the beast within

Not one of Santa's

It's always on the lookout for those stouts.  The Wildebeest bottle looks distinguished enough, with its classic shape and not-too-busy design.  And it's one of those fancy stouts, with coffee and vanilla, for when your inner child won't be contained either.  It's a good, rich black, with a nice tan head that settles into a fairly thin topping.  The taste is kind of a wild blend of flavors coming out in jumps.  I think the coffee was what I noticed first, kind of the bitter portion of the beverage, but the chocolate-vanilla sweetness bounded out immediately after.  The sweet tends to spread out and cover the whole tongue as you sip, while I find the bitterness rises up at the back.  It's a pretty heavy drink; the label suggests settling into a comfortable armchair for proper drinking comfort.  I can't argue with the appeal, but the bar booth doesn't sound too bad either, provided the proper company is present.

the horned one

Like the Horned God and the Green Man together

 That threatening deer head was what really caught my attention, I guess.  Then, it's a super IPA - Madness IPA - which my taste is stuck on at the moment.  The bottle makes the beer appear deceptively dark; when poured, it's a light golden yellow, with abundant head.  The flowery-citrus smell comes off the beer even as it's being poured into the glass.  The taste matches up with the scent perfectly.  The IPA bitter overlays the citrus sweet, but there are hints of it at the first moment and in a slow-rising aftertaste.  Topping up the glass results in a fresh deposit of foam.  It reminds me a little of lemon jello covered with whipped cream.  I'd much rather have the beer.  Lemon jello, yech! 

Much tastier indeed