Please don't forget to support my post and the Steemit beer community as a whole by checking out @detlev's #beersaturday competition Here!

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Cheers!