Matryoshka (2022) - Westward & IJW Barrel Aged
Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.38
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2022 and 2025 release in this barrel combination
Bourbon barrel aged Russian imperial stout
Much like wooden nesting dolls, the Matryoshka series releases in many variations, each one more intricate than the last.
(from label)
It’s been an annual release from Fort George Brewery since the winter of 2017. Matryoshka starts with a very decadent Russian Imperial Stout aged in spirit barrels, with smaller and smaller variations emerging from the mother batch and conditioned on complementary ingredients to create the series. The base beer typically arrives in December. The variations will all be available during Stout Month (AKA February). This vintage was aged in barrels from Westward Whiskey (Portland, OR) and IJW Whiskey Company (Boyle County, Kentucky).
(from https://fortgeorgebrewery.com/beer/matryoshka-2022)
The Matryoshka series, a barrel aged version of From Astoria With Love, first debuted in 2017 thanks to Fort George Brewers Michal and Dave. While that first batch was meant to be a single BA version of its predecessor, Dave saw an opportunity to take the stout one step further by aging and releasing multiple variants of the same beer. Similar to a Russian Matryoshka Doll, the Matryoshka series stacks layers upon layers of depth and flavor into multiple variants of that same base stout.
Head of the brewery’s Barrel Aging and Special Projects Program, Dave Coyne has worked with us at Fort George since 2013. In addition to brewing delicious beer, he is the artist behind many of your favorite Fort George labels - including Matryoshkas.
Bourbon barrel aged Russian imperial stout
Much like wooden nesting dolls, the Matryoshka series releases in many variations, each one more intricate than the last.
(from label)
It’s been an annual release from Fort George Brewery since the winter of 2017. Matryoshka starts with a very decadent Russian Imperial Stout aged in spirit barrels, with smaller and smaller variations emerging from the mother batch and conditioned on complementary ingredients to create the series. The base beer typically arrives in December. The variations will all be available during Stout Month (AKA February). This vintage was aged in barrels from Westward Whiskey (Portland, OR) and IJW Whiskey Company (Boyle County, Kentucky).
(from https://fortgeorgebrewery.com/beer/matryoshka-2022)
The Matryoshka series, a barrel aged version of From Astoria With Love, first debuted in 2017 thanks to Fort George Brewers Michal and Dave. While that first batch was meant to be a single BA version of its predecessor, Dave saw an opportunity to take the stout one step further by aging and releasing multiple variants of the same beer. Similar to a Russian Matryoshka Doll, the Matryoshka series stacks layers upon layers of depth and flavor into multiple variants of that same base stout.
Head of the brewery’s Barrel Aging and Special Projects Program, Dave Coyne has worked with us at Fort George since 2013. In addition to brewing delicious beer, he is the artist behind many of your favorite Fort George labels - including Matryoshkas.
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8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap at DownTime Taps, pours jet black with a small brown head. Nose is decadent and complex, with deep bourbon barrel complexity, vanilla, brown sugar, and some molasses. Flavour is likewise rich, with elegant bourbon barrels, sticky dark sugars, molasses, vanilla, and some treacly notes. As usual, wonderful barrel treatment. Intense yet complex and balanced. Beauty.
Tried
from Draft
at
DownTime Taps
on 06 Jul 2025
at 03:59
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Shared with Farees. Appearance: very dark brown with almost no head. Aroma: whiskey, American oak, roasted seeds, bold, some sweetness. Taste: along the same lines, lots of nice and smooth American oak, a bit boozy. Moderately sweet. Overall: good one.
Tried
from Draft
at
DownTime Taps
on 10 May 2024
at 01:34
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle. Pours black. Bourbon, chocolate, cherry, red wine, rich dark chocolate, red wine. Medium body. Good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Oct 2022
at 00:56