4
A – Pitch black, dense, oily and very serious alcohol legs in the glass. Leaves boozy fingers on the edges with little tight bubbles. Completely pitch black. No light getting through this one.
S – The aroma is probably the most bourbon forward beer I’ve ever had, especially the most whiskey I get from any Hill Farmstead beer. it’s borderline dessert wine in both booze and sweetness. there’s a distinct vanilla smell and definite chocolate cake and maybe even rum. I mean, this is boozy as all Hell just by aroma alone. You could smell liquor as soon you pop the cap.
T – A ton of fudge, red wine is here, very faint roasted qualities, some marshmallow and definite bourbon with a little liquor added in. Booze is very tame as the beer opens up. and I get no alcohol burn at the finish. It’s actually more restrained than the aroma suggested. sweetness, booze, burn are all half of what you think when first smelling it.
M – Let’s talk about that mouthfeel. It’s thin. I wasn’t expecting a lot though. I’ve learned, these hyper aged beers (think HoTD, Hill Stouts), these 2-3 year barrel aged beers have a hard time getting super carbonated. So, it’s thin, very thick. I just burped and could still taste it long after my last sip.
O – This beer needs to be split 2-3 ways. Unless you drink 15% Imperial stouts all of the time, there’s a lot here to digest. I like it a lot, some may find it to be too whiskey-forward. Time in the bottle won’t change much about the taste today. 20 months in oak just makes a beer this rich.
