The Devil is in the Details
Fort George Brewery + Public House

The Devil is very black, with a mild head. The smell is vanilla with some cinnamon, and roastiness. The taste is similar. There is a lot of vanilla, a lot. There's spicy pepper in the finish, not too much for me, as I like chiles. It's just a bit sweet. Overall, it's an unusual combination of flavors that don't mesh well to me. It's an interesting try, but it doesn't quite work in practice.

On tap at Reuben's Taproom in Seattle in April 2022, and then I had a bottle a month later. My impressions were similar both ways.

 

Bottle Date: 2020
Palate Contaminants: other beer

Color is almost black. Not much head, despite a fairly vigorous pour.

Smell has a lot of black licorice. Peated whisky, too. There is a little rum sugar in the background, although it's pretty faint. There's a little vanilla once it warms.

Lots more vanilla in the taste, as much as I've ever come across. There's also a bit of chili spice heat in it. Those help keep charred barrel from being the main taste, not that that flavor is overdone here. Peated whisky is still there, but I should maybe give it credit for tasting like... peated bourbon? That's just strange. Cinnamon and basil are in there, too. Such a weird combination of flavors, yet it ain't half bad.

Notable heat in the feel. Sorghum flavor shows up with the charred barrel in the aftertaste. Carbonation is present, although with everything else, it almost seems moot. Medium-heavy for the type. Sweetness hangs around.

 

 

L: Look is pitch black but something tells me it’s still brown. A finger of dark espresso cream fades quickly to a narry ring and wisp of a cap. Lace is temporary.

S: Serious hot cocoa, very rich, vanilla, and with subtler notes of cinnamon, chilli, and sweet cream. Very slightest booze after 6 more months bottle aging.

T: The taste though leaves me wanting. There most definitely are chilis in this as they warm the throat right up immediately. Not overdone on the palate though. Everything else fades too quickly. Almost bland otherwise.

F: Kind of buttery, but thin and carbonated like cola. Too bad.

O: Great complex nose, but does not impress beyond that. The Matryoshka’s I’ve had are far superior IMO.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. ours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a half finger dark khaki head that dissipates slowly to a thick film, with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, molasses, cocoa, light coffee and bourbon, a bit boozy. Flavor is dark toasted malt, molasses, vanilla, bourbon, light cocoa, green pepper and coffee with pepper hotness developing into a bourbony malt finish with lingering hot pepper. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I wasn't sure what spicing to expect from this, and kinda thought it might be cinnamon. From the name, I should have expected some pepper hotness and that's the 'spice' they used. There is a little green pepper botanical flavor right away, but the hot pepper spiciness does not appear until the finish. It's lightly done and well balanced with the malt and bourbon flavors, although the bourbon may mask a little of it. A flavorful, well made pepper stout, dark and devilish.