Private Reserve 2017
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project

 

i was really impressed with this, never really expected a clean stout from crooked stave, but here it is, on tap right now over at the source. enormous stout aged in heaven hill bourbon barrels, its about as big as it gets. brewed for stout week apparently, it is sludgy almost black in color, high shine, and with a thick rich head on it that looks like brownie batter. aroma here is heavy bourbon, the barrels jump right out, the charred oak with the dark grain, the vanilla notes pulling out some chocolate elements in the malt, and of course the smooth booze, which is a little intimidating at this concentration. the flavor is great here, lots of dark chocolate in the malt profile, a bit of espresso to it as well, and a ton of thick sweet molasses character that really jives with the whiskey and the wood. its surprisingly not as boozy tasting as it smells, there is enough else going on to sort of incorporate the alcohol without it seeming too much. fudge and raisin and coffee in here, and just a ton of syrupy body, almost as much a solid as it is a liquid, incredibly dense, with some useful bitterness coming on towards the finish with the whiskey. i really liked this, as huge as it is, but a small pour felt like plenty. i have not seen this bottled at all, but i could see it ageing extremely well. so cool crooked stave is making beer like this!