5.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Taster at the brewery - black and headless - low carbonation, nearly flat - coffee and maple dominate the nose - flavor is overly sweet maple, cut by some harsh and acidic coffee character - base beer character has been washed out by the adjuncts - so far, the only iteration of this I have not enjoyed.
Tried
on 25 Feb 2018
at 22:19
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Taster at the brewery - deep black with a thick tan lace - creamy, full texture - a lot of the smoke and roast of the base beer is complimented well by moderate chocolate - orange comes out subtly in the finish - well-masked alcohol, but warming finished - quite good, like its other iterations.
Tried
on 25 Feb 2018
at 22:12
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Taster at the brewery - the barrel has done it's best the smooth out this beer - toasted oak and vanilla subdue the coffee somewhat, but its bitterness and acidity are still very much present, especially in the finish, which is still a bit rough, and now has a whiskey burn - its okay.
Tried
on 03 Feb 2018
at 00:18
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Taster at the brewery - the chocolate and peppers really add to this - smooth, full texture - nicely balanced between sweet, bitter, and spicy - dark chocolate truffle on the approach, building gradual heat before a moderately spicy finish - lingering vanilla, chocolate, lavender - this is awesome stuff.
Tried
on 03 Feb 2018
at 00:09
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Taster at the brewery - deep black - there's not a substantial difference between this and the base beer - for it's strength, is in fairly smooth and balanced, and not overly sweet - there is a vanilla and earthy charred coconut flavor that adds a nice additional depth - some smoke and espresso in the finish - good.
Tried
on 02 Feb 2018
at 23:59
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle - pours dark brown tan head - nose and taste of cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, spice and cayenne with vanilla - medium body
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2018
at 07:04
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle - marked as 13.2% - viscous black pour, with a moderate tan lace that completely dissipates - nose of toasted oak, vanilla, licorice, whiskey, brown sugar - low carbonation, slick mouthfeel - about as sweet as I expected, but with balancing roast, oak, finishing red wine-like tannins - chocolate, anise, smoke, whiskey, vanilla - warming finish - tasty stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Jan 2018
at 21:28
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Taster at the brewery - deep black pour - nose of coffee, vanilla, whiskey, dark fruit - slick mouthfeel, well-masked alcohol - just a moderate warmth through the finish - sweet, but balanced by a moderate roast and a faint acidity - licorice, espresso, dark chocolate - finish has moderate whiskey and oak, with a lingering oak, light umami qualities - quite enjoyable.
Tried
on 02 Dec 2017
at 18:50
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Taster at the brewery - deep purple color - sweet dark fruit up front, followed by moderately spicy yeast phenolics that meld with late whiskey warmth through the finish - it's on the boozy side, which is a given due to the strength, but there's enough complexity going on from the yeast to keep it from being overwhelming.
Tried
on 02 Dec 2017
at 18:20
5.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Taster at the brewer - and with a beer like this 3-4 ounces is enough - I wasn't that much of a fan of the base beer, and this one kicks up the booziness factor considerably - tastes like brown sugar, whiskey, plum, mild oxidation - very hot - the finish has a lasting burn to it - mostly tastes like whiskey, and not even good whiskey - remember when you took your first swig of whiskey that you snuck from grandpa's liquor cabinet when you were a kid? - do you remember what that tasted like to you? - this is like that.
Tried
on 02 Dec 2017
at 18:00