“A fresh sheet of snow clings to the limbs of the great Maple Tree. The ancient maple provides this frigid winter’s day with a touch of majesty as it glimmers in the afternoon sun.”

Glassware: Snifter.

Appearance: Glossy black with a thumb of brown foam resting atop. The head slowly retreats to the rim and leaves a thin pattern of rings as we indulge.

Aroma: We can definitely pick up the maple bourbon barrels…the distinct caramelised sugars and cinnamon-esque spice provide a lovely backdrop for the hearty base stout characters; roasted malt, vanilla, licorice and mild coffee. We’re also getting a rather strong musk quality alongside lighter notes of pink marshmallow, bourbon and herbal spice. Not the CBS contender we were hoping for but it’s still decent.

Flavour: Oopht! OK it was harnessing all of its energy for this. It rolls on to the palate with a delicious fusion of maple bourbon, spice, vanilla and roasted malt. A mild warmth from the 10% ABV ties it all together. It’s really cool the way the flavours all take turns of enjoying their moment before it punctuates on a roasty, bittersweet and maple-driven finish which goes for days.

Mouthfeel: Dense and muscly, low Co2 and full bodied. The 10% ABV hides itself reasonably well. Couldn’t ask for much more from a BA Imperial Stout.

Overall: Yeah look it’s no CBS. It’s probably got better balance than our very own Mountie by Stockade though. We were expecting a little bit more from it but in the end it was still a delicious offering.