8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

12 ounce bottle into snifter, 2019 vintage. Pours dense pitch black color with no head retention or lacing. Some murky floaties, and streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, oreo cookie, marshmallow, fudge, brownie batter, vanilla, cream, apple brandy, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, pepper, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild brandy booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, oreos, marshmallow, apple brandy barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, oreo cookie, marshmallow, fudge, brownie batter, vanilla, cream, apple brandy, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, pepper, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild herbal, roast, coffee bitterness; and brandy/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, oreo cookie, marshmallow, fudge, brownie batter, vanilla, cream, apple brandy, toasted oak, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread, light coconut/dark fruit, smoke, pepper, leather, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, oreos, marshmallow, apple brandy barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a solid roasted bitter/sweet, and brandy/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and brandy/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and slightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 14%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing brandy barrel aged pastry stout. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, oreos, marshmallow, apple brandy barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; dangerously smooth and easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; amazingly soft/silky feel for the ABV. Amazing balance between super rich malts, fruity/nutty coffee, marshmallow, oreos, and brandy barrel presence/integration; with mild earthy hop/fruity yeast notes. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected. Pretty much perfectly balanced between all flavors.