Executioner's Stout
The Lucky Monk

Had on tap. Very robust stout with roasted malt, rye barrel and booze, licorice, little coffee and smoke in the nose. Taste is a thinner version of the nose with the barrel undercutting the stout a bit. Good but not great, could use some nuance with barrel aging or brightness to base beer. Finishes a little perfumey and smoky

 

 

 

Served in a snifter at the brewpub.

It's great to say that for the first time, I'm drinking a beer in a commercial setting that was devised and brewed by a former co-worker. Yup, to commemorate their 200th batch, the Lucky Monk guys turned to a recipe that's won a number of homebrew contests, an imperial stout aged in a pair of Templeton rye barrels. And all from the work of my man, Scott. Right on. it pours a straight obsidian topped by about a finger or so of tan foam. The nose comprises a blast of acetone-y whiskey, molasses, roasted malts, lightly-chlorinated wood (kinda like saltwater-y cedar), and light dark chocolate. The taste generally brings in more of the same, though the whiskey is thankfully cleaner (and, please note, this doesn't mean that said whiskey is any weaker in intensity). This helps things dramatically, though I still feel the whiskey overpowers things a bit. The body is a hefty medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a solid beer, but I feel the barrel-aging employed here significantly takes away from the base. That said, it isn't all bad and drinks pretty nicely.