Rocky Mountain Barrel-Aged T.O.R.I.S. the Tyrant
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

25cl can from Tavour. Thick, black pour with a ring of beige head. Sharp, strong boozy aroma. Taste is chocolate, roast, sweet, anise, syrupy. Finishes bitter.

 

 

 

Another random tiny can grab from the set. Some commonality with DORIS I had last week but this is a good deal better. The intensely bitter bakers chocolate is here but there is a welcome Tootsie roll note to take the edge off. Some cherry here but it's kind of jammy rather than bitter and it's joined by a hint of raisin. The whiskey is as strong but the oak and the ash aren't. I'm really liking this one.

 

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2019 vintage. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy dark brown head with good retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Very nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild pine, herbal, grass, pepper, roast, charred bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a solid roast/hop bitter/sweet and whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and super full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/slick/velvety/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 13.8%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged huge Russian imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, whiskey barrels, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; fantastic soft/silky feel for the ABV. Fantastic balance of super rich malts and bourbon barrel presence/integration; mild earthy hops and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A hihgly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example as expected. Still prefer the base beer over both BA versions, but did not disappoint!

 

 

 

Burnt oily black with a dark mahogany collar that dies off quickly to nothing but a silky surface.

This is quite potent, coming up fast on Gavel Slammer actually, as dark charred malt has an espresso and mocha liqueur character that nears molasses. Rich and thickly silky on the tongue, notes of cacao are pummeled by substantial heat as dark fruit comes out on the exhale, swallowing semi-dry and a little sticky. Dark oak and a hint of Tootsie Roll develop as it warms, with notes of Port and licorice, but it's a bit too boozy while missing more of the barrel character you'd want to come with it.