Fayston Maple Imperial Stout - Chocolate Tart Cherry
Lawson's Finest Liquids

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like roasted malt, dark chocolate, smoke, dried black cherry, and vanilla.

This is a pretty solid use of cherry - it often comes across too sweet or cough syrup-esque. It’s not here - it’s sort of like dried fruit or fruit leather instead. There’s a nice sweet and creamy cocoa flavor, with a big roasty European-style malt backbone, whit licorice and some light smoke.

This is medium bodied, creamy, but a little bitter on the end, in a good way.

I think this particular variant would be great in some sort of battle, maybe apple brandy.

This 3 year old bottle aged beautifully, and was a hit at a recent tasting!

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Vermont Brewers Festival

huge thanks to my brother for scoring this one for us to drink together, its amazing stuff, really incredible depth of flavor here, intense maple, and a smooth mellow feel that shows almost no signs at all of its alcohol strength. im pretty sure this is the first fayston variant i have had not to be aged in a barrel of some kind, and frankly, as much as i love those beers, it really doesnt need it. there is amazing grain complexity to this, hints of coffee, char, and dark cocoa, even before the chocolate element added in, and the body is silk, just sensuous going down. the chocolate and cherry additions here are really cool. i was skeptical that they might usurp or obscure the maple, and i wasnt willing to give that up, but they dont, they just enhance it in really unique ways. the chocolate part is obvious, it adds some nice needed bitterness that not only softens the intense maple sweetness, but also works so well with the dark malts this beer is built upon. a nice earthy richness is in play here. the cherry is somewhat subtle, but there is just a little bit of a fruity acidic tang that cuts through some of the malt and maple heft, making this almost too drinkable for something we want to savor. the cherry comes in waves and flashes, from sweet to tart from beginning to end, climaxing around the same time as the maple. i get a linger of dark amber maple syrup, medicinal cherry, and bitter black coffee, and it stays on my palate for a long time. super complex and delicious beer, makes me think about other fruits that might work in here and i somehow keep thinking of peaches. impressive stuff, a treat to share with my brother! one of the highlights of a very beery summer!

 

 

Can't say enough good things about this superior stout. Chocolate and cherry taste, blended with subtlety and balance. (The Black Forest Cake of Stouts?) Rich, full-bodied, and at a sturdy 10.1% abv, no hint of booziness from start to finish. GET SOME!

 

L- The beer pours a dark brown to black with a modest half finger of mocha foam. The head recedes to a thin ring with large central island. Lacing is minimal.
S-The nose is roast mixed with dark chocolate up front. With some gentle swirling the tart cherry comes to the fore.
T-Like the nose the first thing I notice is the roast and chocolate. Midway before the chocolate and roast fade away the tart cherry rises up and takes over and lingers to the end of the sip. Really nice job here.
F-Mouthfeel overall is a solid medium. Not heavy by any means, but thick enough to enhance the flavors to linger on the tongue. Carbonation is light but far from still.
O- A really well done fruit addition highlights the base beer rather than overshadowing it. I didn't get any maple here, but I didn't miss it either. If you like tart cherries and imperial stouts this is definitely worth your time. Recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

L - pitch black with quite a creamy-looking head. Great fluff, retention, and just all around looks like a Starbucks latte.

S - nutty toffee coffee. Walnuts and brown sugar, laced in dark cherry juice. Mocha cappuccino soft serve ice cream with maraschino cherry on top. Hints of tree bark and smoke. Bacon?

T - dark red cherry backbone; it's the foundation of this entire beer. Quite nutty with notes of peanut butter, pecan, and almond. The cherry sours a bit as my sip progresses, leading way to maple and dark burnt chocolate. Milk chocolate bar and some wood is present to add complexity. Finish is a touch sweet and sticky.

F - much better than OG Fayston. Creamy and viscous without being too thick. Low carbonation and feels like a decked-out disgusting coffee shop drink. That's a good thing.

O - overall better than the base beer. I'm not sure it's just the cherry, but this beer features fuller body, more depth of flavor, and a stronger foundation to the entire structure. The mild tartness of the cherry sucks out any overly sweet flavors and adds a lip-smacking irresistability.