Hauntingly Familiar
It’s the big day. Our trick or treat countdown has encountered goblins and ghouls, flying monkeys and the devil himself. But what could be scarier than the spirits that occupy this 750ml bottle of 10% Imperial Stout The Summoning! This summons isn’t for a parking ticket or jury duty, this is a spooky spirit summoning from Hopkins Tomb.* The ritual according to Breakwall Brewing is to circle 7 times and knock each pass. And twice on the pipe if the answer is no? ** The only summoning I’m doing tonight is to summon up the spirits of this Hopkins Tomb Imperial Stout into my triple XXX size tankard.
I remember back in the day quarts at The Ports and headframes at the Airporter, but nobody was serving you a 10% extra tall. This brew is for sharing and we all know sharing is caring but you may also know that I don’t care to share, so there.
An impressive pour for sure, moonless midnight graveyard black with a tan two finger head-stone topper. A strong stout aroma a bit overshadowed by fermented dark fruits, an almost barley wine thing happening, it is a bit scary. First taste is strong, classic roast malt cocoa coffee with a backend dark fermented fruit bite that upstages the stout. A sipper designed to warm the cockles of your heart *** and a number of other internal organs as well. I’m definitely in a NO BIG SWIG zone here, settling into this steady sipper.
Nothing really backs off for this one, I think I’m just getting normalized, or traumatized, by this super sized high IBU stout. The dark fruit boozy bite is still there to remind you that the door to Hopkins Tomb is no mortal portal.
This heavy-duty stout has me feeling the 10. I’m usually one and done, but when it comes to this one, one and done is one and done in. I may need some Alka-Seltzer in the morning, because I can’t believe I drank the whole thing. ****
*Editor’s Comment: Hopkins Tomb at Oakland Cemetery in Port Colbourne is supposed to be a hotbed of paranormal activity. The theory is that Sam Hopkins’ soul never caught up to his body in burial and is now in limbo, between worlds. It appears that it is not only haunted but cursed too!
**Editor’s Comment: The 1970 number 1 hit song “Knock Three Times” was credited to “Dawn”. “Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me, twice on the pipe if the answer is no”. It was sung by Tony Orlando, who was working for another music label at the time, and worried he may get fired for recording for a competitor, so he wanted to remain anonymous. Once it became a hit the group Tony Orlando and Dawn went on to tour and have more hits.
***Editor’s Comment: Anatomically, the “cockles” of your heart refers to the heart’s chambers, in particular the ventricles.
****Editor’s Comment: The iconic 1972 ad campaign by Alka-Seltzer featured actor Milt Moss suffering from over-indulgence and saying to himself “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”.
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