Port Barrel Aged Max Stout
Vintage Brewing Co.

 

 

 

On tap at Vintage Brewing Co., in Madison, Wisconsin. Served in a snifter glass. Body is dark brown, almost black, one finger brown head with good staying power, nice retention and splotchy lacing. Thin brown film. Smells of dark fruit, graham crackers, oak, Belgian dark chocolate, a bit of cocoa. The fruity aspect is fairly extensive. Flavour melds things together fairly well; dark fruit, port, oak, chocolate, graham crackers, a bit of vanilla. There's a lot going on here. I think there is just the right amount of port character to make this a different drinking experience than the base beer but without being too overpowering. Mouthfeel is medium-fuller bodied, creamy, good consistency, a bit of a sipper. Minimal warming heat. Overall, a good port-barrel aged imperial stout that delivers as advertised, without making a mess of things. It's nicely balanced with plenty of flavour and complexity.

 

I have enjoyed Max Stout as well as a few different barrel aged variants of it I have tried over the years. This rendition was also good and the wine barrels were a nice departure from what starts to be an overwhelming amount of bourbon barrel stouts that are out there.