Joy Ride
The Bruery

So certainly we talk about subjectivity when reviewing beer styles we like or don't like. But what about candy bars? Should my affinity for Almond Joy (TM) be brought up? This guy likes coconut and chocolate ya know?

Bruery unleashes yet another massive barrel aged stout with adjuncts, this time a 15% abv bourbon barrel aged coconut stout. It pours black, also poured into a Sierra Nevada beer camp taster glass. Light beige head 2/5" deep when scaled. The aroma is mostly cocoa and coconut. The bourbon aspect is a distant third, at best. Almonds, yeah not here.

The taste is enjoyable, which is a tough thing to do at 15%. Mouthfeel without a burn, I can dig it. Bourbon stays light yet more prominent as you get downbottle with a slight warming to it. There's a little bit sweetness, but its within my range of preference and definitely helps in the mouthfeel department. Its actually a really big beer that you can drink a good amount of, its not one of those "oh I love this but it gets tiresome after 3oz" kind of beer.

2020 vintage

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky two fingers of tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of coconut, almonds, and chocolate with some bourbon barrels. It's pretty sweet on the nose and smells like a candy bar.
T: Taste is lactose sweetness, caramel, vanilla, coconut, oak, chocolate, almonds, and some slight roasted malts. On the finish there's more sweetness, bourbon barrels, coconut, almonds, chocolate, and roasted malts with a touch of char and smoke at the very end.
M: This beer has a body which is on the heavier side of medium with a slightly creamy feel on the palate. Carbonation is adequate for the style while the beer has a drying finish due to the high ABV.
O: Overall this is really nice. Great flavors and a really nice amount of complexity. All the adjuncts and the barrel treatment hide a bit from the base beer, but it's still able to provide some nice notes.

750ml bottle poured into a snifter

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

S- chocolate and booze on the nose up front, followed by some oaky bourbon barrel. Undertones of faint coconut and almond.

T- strong barrel character initially with bold notes of barrel juice and oak. Mid-palate gives notes of chocolate with a hint of almond popping through. The finish gives some creamy coconut sweetness, with more chocolate and bourbon barrel on the linger

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

 

Pours an inky near black, ruby edges, light collar of tan head with light lacing, a bit surprising given the ABV. Off the bat, nose is soy sauce, oak, bourbon, leather, char, campfire - all typical of BA Bruery stouts; no coconut initially. As it warms, licorice and booze come forward, but no sign of coconut. Taste has notes of molasses, burnt sugar, salt, black licorice (presumably from the barrel), and bourbon notes. Nothing suggests an Almond Joy save the label. Mouthfeel is very full and thick but with some prickly carbonation. Nothing bad per se about the beer, but it is pretty forgettable and a fails to reflect it's purported flavor profile.

750 mL bottle into snifter

Super tasty BBA stout, but the added ingredients to make this an ‘almond joy’ don’t really stand out. Hints of coconut, anise. But the big, oaky, toasty aspects Bruery big stouts are known for kinda rule the flavor profile. Still, yummy beverage..