Evil Twin Yin and Yang

Evil Twin Brewing has its origins in Denmark, but its beers are actually brewed at ten different breweries around the world. These beers are each 10.0% ABV and brewed at Brew Dog, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Yin is an Imperial Taiji Stout and Yang is an Imperial Taiji IPA. I will try each individually and then mix them in a black and tan, as suggested by the bottles.

Yang pours a cloudy deep amber and burnt orange. There is a slight off-white head. The aroma is strong orange, citrus, over ripe tropical fruit, sweet, tangy, malty, caramel. The taste is both strong hops and strong malt, lots of orange, sweet potato maltiness, caramel, sweet and tangy fruit playing off of each other. There is some warming effect from the high alcohol. Intense, a sipper.

Yin pours black, with a large head of dark latte colored foam. The aroma is sweet and charred, lots of dark roasted malt, coffee and mocha and dark chocolate, bittersweet. The taste follows the aromas, charred malt, peat, loads of dark chocolate, coffee, creamy mocha, sweet and bitter tangling with each other. There is also a warming effect in this one from the alcohol. This is a very nice stout on its own.

Yin and Yang Black and Tan - Well, I poured the IPA first and then poured the stout slowly over an inverted round spoon, but the stout did not float and just immediately sank into the IPA. It is black in color with the head looking like marbled rye bread. The aroma is predominantly the IPA, lots of that orange coming out, sweet, yet tangy and bitter. When drinking them, the IPA comes out first, again lots of orange, a tangle of sweet, tangy and bitter, and just when you think the IPA totally predominated, in comes a wave of dark roasted malt, leaving an essence of a candied orange covered in rich mocha dark chocolate. In the aftertaste the sweet, tangy and bitter again fight each other. It is full and rich and loaded with flavor.

Taiji (or T'ai chi) is understood to be the highest conceivable principle, that from which existence flows. The "supreme ultimate" creates yang and yin: movement generates yang; when its activity reaches its limit, it becomes tranquil. Through tranquility the supreme ultimate generates yin. When tranquility has reached its limit, there is a return to movement. Movement and tranquility, in alternation, become each the source of the other. The distinction between the yin and yang is determined and the two forms (that is, the yin and yang) stand revealed. By the transformations of the yang and the union of the yin, the 5 elements (Qi) of water, fire, wood, metal and earth are produced. These 5 Qi become diffused, which creates harmony. Once there is harmony the 4 seasons can occur. Yin and yang produced all things, and these in their turn produce and reproduce, this makes these processes never ending.