Griffin's are notoriously difficult to tame. Not just because they're mythical, but also because they're all tooth, claw and just bad attitude.
Luckily Neon Raptor have created this beer to help with any aspiring Griffin tamers. I'm not entirely sure how helpful it would be, but it's probably best not to take any chances where Griffins are concerned.
An imperial pastry stout laced with vanilla and coconut, Griffin Tamer is describe by Neon Raptor as being 'a strong and majestic creature, equally divine, decadent and delicious'.
The aroma is mainly vanilla, but there is a little coconut there that's very subtle. The pour is thick and rich, as you would expect from a double stout that's 12%, creating a thick foamy head along with a big hit of boozy headiness.
The taste is primarily strong alcohol with a hit of metallic initially, but then there's a smooth creamy vanilla flavour that takes over the profile. Despite being largely vanilla, there is also a dark chocolate bitterness alongside the vanilla sweetness.
The aftertaste is where the coconut really comes in despite being largely absent from the main flavour profile, drowned out by the vanilla. The tropical nutty flavour works really well with the vanilla sweetness and helps to balance the beer really well.
The black can/black label combination is really striking when combined with the gold detail and text. Sometimes two-colour cans can be plain and easily forgettable, but this is actually very eye-catching.
Unsurprisingly there's a large Griffin on the front which doesn't look very tame, but then why would it - you'll need to drink this to be in with a chance of taming it.
The gold text stands out well on the black label, from the beer name and style on the front to the bio, ingredients and all the usual information on the back.
We got this from our local bottle shop, which is the first place you should check for this one. Otherwise, you can grab it online from Craft Metropolis for £8.25.
Although this is quite pricey, it's worth it for the potential to train Griffins, right?