Bourbon Barrel Aged Espresso Stout
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

CL Espresso Stout aged in Tuthilltown Whiskey barrels, 14 gallons produced total.

Draught into a pilsner-flute-type glass at Blue Hill @ Stone Barns. No idea that this even existed, what a fantastic surprise. Served too cold (40 degrees or a bit warmer) but allowed to warm up significantly before I dug in.

Pours black, opaque, thin, fluffy tan head on top. Head was nice and persistent, there appeared to be some nice nucleation points at the bottom of the glass that kept it around. There were actually some coffee grounds in the bottom of the glass, which was actually kind of cool.

Nose was bourbony; spicy, with notes of brown sugar and even cinnamon, with whatever espresso notes were there wrapped up and soaked through with bourbon to create a complex melding of coffee and whiskey that ends up smelling like neither and both, really. Some clean, berry like notes as well underneath.

Taste was great. Bourbon didn't overwhelm at all. Completely changed the nature of the flavor, but not by overwhelming them - very integrated. Notes of bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla up front give way to very dry roasty espresso notes, though the espresso never breaks free from the bourbon to set itself clearly on its own. Some ultra-dark cocoa sits down underneath, and the very dry finish incorporates more roasty and spicy brown sugar notes with an exhale that hints at bourbon as well as coffee. Really nice, only beer that I've had that was at all similar was KBS '09, and I think this one may have surpassed in terms of flavor integration, and drinkability for sure. A fantastic surprise.

Mouthfeel was crusp but medium-full in body, nice carbonation that livens things up but doesn't overwhelm, and a lot of lingering dryness throughout.

Drinkability - surprisingly fantastic actually. Taste subtle yet very enjoyable, not at all overwhelming and very well integrated. A great treat.