Caribbean Chocolate Cake - Barrel Aged 2020
Siren Craft Brew in Finchampstead, Berkshire, England 🏴
Collab with: Cigar City BrewingStout - Imperial Special Out of Production
|
Score
7.26
|
|
It just wouldn’t be a complete collection without utilising the skills of barrel manager Steve, and of course, some of the finest oak barrels in our cellar. The art of ageing in wood vs spinning on wood comes with subtle differences that we love to explore, not least in this project. As soon as last year’s CCC barrels were emptied ready for release, we immediately re-filled with fresh beer to begin the journey of the 2020 vintage. The Buffalo Trace bourbon and rye barrels impart all kinds of spice, caramel and spirit notes, along with a delicate vanilla note and some tannins from the oak. We then spin the beer after it’s been aged, this brings us a fresh vibrancy of flavour and aroma to the beautifully matured beer.
Sign up to add a tick or review
6.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Can from The Gull, North Vancouver
Dark brown to balck colour, almost no head. Moderately bold Stout, with little residual sweetness, dark chocolate flavour, nuts, but everything is permeated by some kind of infection, that adds sourness, eats the sugars, creates earthy smells. Alcohol feeling.
Still drinkable, but it's infected.
Dark brown to balck colour, almost no head. Moderately bold Stout, with little residual sweetness, dark chocolate flavour, nuts, but everything is permeated by some kind of infection, that adds sourness, eats the sugars, creates earthy smells. Alcohol feeling.
Still drinkable, but it's infected.
Tried
from Can
on 01 Aug 2021
at 09:00
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
330ml on Alex's porch. Appearance: dark brown with a beige head. Aroma: somewhat metallic with lots of cocoa, dsrk fruits, and some dirty notes with roasted malt. Taste: some acidity, quite thin, with notes of cocoa, no barrel character. Overall: it may be something wrong with this one, too thin, acidic, a sign of infection?
Tried
on 01 Aug 2021
at 07:35
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
330ml can - Pours black with a smallish tan head. Aroma is dark bitter chocolate, dark fruit, bourbon and woody. A tart bitter taste, dark chocolate, bourbon and spicy woody flavours with a tart sour finish. Doesn't quite work for me.
Tried
from Can
on 15 Jul 2021
at 20:49
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
330 ml can. Pours black with full head. Aromas of dark syrupy chocolate, soft bourbon, a little spice, and creamy roasted malts. Flavors follow same with additional vanilla and green oak; the latter imparting a sour note which was probably not intended. Still, very nice.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Jun 2021
at 02:00
6.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 6
Can. Dark brown. Thick head. On the nose it's got a lot of chocolate and bourbon. On the palate, it's actually quite tart. I mean, it was canned six months ago, but a beer like this it shouldn't make a difference. There's some good elements - the barrels come across well, and there's a ton of chocolate, a bit of vanilla sweetness. But I'm not sold on the tartness. It seems out of place. Enough quality elements to enjoy it, but I can't imagine this is as intended, given the other ratings.
Tried
from Can
on 15 Jun 2021
at 04:51
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can. Jet black with a medium tan head. Aroma of wood and chocolate. Flavour is warm vanilla whiskey, chocolate and wood, cake mix texture, long warm bitter chocolate finish.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2021
at 19:48
7/10
Tried
on 04 Mar 2021
at 13:24
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
330ml can from Trembling Madness. Aroma is dried fruit, spice, booze. There's a little chocolate in the flavour, but it's mostly the same fruit and spice flavours from the aroma. Not a bad thing, it's lovely, but I was expecting more chocolate
Tried
from Can
on 01 Jan 2021
at 02:54
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Can at home in Hackney - picked up from Clapton Craft. Pours black-brown with a frothy, mocha head. Medium sweet flavour with notes of dried and lightly tangy berries, bittersweet chocolate, soft roast. Medium bodied with fine to average carbonation. Lightly sticky finish, some ash, drying scorched cedar, cocoa, raisins. Not bad overall.
Tried
from Can
on 31 Dec 2020
at 22:40
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Can at home picked up from HOTM An opaque black coloured pour with a lasting dark tan head. Aroma is rich, bitter choc, spicy jamaica cake, smoke, some fudge. Flavour is composed of rich cakey malts, woody, chocolate cake, oily, burnt spice, dark liquorice. Palate is rich luscious, oily, moderate carbonation, velvety. Nice and rich.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Dec 2020
at 00:43