7th District Willettized
Lagunitas Brewing Company

a special edition of this beer done only at the seattle brewery i believe. i think the base stout is a bit different, lighter in terms of abv, but with quite a lot of grain nuance, they did a few special waxed bottles of this and its variants, really neat little run of beers, although unfortunately a little less than full fresh by the time i opened mine. looks dense but not overly viscous, shiny and near black, molasses toned with dark brown patchy head on it and some legs, heavy color. the nose is a little oxidized, fading coffee, light smoke and char, a little burnt thing to the low end of the grain, hints of brown sugar, tobacco, and toffee too, a sweet middle it seems, minerals, oak, and slightly hot whiskey, could be some oats in here too, i wish it was fresher. the flavor agrees, a coffee thing, but also a slightly stale thing, not green pepper, but like a little dullness and definitely more bitterness than it needs, even though its also a little sweet. i found this with the almond joy variant i have had as well, although less so from the keg than the bottle. nice roast profile, definite dark chocolate and cooked sugar character to this, a little less refined overall than the more famous willettized, but its neat that they did some of their own at seattle. maybe the bourbon isnt quite as mellow, it seems a little harsh on the alcohol side, even though the flavor is great, vanilla and toffee to me. neat project, i didnt catch it at its best i dont think, but the seattle brewery was cooler than it ever got credit for being, some epic beers produced in there...

On tap at the source in Seattle. This is the BA version w/ caffe vita coffee and vanilla. Inky black with minimal khaki head leaving a ring of bubbles. Nose is roasty malt and coffee with a hint of vanilla. Taste follows with a slight bitterness lingering on the finish. Not as full flavored as Willittized Coffee Stout.