Pinko (Willett Rye Barrel Aged)
Rad Brewing Co.

 

 

Poured on tap into a pint glass - nice.

A. Very dark brown, near black color with a slightly tan head. The head is not particularly frothy, but not coarse either, kind of in the middle.

S. A rich blend of coco, vanilla, bourbon, charred oak, and oats. A dark, roast malt finish draws one to think what the aromas were like when this was being brewed, then racked from the barrels. I perceive this was aged in a fresh barrel.

T. A strong barrel presence (not hot) combined with the malt and hop bill makes this very well balanced, between desirable sweet and bitter notes. The sweet notes are toffee, chocolate, hazelnuts, prunes, and figs; while the hoppy bitter notes are coco and coffee. The bitter notes are more hoppy than added coffee.

M. Moderate viscosity, a little sticky, very full body, a little bite on the finish.

O. This is not hot in the nose or taste - at all. This is close to BCBS in the sweet flavor profiles, really. But this is more bitter to round things off. This is not the most attractive stout, but packs the punch with a hell of a strong flavor profile. I love me some stouts and I am very impressed. I'm curious how this will deviate from batch to batch, which means I will be looking for this in the future. They really should bottle this and get a little clout in the beer geek world.

 

The nose starts with an interesting fruitiness, maybe a grape must. There's a dank earth tone, obvious rye malt, dry coffee, bourbon and chocolate malts.

This needs a bit of warmth, as cooler it presented a bit too much booze, but once it opens the flavors are easily discernible. Bourbon tone starts, followed by a dry chocolate malt, light marshmallow, a bit of roast and char as it finishes with a spicy rye.