Black Tuesday - Stacks Reserve - Maple
The Bruery

Review: 2421
Name: Black Tuesday Maple Stacks Reserve
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Double Barrel-aged imperial stout
ABV: 20.9%
Canned: 09 October 2024. The Date is hard to decipher.
Date: 04 June 2025
I bought the twelve-pack of Stacks Reserve; thus far, they have been good, a bit high on the ABV. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy, foamy, half-fingered head with dismal retention. The color is SRM 38, inky black with dark reddish-brown hues and opaque. The appearance is average, and I was not expecting much head retention because of the high ABV.
Nosing the glass, I smell dark chocolate, big bourbon notes, oak, char, coffee, maple, molasses, anise, raisins, caramel, vanilla, and leather. Smelling the beer again, I notice smoke, Maillard, char, dark roasted malts, malty sweetness, and dark stone fruits.
Sipping the beer, I was not surprised to taste the massive presence of bourbon barrels, with its oak, char, and light smoke notes. The malt profile is immense, with notes of roasted malts, bread, caramel, chocolate, coffee, malty sweetness, and treacle. I also taste light Maillard, char, soy sauce, leather, a skosh of tobacco, maple, anise, and vanilla.
The mouthfeel is a coating, slick and chewy, finishing somewhat warm (duh, it is 20% abv. The body is heavy and has low carbonation.
Final Thought: I am surprised the maple could weasel its way to making a presence in this heavy barrel and malty beer. Beers with this high of horsepower are best left for a nightcap. Considering it is Moring, I feel like a rebel. Another solid offering from The Bruery.

2024 vintage courtesy of @roguer

Pours black with a thin, minimal head that quickly turns into an off-white ring of bubbles. No lacing. Nose is boozy (oak barrel and bourbon), maple, brown sugar, some vanilla and smoke. Taste follows much of the nose with prominent oak and whiskey notes, maple sweetness and campfire smokiness. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, syrupy, almost oily slickness. Gastric warming. Finish is spirit-worthy, heavy bourbon, some smokiness and wraps up with some lingering maple sweetness (overall finish reminds me a lot of Knob Creek's Smoked Maple for perspective).

12.7 ounce bottle, 2024 edition, looks like it says bottled 10/09/24. Served in a Bruery Hoarders Society chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head that didn't stay around for too long. Small amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells mostly like maple along with some roasted malt, vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate and some bourbon. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some molasses, oak, burnt/charred malt and dark bready flavors noticeable too. The maple stands out here but doesn't overpower the other flavors either. It's sweet tasting but not as sweet as I was expecting it to be. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a little syrupy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this one a lot, would have been interesting to drink this side by side with the Maple Shortstacks. Certainly worth trying if you get the chance!