I have been looking forward to trying this beer and tonight seems like the perfect night. I took a few days off from work, so I am starting a long weekend. This is my celebration beer!
Pours a dark black color with a very thin milky dark tan head. The head on this beer is mostly seen around the edges of the glass with just a thin swirl of tan foam floating in the middle. Lacing is good and seems heavy with almost an oiliness to it.
Aroma is over the top amazing. So much going on here, but in a really good way. I am getting chocolate, molasses, bourbon, and oak with a bit of alcohol mixed in.
Taste is unreal. Everything I was hoping this would be! It melts in your mouth. This beer is so smooth it is like drinking silk. I am getting so many different flavors it is hard to know where to start. Chocolate, molasses, coffee and all strong upfront. On the backend I am getting a nice oak, bourbon, and even a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel is like nothing I have ever experienced in a beer. Silky smooth, heavy and creamy, but very drinkable.
Overall I am going to step out on a limb and say that this may be the best beer I have ever had. I am really impressed with the mouthfeel as well as the aroma and flavor. Everything about this beer works together in perfect harmony. I am glad I finally tried it!
Aroma: Very, very complex in the very best way. First is a coffee, but an exotic blend, then a deep rich molasses, and a little whiskey fire.
1st Taste: Soft, extremely full, burnt brown sugar, and bourban.
Overall: You know this is a big beer. Costs a ton, aged a year, and as Van Halen says "everybody wants some.", and after this first tasting session I know why. It's statement of the obvious to say this brew has a huge personality. There's a a ton flavors that float around in the background...vanilla, oak, cocoa, oatmeal...go on and on. The sweetness doesn't seem to be malt, but from any of dozens of dark fruits and brown sugar variations. It's presence in the mouth is almost 3D, creamy and oily. And if you like the taste of whiskey fire, buddy this is your beer. Some might argue it's not the best brew in America, I think it's in the running. And, it shows the strength of the mid-west's emerging dominace of the whiskey barrel aged brews.
Poured into my snifter opaque, dark as midnight. Foam was brown and thick with a little less than average retention. Lacing was small but blotchy.
Aroma is layered like a birthday cake. Espresso, chocolate (cocoa nibs), oak, burnt...my poor ability to put this into words does not do it justice. A touch of alcohol.
Taste brings a ton of satisfaction to the buds. Chocolate, burnt molasses, coffee/espresso, oak, bourbon, vanilla, and licorice. There is some many layers and complexities that each sip brings an explosion of experiences.
Thick, heavy, and creamy body that feels like a meal. Carbonation is mild at best. Alcohol burns the nose hairs.
Big, bold, and beautiful. There is a little heat on the way down but I don't know if that distracts from the overall pleasure of the beer. I couldn't have more than one at a time but I could be gratified with this liquid wonder every time I partook. Enjoy!
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." - Frank Zappa