Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer

Okay, so we all hate clowns, right? I do. They are creepy. But their shoes, man, those shoes are pretty awesome. Am I right? Well, I like Clown Shoes. The small, contract brewery out of Ipswich, Massachusetts, I mean.


I'm going to look at what is probably my favorite beer from them, and I've had almost all of their beers at this point. Vampire Slayer, an American style imperial stout, is their second anniversary release (Hoppy Feet 1.5 is their first anniversary release), and is both expected and surprising. This beer is almost nothing like their Russian imperial stout, Blaecorn Unidragon, other than the fact that it is an imperial stout and has a high ABV.


Vampire Slayer is big, bold, and surprisingly not too in-your-face. Lots of chocolate notes spew from the glass without being overly sweet, and has some nice smoke character, made from "vampire killing stakes," and a punch of roast. The taste is pretty much what you would expect based on the nose: lots of chocolate, but again, not too sweet, and some smoky character and some roast. It is all very pleasant, and not too brutal.


The body is, of course, pitch black and has a pretty nice sized medium brown head. I would recommend pouring this into a tulip or a snifter to get the full effect of the aroma and appearance, but I suppose your standard pint glass would work as well. The mouth-feel is somewhat creamy, somewhat smooth, and not so thick that you have to chew the beer. But it isn't watery either. The carbonation is subdued and so is the 10% ABV; there is no heat going down at all, making this beer surprisingly drinkable. All things considered, I will likely pick up another bottle or two. $6-8 for a 22 oz bottle, available throughout Texas and wherever Clown Shoes beers are sold.

Clown Shoes Beer

Vampire Slayer American Imperial Stout

TCSH - 9-9.5/10

Aka - Amazing! Highly Recommend.

Dallas (Stephen)

I'm the new guy