“Hype can series. Barrel aged imperial stout.”
Glassware: Snifter.
Appearance: Black as the ace of spades! It forms a short brown head which recedes to the rim and leaves a mix of spotty and wavy lace on the glass.
Aroma: Kind of has a faint hint of bush fire initially…it’s subtle yet distinctive. It’s hard to find any info on this beer but our guess is that it was aged in bourbon barrels as the scent of bourbon is very pronounced. Also picking up black strap molasses, licorice, old leather, dark chocolate, sweet espresso and burnt toast. The booze is sharp and penetrating, has a bit of a pungent acetone quality to it. Lots going on that’s for sure.
Flavour: Monstrous. Very big, very aggressive. There’s a rush of bourbon, booze and rich molasses and malt that actually intensifies as it proceeds. It moves in to bitter espresso coffee, smoked malts and charred earth before it rounds out on an extremely warming finish with enduring bourbon and subtle smoke on the rear.
Mouthfeel: A little too lean for our liking. Very harsh and showing every bit of the 13.5% AbV. Medium body. Mild-medium co2.
Overall: It has the bones of a really good stout but the balance is a real flaw. It’s like it needs more malt to not only fill it out but also to pull the bourbon and booze in to line…they’re way too prominent. Can’t say we’re much of a fan of this.