Matryoshka (Vanilla Bean, Cocoa, Cinnamon & Pistachios)
Fort George Brewery + Public House

Fobab 2025.

 

Very good but not as good as previous versions and variants that I've tried. The beer is still black, fairly viscous, and the nose and palate offer nice layers of vanilla, cinnamon, and cacao nibs/chocolate. The pistachios aren't really there, but there seems to be a generic nuttiness to the flavors. Thick body, rich and sweet.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very fizzy, very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass a thin khaki head that fizzes and disappears completely with only a ring of sparse bubbles around the glass. Aroma of dark toasted malt, vanilla, light cocoa and hints of cinnamon. Flavor is semi-sweet, dark toaste malt, chocolate milk, vanilla, light cinnamon and hints of bourbon and pistachios. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and sharp carbonation. This one made me a bit nervous; while not a gusher, after opening it, but the time I got a glass over to the bottle, it was slowly overflowing. The fizziness continued, quickly dissipating the head, but leaving sufficient carbonation. This version is hands-down a dessert stout, fairly sweet on the edge of cloying and tons of vanilla with chocolate. The cinnamon is in the background, which is a good choice this flavorful, but pungent spice. The pistachios, sadly, where buried in the other flavors and I probably wouldn't have noticed them if I wasn't looking. Bourbon barrel notes are minor. Kinda busy one, but it's an entertaining and deep bodied vanilla and chocolate sweet stout.