Nut Smasher (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Vietnamese )
Willoughby Brewing

2019 vintage; consumed on 12/5/2023

Pours a silky black body with active effervescence and capped with two fingers of creamy, caramel-hued foam; solid head retention yields a wavy half-finger of cap, modest, frothy collar, and the occasional chunky strand of soapy, webby lacing spread around the walls of the glass.

Aromas waft creamy peanut butter and delicate milk chocolate contrasts into a cohesive Kit-Kat sensation, with barrel elements prodding oak through a darker chocolate imbuement as the bouquet lingers.

Taste offers a robust, creamy peanut butter interplay weaving through fragrant, charry coffee, with a soft, malted milk chocolate peak kissed with a lithe bourbon touch pasg the mid-palate and leaving accents of nutty oak and dark chocolate lingering into the finish.

Mouthfeel shows a body trending on the lighter end of medium and sports a healthy spritz of fluffy, moderate-full carbonation; modest dryness engages a steady char past the mid-palate, leaving an edge of creaminess to a quiet air of roasty grit on the finish.

Peanut butter permeates unobstructed as coffee roast inspires malted intonation to tempered candy heights and trimmed of excesses via deft barrel subtext; masterful overall execution.

A - Black; Not completely opague; what you might expect from a stout

S - All of the components are there. In order of strength, peanut butter, coffee, alcohol, chocolate. The aromas are notably disjointed. They do not combine to compliment one another, but rather create a bit of a fractuted mess.

T - Same as above. Peanut butter is most dominant, then coffee with strong alcohol, and chocolate in the background. All the components are there, but it's an absolute mess of a beer.

F - Nice and thick.

O - Amateur hour. Maybe they knew it would sell to put all of those ingredients together and charge $21/bottle, but it seems to have been done thoughtlessly. Honestly one of the worst executed beers I have ever had.