Barrel-Aged Stout Of Monte Fisto (Sole Composition Series)
Upright Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

750ml, bottle #162/185. Got this from googzoid a while back. Thanks!

A: Pours a glassy black wit a nice chocolate-colored head. Great lacing.

S: Plenty of booze, chocolate chip cookie, woody bourbon, soft toffee.

T: Lots of roasted malt, balancing chocolate and caramel sweetness, lingering hop bitterness, plenty of bourbon, oaky and dry finish.

M: Thick-bodied with light carbonation.

O: Interesting stout. I can tell it used to be very hoppy. The roastiness is almost too much, but there's some nice balancing sweetness to hold it back. The bourbon is very present as well.

 

Big thanks to jedwards for continuing to share his Upright beers. Pours one shade shy of black with a quarter inch, mocha-colored head that dissipates into some clustered dollops. Nose expresses roast, as well as some ethanol notes towards the back. There's also a lactose and burnt toast character. Taste is ashy and roasty. Whiskey barrel aging is most definitely present without being overwhelming. There's also a lingering, hoppiness at the finish. Mouthfeel is medium-light with a lively carbonation - just a little too assertive for the style in my opinion. Overall, I found this beer to be somewhat closer to a Black IPA than an American Double/Imperial Stout - generally a style I don't really gravitate towards. However, I thought the whiskey barrel aging was quite good without being over the top.

The beer is almost black in color with a tan head. Really, really heavy on the roasted malt. A fair amount of charred oak with some vanilla coming through as well. Some dark chocolate/cocoa and only a mild whiskey aroma. Semi-sweet flavor with dark chocolate, roasted malt, and molasses being the main flavors. A little oak and vanilla and again, a restrained whiskey component. Not an over the top barrel aged stout, but I enjoyed it.

Reviewed from notes

Pours black, with a nice head. Roasty chocolate dominated the aroma with light whisky notes. The beer is rich in the mouth, with wood and roast balancing the sweetness well. The body is good, heavy but not sticky or cloying.

Definitely enjoyed this one, and the barrel aged version seems like a significant improvement over the standard version which didn't particularly impress me.