Matryoshka (Congo, Brazil, and Guatemala Vanilla Beans)
Fort George Brewery + Public House

 

Thanks to snaotheus for this one.
Ebony pour with a proud3 fingers of mocha head. Great retention and clumpy lacing.
Nose is bright and warm with vanilla. I do not tend to appreciate a heavy vanilla nose, or flavor, but this is quite tempting in its delivery. Also picking up some cocoa, caramel, molasses, and lightly charred whiskey barrel.
Flavor follows the nose, vanilla is firm. Other notes of coffee, cocoa, dates, whiskey come in but the vanilla is a diva. I think she is trying to really monopolize the spotlight.
Mouthfeel is chewy enough and the finish is gently warm.
Overall, this hits a lot of solid notes but the strength of the vanilla in the flavor does overwhelm a bit. Not bad, and definitely a vanilla lover's dream come true.

550ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger foamy dark khaki head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- aroma is a showcase of vanilla; fresh vanilla beans that give off a marshmallow creamy aroma, vanilla extract, there's even a bit of a floral note popping through. Underneath the vanilla are notes of chocolate, charred malt, brownie batter & molasses. As it warms, some oaky bourbon barrel emerges

T- as with aroma, flavor opens with a wave of fresh vanilla, followed by creamy marshmallow. Mid-palate tastes just like a tootsie roll, giving it s candy-like note. The finish brings out the barrel, which gets stronger as it warms. The barrel adds booze, barrel juice and oak. Lingers of vanilla and bourbon

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a slightly warming finish

O- a fantastic vanilla showcase, well done

Good head production and decent retention. Brew is almost imposingly dark.

Aroma is fantastic, and definitely grew on me over time. Features a ton of vanilla, but not so much that it doesn't completely wash out the whiskey or the base stout, with additional notes of corn, booze, toast, honeycomb, molasses, and raisin.

Flavor can't quite live up to the nose, although that's no significant shortcoming. It's still quite delicious. While the vanilla is prominently featured, followed closely by whiskey, there are wonderfully complex stout notes mixing together in the background as you let the sip develop, implying notes of chewy caramel candy, toast, and toffee along with dark fruit and nuts.