Cabernet Barrel-Aged Laika Stout
Straight To Ale

 

This is another version of their base Laika beer, but this one was dominated by the cabernet flavor. Maybe age it for less time (can't believe I'm saying that!) and see if you can strike a better balance? It's still good because the base beer is good, but it's not the best version of this series.

 

 

 

 

1-5

Pours black with a quickly dissipating khaki head.
The aroma is red wine dominated with some cocoa powder roast and a fusely alcohol. The flavor is juicy dark fruits, cinnamon, oak, with a great base stout. The chocolate and roast play perfectly behind the big wine barrel notes. The finish is sweet dark chocolate with a warming booziness. It's a delicious stout with a coating mouthfeel. It's not as good as the bourbon, but it's outstanding.

 

 

What a terrific offering!

The barrel is definitely prevalent in this beer both in the aroma and flavor... Big heavy red wine barrel aroma mingled with deep dark chocolate and that dark roasted malt... Fairly decent booze hits here and there...

Very interesting... My first red wine barrel aged stout and I'm digging it...

That grape is definitely coming through big time here... Not in a cloying manner, but rather as a partner to the sheer beauty of the base beer which I feel is one of the more underrated stouts on the market.. I have a bottle of the Bourbon Barrel in the fridge out in the garage which I'm also looking forward to.

Loving this beer...

 

Draft pour at the brewery.

Highly enjoyable brew with a rich, full feel. Drinks about midway between roasty and sweet, a nice balance really and it has some distinct barrel character and some dark fruit flavors and tannins that must be the cabernet. I didn't catch an ABV but this drank like a 7-8% stout and showed no heat. Very nice.

22oz bottle poured into a snifter
2013 Batch 1

A- pours a thick and viscous jet black color with one of the darkest brown heads that I've ever seen, that eventually reduces to a ring around the edge of the glass

S- aroma is bursting with barrel notes, vinous red wine, grape-skin and wet oak bring aromas reminiscent of sherry, cherry & black currants. Undertones of milk chocolate, caramel, molasses, fudge & earthy wood

T- as with the aroma, plenty of barrel flavors come through up front; vinous red wine notes throughout even add a bit of tartness. Plenty of oak as well, along with notes of sherry, black cherry, blackberries and currant. Mid-palate brings some dark chocolate, fig & plumb. The finish gives more black currant/dark fruit, with a linger of oaky red wine

M- thick body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that turns into a velvety smooth finish, abv has mellowed out brilliantly, a hint of chalky linger

O- this is perhaps the best red wine barrel stout I've had, as the barrel notes are prominent but overpowering, a wonderful combination with the dark chocolate/roast of the base beer

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance – The beer was dark with mocha bubbles crowning the glass.

Smell – The nose was grapey, with hints of malt

Taste – My initial impression is grape skin, cigar smoke, tobacco, and syrupy chocolate. The chocolate goes dry toward the back.

Mouthfeel – The feel allowed the grape skin to cling to the roof of the mouth. Nice.

Overall – Of the Laikas, this is my favorite

 

Really great BA stout.

Not much else to add to it. Looks great, smells and tastes amazing, and has a greta mouth feel.

Great, slightly burnt chocolate and coffee flavor, accompanied by a perfect amount of wine notes.

Try this if you can get some...

Really good, I do not get any wine barrel flavor though, taste like a typical Russian Imperial Stout. Not that it is a bad thing as I get the chocolate flavor from this beer.

 

 

No label information. Cabernet Barrel Aged Laika is brewed in the style of a Russian Imperial Stout aged in wine barrels. Available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a snifter glass.

(Appearance) Pours a rich dark chocolate brown head of a crisp foamy consistency over a black body with no trace visibility. Retention is below average and lacing is light and spotty. 3.75

(Smell) Roasted barley, toasted chocolate and caramel, lightly toasted oak, subtle alcohol. Potency is modest. 4

(Taste) Roasted barley malt, toasted chocolate and caramel syrups, lightly accented with a soft drying oak, hearty dark fruit undertones and lightly tangy vinous red wine finish along with notes of rich burnt chocolate and moderate roast. 4.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is silky, slick, moderately chewy, medium dry. Carbonation is modest, generating a medium frothiness and a mildly crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, heavy overall. Balance is earthy roast and sweet slightly over subtle booze and drying oak. Alcohol presence is moderate and there are no off characters. 4

(Overall) Not having yet tried the base recipe, I'm wholly satisfied with this version of the Imperial Stout, and find the malt build satisfactorily rich and flavorful, a solid compliment for the softer, but ever present oak and subtleties of wine barrel aging, which contribute hues of soft acidic fruits for a deep balance. Looking forward to the Bourbon variant, although Cabernet is a bit more uncommon and the one I'd recommend picking up for a unique barrel aging experience. Plus, it's pretty damned tasty. 4.25

Straight To Ale's
Cabernet Barrel Aged Laika Russian Imperial Stout
4.24/5.00

 

 

 

 

 

Got this one from Halo4one a while back. Cheers!

From a bomber into a snifter

APPEARANCE: A thick black pour yields a big, 3+ finger, medium-thick, creamy looking, dark tan head with excellent retention. Jet black body with no real carbonation evident. Perhaps even a touch darker than the original. Head fades to a thick cap but leaves no lacing on the glass. A splotchy wisp remains until the end leaving lots of lacing down the glass. Huge head on this one, but pretty good looking overall.

SMELL: Big nose here with oak, cabernet, port and red wine, grapes, vanilla, milk chocolate and cherry aromas on the nose. Really nice wine barrel here. Bold and definitely enticing.

TASTE: Red wine, port, oak and grapes up front. Flavorful for sure. Boozy too, with a decent shot of wine and alcohol at the swallow. Big and boozy finish of wood, wine, port, grapes, milk chocolate and sweet vanilla lingering on the palate. Some good pure chocolatey bitterness and a touch of burnt malts from the base beer play a role as well. Lots of flavor and a decadent barrel presence here. Really good.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Not quite as creamy as others, a little prickly on the palate, goes down fine with a bit of a burn and finishes sticky. Some heat lingers. As it sits, the prickly feel calms and it gets a little smoother.

OVERALL: This is definitely the best of the three beer set. Very, very good stuff. The look is good across the board on these beers, but this one has the most decadent barrel character and the base stout plays a quality supporting role as well. The feel could be a little creamier and smoother perhaps, but that’s a minor issue. Excellent stuff and worth checking out if you get the chance. Thanks again Halo4one. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

Poured into a snifter. Almost jet black and viscous on the pour. A modest dark tan head developed that quickly disappeared but left some wispy foam behind. On the first whiff, I smelled the cabernet first, with cherries and dark fruit. This was followed by oak, vanilla, chocolate, and roasted malt. The taste was interesting as expected. I tasted chocolate-covered cherries at first, with oak, vanilla, chocolate and a less sour/more cabernet flavor as it warmed. A nice warming and the 12% ABV was well-hidden. Overall, a great offering but I prefer their BA version.

Poured cold into a goblet type glass; vintage 2015.
Look = 4.25 Pours a dark black with 1 finger of dark brown head that fades to a ring, good lace.
Aroma = 4.5 Milk chocolate is the dominate aroma highlighted with a subtle fruitiness; the cabernet comes through nicely in the nose.
Taste = Roasty notes mostly from the stout with a boozy finish. Mild fruity notes with some chocolate and coffee. Moderately bitter finish but overall not an exceptional taste.
Feel = 3.5 Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation; smooth feel but not creamy. Too thin.
Drinkability = 3.75
Overall = 3.975 Solid look and aroma but lacking somewhat in taste and mouthfeel, overall not a terrible or a great stout. The cabernet comes through in both the aroma and taste.

 

Enjoyed this one thanks to @richj1970.
Poured into a STA snifter #properglassware, also thanks to Rich.
Poured a nice deep dark black color with two fingers of a mocha colored head.
Nose...wasn't an imperial stout and didn't detect any of the wine...sort of a unique nose. Though to be fair, I've never had a Cab BA stout before.
It could have been a bad bottle or maybe my newness to the barrel characteristics (though living 30 minutes from grade-A wine country, I've had my share of big, bold Cab's) but this one was a miss for me.
I love the BBA Laika, so I had high hopes for this one. Enjoyable, just didn't live up to the BBA version.