Grassroots Brewing Viola Sofia - Barrel-Aged

Viola Sofia - Barrel-Aged

 

Grassroots Brewing in Greensboro Bend, Vermont, United States 🇺🇸

Brewed at/by: Fanø Bryghus
  Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Special Out of Production
Score
7.65
ABV: 10.8% IBU: - Ticks: 30
Viola Sofia is an Imperial Stout brewed for our friend Manuele to celebrate the birth of his baby girl, who the beer was named after.
The beer spent 3 months in Jack Daniels barrels on top of cocoa nibs.
Evolving from travel and friendship, Grassroots creates artisan ales inspired by experience and imagination.

Note: This is the 2011-2013 version brewed at Fano. If you are entering the newer BA version, with a black label, from Hill Farmstead, please enter it find and enter it there.
 

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

500 ml bottle. Courtesy of explosive dog. Thanks. Pours a dense, opaque, black color with a small brown head that soon fades away. The aroma is big and bold with black licorice, chocolate liquor and raisins. The taste, like the aroma, is licorice, chocolates, sweet vanilla and candied dark fruits. Bitterness is mild and understated. The palate is full, thick and oily with soft carbonation. Finishes long and glorious with lingering sweet licorice. Overall: decent IRS, but a bit on the sweet side. Paired well with some estate gouda cheese.

Tried from Bottle on 01 Jan 2024 at 18:46


8.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle. Pours black. Nutty, dark chocolate, cherry, oak, booze, sweet bourbon, tobacco, leather, raspberry. Medium body. Excellent.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Oct 2023 at 02:33


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Never thought I'd be finding this in Rome. Roast and plenty of bourbon. Chocolate, a dose of boozola. Black pour with decent head. Bittersweet and boozy end. Some caramel, notes of oak. Long term aftertaste hangs with bitter coffee, roast, caramel. 838317

Tried on 02 Oct 2023 at 17:03


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle thanks to Jason. Pours a dark brown with small beige head that lasts. The aroma is tobacco, wood, roast, cocoa, bourbon, licorice. Slick body, similar flavors to nose, boozy, dry finish, very nice.

Tried from Bottle on 10 Sep 2023 at 00:27


8.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle at home in Canaan - picked up from the brewery. Pours oily black with a creamy, brown topping. Medium to big sweet flavour with nicely layered dark malts, dark fruits, raisins, cocoa, gooey fudge, bourbon, vanilla, light toffee. Full bodied, lightly chewy and oily, with fine carbonation. Warming and a bit sticky, maple dark malts, more dense chocolate character. A delicious sipper.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Aug 2023 at 03:40


9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Bottle, 500 ml at Miro B's Grande. Shared with him, JFK10000 and Werckmeister. Black with tan head. Chocolate, lots of bourbon on nose, barrel, medium sweetness, very smooth, oily, balanced. Medium bodied.

Tried from Bottle on 05 Jun 2023 at 16:57


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

33cl Bottle at home, thanks to Plovmand. Cheers buddy! Black colour, thin creamy beige head. Aroma of wood, hard roast, roasted black liquorice, some chocolate sweetness, alcohol, ash. Flavour is ashy, hard roasted malts, liquorice, hint of chocolate, harsh bitter roasted malt finish. Medium-bodied. Not much subtlety or JD barrel to be noticed IMO.

Tried from Bottle on 12 Oct 2013 at 15:18


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 oz. bottle, sent from Glouglouburp (thanks Dany), pours black with a medium-large tan / light brown head. Nose is very roasted -- nearly burnt -- with notes, of charred roasted malt, a little licorice, and loads of wood. Flavour brings out smoky whiskey notes above anything, with lots of wood, a little licorice, maybe a touch of the cocoa nibs, and some deeply roasted / burnt malt. Very smoky and unusually complex for a Jack Daniels barrel aged beer. The beer finishes on notes of smoke, whiskey and licorice. Very dry mouthfeel, with a smoky profile dominating. Very solid impie stout.

Tried from Bottle on 03 Sep 2013 at 23:11


6.8
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Received as a "gift" enjoyed in a Hill Farmstead glass...best by January 2013

A - Pours an oily black with a 2 finger coffee coloured head that fades to a thin line pretty fast.

S - Nose is heavy on cocoa and wine tannins with molasses and cane syrup

T - Sweet with the standard boozy, bourbon notes. Very little vanilla, tons of smoke and char almost ashy charcoal taste that is a certain downer. Finish is dry and bittersweet. I get some pecan or walnut as well and some sweet finish.

M - Very oily and slick, heavy body almost no carbonation

O - This is a nice stout, certainly some complexity but the ashiness really takes points away from the overall experience.

Tried from Can on 17 Feb 2013 at 20:21


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

Bottle. Black colour with a tan head. Aroma is oak, vanilla, whiskey, coffee. Flavour is oak, vanilla, whiskey, coffee, chocolate. Very nice beer.

Tried from Bottle on 01 Jan 2013 at 01:07