I will say this at the outset, this is the worst of the Madness and civilization series. That is not to say it is an objectively bad stout relative to the rest of the world, but in the exceptional lineage of the prior 1-3, it is a distinct outlier. ” you complaining shit waffle, give us some concrete details” ok here goes.

The carb and appearance is slick and thinner than the rest of the genealogy and the hefty mc2 is swole as fuck compared to this highly attenuated tiny dancer. The nose is pretty legit with cocoa and brownie and light port and a touch of Madeira. Still up to snuff on this front and honestly, exceptional.

The taste hits you right on the a frame in a complete T bone, you remember that brownie batter from above? Well prepare for some straight up Malbec tannins and a light red grape coupled with purple otter pops, deep oak, this sharp acidity and sweetness like a cherry cordial and a closer that finishes more akin to a Belgian stout than a straight American stout. Some people might love the variety and bold new innovation but to me it comes across like when BMW dropped that IDrive system into the 7 series that everyone was irked about. The mouthfeel lingers with a milk chocolate and sort of cranberry dryness that finishes clean and crisp. It is akin to a chewy cherry Pepsi.

Again this isn’t something you should outright avoid, however , you may be better serviced with one of the more traditional and exceptional offerings in this series. If brewers did not embrace variables in their catalogue, we would be stuck with say a predictable hefty stout that gets a different adjunct every Black Friday. Something like that. Thank god we dodged that bullet.

Just because something is massive and eclectic doesn’t mean you can’t respect it from a cool distance outside of striking range.