Matryoshka (Vanilla and Ginger)
Fort George Brewery + Public House

A 12 ounce draft pour into a tulip glass.

Look- Black, opaque, medium dark brown creamy head, average head retention, below average lacing.

Smell- Vanilla, bourbon, ginger, cacao, coffee, high strength of scent.

Taste- Bourbon, vanilla, ginger, chocolate, coffee, moderately bitter, mildly sweet, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full body, average carbonation, smooth, moderately bitter, mildly sweet, moderately mouth warming, mildly mouth coating, moderately spicy.

Overall- Black and opaque makes for a nice appearance. Bouquet and flavor were both high in strength with plenty of vanilla, bourbon and ginger character. Feel was slightly less than full body and the mouth coating could have been greater, but other than that the feel was very good. Overall this was an outstanding drinking experience. I can’t wait to try the base beer and other variants.

 

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a thin dark khaki head with that dissipates quickly leaving minimal lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, vanilla, mild whiskey and ginger; a brief whiff of intense chocolate on opening, but not much in the glass. Flavor is dark toasted malt, vanilla, ginger, whiskey a touch of milk chocolate. Finishes with vanilla and ginger with some ginger heat then morphing onto lingering cocoa and ginger. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. Another winner from Fort George. I wasn't sure what to expect from the ginger, but it's such an intense flavor it seemed likely to be unbalancing. The ginger is a major component of the flavor, but it is medieated nicely by the vanilla and mild chocolate notes. I think the excellent bast RIS malt can support almost anything. I really think this came together beautifully and may be one of my favorite variants, a very high bar. Kinda fizzy and no head, but carbonation is fine in the taste.