Gargoyle Love Song (2017)
Clown Shoes

 

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 11/17/2017. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, nutty medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very slight booze in the aromas as it warmed. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready/light smoked malts, vanilla, coffee, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, nutty medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Very mild herbal/roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, nutty coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light dark molasses/dark fruit/smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, and roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready/light smoked malts, vanilla, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and velvety mouthfeel that is fantastic. Slight sticky hops, chalky char/roast, and bourbon/oak tannins. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged flavored imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready/light smoked malts, vanilla, coffee, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Not as smokey as expected given the base beer, but solid presence. Insanely balanced rich malts, vanilla, and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with perfect barrel integration. Not boozy/tannic on barrels, or overly bitter/charred on malts. A highly amazing offering, they really nailed this one.

 

 

Pours rich and viscous dark brown and black in the glass.

Coffee, vanilla, chocolate, roasty, and some bourbon sweetness.

Delicious blend of chocolate, dark roast coffee, vanilla, and bourbon.

Full-bodied, medium-carbonation, rich, chewy, thick.

Overall, definitely a sipper, but one that is enjoyable to the very last drop!

 

 

Pours seal brown with a modest cap of beige foam. Aroma smells of molasses, dark fruit, ash, and coffee, with some alcoholic vapors to boot.

The taste features coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted malt, with a touch of molasses. The coffee comes through much more clearly in the taste than the nose suggested. Earth hops offer just enough contrast to keep things balanced. Buttery bourbon, ash, and warming alcohol show up on the back end after some warming. Medium-heavy body and moderate carbonation make for a sturdy, if unremarkable mouthfeel.

Overall, this is a nice, complex imperial stout with a little bit of something for everyone. The barrel lends some nuance without being overbearing, giving the other elements plenty of room to shine. It also gets an honorable mention for the label artwork, which is pretty sweet.

 

Had on tap (4oz pour)
L: typical BA stout, very dark brown, little creamy head
S: very good but not that strong, a little bit of coffee and vanilla
T: great mix of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee, with some dried fruit taste from the base stout and some bourbon flavor. Great balance and very little burn from the alcohol.
F: not as thick as some BA stouts, which I normally don't like, but it doesn't bother me here because it's so smooth and easy drinking. I wouldn't call it thin, just not thick.
O: Really great beer, especially considering the price. I don't know why this beer seems to sit on the shelves forever while other beers fly off the shelves. More for me, I guess!

 

 

 

Vanilla sweetness, coffee, roasted malt, milk chocolate, light bourbon

Right off the smell I didn't expect much beyond chocolate, vanilla, coffee and bourbon, and really the coffee was faint. Looked beautiful though with opaque and shimmering black body with mocha head. The taste was a different story, so much layering of flavor: chocolate, vanilla, coffee, nuts, brown sugar, molasses, leather, brighter wood, bourbon, and slight earthiness. Feel was thick yet drinkable, chewy and rich.

 

Pours black with a finger of caramel colored head. Head retention is okay with a little lacing left behind. Aroma is roasted and toasted malts, with a hint of butter, caramel, coffee, and vanilla bean. Flavor profile is roasted and toasted malts throughout. Medium-roast coffee with a good body, and presence mingles with vanilla bean, caramel, and a hint of molasses keeping it from being extremely bitter. Milk chocolate hits as the flavor profile decays on the palate. Mouth feel is medium-thick in thickness, with a fine, grainy texture. Overall, a flavorful stout that boasts great coffee notes, with additional sweet notes that add to the experience. Coffee is really well done in this beer.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 22oz bottle.