Once Upon A Time In Denmark… - Breakfast Stout
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

I hope this is not as sweet as the last one.
Pours inky thick pitch black stains the glass, no lacing

Nose is strong, lots of barrel character, vanilla and bourbon barrel juice, rich roasted coffee, baking spices, lots of dark chocolate, cocoa, choc ganache, fudgey, roasted malts, tons of chocolate layers

Taste brings lots more thick heavy chocolate, fudge, cocoa, dark chocolate and ganache, some chocolate milk and hot cocoa, creamy lactose, some baking spices, into roasted malts and some med to darker roasted coffee, fair barrel, vanilla oak and vanilla pudding, mild bourbon notes, a bit of bitterness, smooth alcohol, more coffee as it warms, as well as more layers of creamy chocolate, semi sweet finish

Mouth is heavy bod, thick chewy like but also very creamy and lush, mild smooth alcohol, lower but normal carb

Overall this was quite nice, so much better than the last Once Upon a Time In Denmark that was super sweet and pastry like, this was a bit sweet but balanced, great malts and chocolate, good coffee and roast, nice barrel, enjoyable and more of what I expect from Hill

500ml bottle, dated May 26, 2022, poured into a stemless wine glass. Enjoyed on 01.15.2024, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer poured a thick, sludgy, jet black color, viscous with no head nor lacing. The aroma is nice, delicate fruity coffee, rich chocolate, toffee and caramel, hot barrel, charred oak, warm spirit, sweet vanilla. The flavors are good, chocolate and marshmallow, cinnamon, earthy coffee roast, acidic fruity coffee, stone fruits, raisin, earthy oak, char, hot spirit. The mouthfeel is good, coating, super thick, sludge, low carbonation, chewy with a warm finish.

Verdict: A nice barrel aged coffee stout from Hill Farmstead. Super barrel forward, quite hot which detracts a bit from the more delicate nature of the coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to CSull for this 500ML bottle, the third & last that plunked on my concrete doorstep a few months back.

Black. Microscopic bubbles vaguely shaped like Alaska even on a hard, no-glass pour. The nose is tame; gentle, uninspiring chocolate.

Once Upon A Time In Denmark – Breakfast Stout is another well-constructed, safe barrel-aged stout. No Nirvana or Beastie Boys or Beatles here. There’s bourbon that I feel is now a part of the DNA of my sternum, phlegm-thickening lactose, a bushel of sweetness, with only a twinge of roast on the end that fails to cut it in any meaningful way. Splitting this might have been a better choice.

Good, solid stout in a world that’s brimming with them. What a time to be alive.

This is a super complex beer, with all of its additional ingredients (and the barrel) making their presence known. Lots of coffee, sweetness from the bourbon and the nice thickness of the lactose rounds everything up. What a fun beer.

L -- Appropriately looks like cold brew in the glass with no head and fairly low viscocity
S -- Espresso, ancho chili, roasty malts, oak, brown sugar, and a hint of bourbon heat
T -- Like the aroma, the espresso character is front and center here and does (for better or worse) overshadow the softer notes of vanilla, maple, and oaky bourbon barrel. The bourbon itself is also quite noticeable, but it melds with the sharp espresso notes in a way that makes it hard to differentiate the two. Quite sweet
F -- Has that characteristic Hill Farmstead thinness that reflects their "older school" approach to stout crafting. Works well here with the coffee-heavy flavors
O -- One of the most coffee-forward coffee stouts I've had. I dig it

78/100

Poured from the 500 ml bottle into then test glass.
A - The darkest brown there is, with a thin tan ring, evidence of determined carbonation.
S - Coffee elements are blackerry, dark cherry. Then roast malt, fudgy dak chocolate. Barrel notes are vanilla, burnt brown sugar. a touch of char.
T - Here the barrel treatment is forward, but the coffee aspect is up to the challenge. Bakers chocolate, again the berry aspect ( Irish Ale yeast ?) Vanilla, strikes a pose, and the bourbon reponds.
M - Thick and creamy, hefty on the palate, with an alcohol exhale after each sip. This is very desserty. A sweet start, with a nice downshift towards a dry boozy finish.
O - A masterpiece, Big , bold, and quite a treat

 

 

Bottle. Black color, little head.

Coffee, chocolate, fudge, coffee, roast, bourbon char, wet oak, dark fruits, tannins. Borderline maple.

Smooth, warming, easy drinking for how big it is. Approachable and well done.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a tiny head, and not much lacing.

This smells like some sort of high quality French vanilla latte – with sweet coffee, creamy vanilla, some slick lactose, and tons of mocha like aromas.

The lactose completely smooths this thing over – making it wonderfully creamy. This almost feels more chocolatey than coffee forward – perhaps the coffee used was quite chocolatey/caramelly.

This is extremely creamy and drinkable, with a smooth and not boozy at all feel.

This is was quite luxurious and super velvety. I enjoyed it a lot.