Epiphania - Cognac BA (Silver Series)

Bottle. Color: Black, light brown head. Aroma: Roasted malt, vanilla, fruity hints of Cognac. Taste: Mix of roasted malt, coffee with milk, vanilla and fruity and boozy Cognac / grapes. Moderate to over moderate sweet and bitter, lightly salty. Smooth, bit creamy mouthfeel. Full body, below average carbonation. Nice one, but a little bit unbalanced in my opinion.

Bottle, 13.5%. Very dark brown with small beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, barrel and wood. Flavour is roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, barrel, sweet, wood, warming,

Hefty imperial stout from Estonia, aged on cognac barrels; thanks Steve for sharing. Moussy, deep mocha-beige, tiny-bubbled, dissolving head on a completely jet black beer. Aroma of chocolate sauce, indeed strong cognac, vanilla-scenting oak wood, walnut liqueur, molasses, fig jam, rum, almond, old furniture. Sweet onset, candied dates, subtle porcini-like umami note, fig, soft carb, very full and vinous mouthfeel – though clearly thinned by alcohol. Strong dark ‘chocolateyness’, molasses, caramel, walnut in the middle – with a lovely lacing of vanilla-tinged oakiness and a peppery hop note; bittersweet, but the sweetness prevails, even enhanced a bit by the cognac factor. Ends unsurprisingly boozy, but less so than I was fearing at this ABV. I generally dislike beers that collapse under their own strength as this Pühaste Silver series of silver-labelled superstrong beers tends to do, but this one matches a hot chocolate sauce effect and heating brandy very well. Unexpectedly good, one of the better Pühastes I had so far.

Pours black, small tanned head. Scent is full, aromatic (cognac, wood, mild vanilla, roasty ) . Taste is full, solid Impy. Vanilla is fairly mild. Lots of cognac, but it works oh so well. Rather bitter, with a decent sweet base to support this heavy beer, and provide a nice thick body.