Maman
Perennial Artisan Ales

dboon from Florida

4.64/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle. Dark brown/black pour with a chocolate head and an oily sheen. . Crazy fudge and chocolate nose. Wow, that’s legit. Bitter dark chocolate, caramels, dark roasted malts, mellow rye whiskey, oak, and vanilla notes. Complex, with a wonderful mouthfeel. Nice balance of sweet and bitter roasted malts. Good body.

Apr 30, 2021

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.86/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

'20 batch.

Maman 2020 is a blend of 2 distinct threads. The first consisting of base stout aged 22 months in Heaven Hill barrels, this comprises 80% of the blend. The remaining 20% is base stout aged 27 months on Weller barrels. We tasted through a couple dozen barrels to find a blend that best exemplifies our beloved barrel aged stout, Maman. Oak, maple, marshmallow, and caramel all dominate the aroma, with waves of rich brownie batter fudge and Heath bars wrap up the palate. We always strive for a balance of flavors in our beers, and we feel the nuance and surprising drinkability make this vintage of Maman something we’re immensely proud of.

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

This smells like high quality chocolate truffles, cookie dough, brownies, vanilla, spicy oak, caramelly bourbon, English toffee, marshmallow, heavy roast, and light smoke.

This has been high on my list of "must-tries" for a long time, and it really did meet my expectations. It's a pure expression of the power of barrel - you could tell me this has chocolate or vanilla or caramel added to it, and I'd believe you. There's very little booze here, and there's great oaky complexity on the back end helping keep things balanced. There's some definite roast and bitterness - it's not just pure pastry here.

This is medium bodied, not the thickest stout ever, but that honestly helps here - keeping it light on its feet and very drinkable. There's barely any booze to this.

It's hard to find much to fault this one for. It's truly excellent - barrel aged chocolate marshmallow chunk brownies, essentially.

Feb 22, 2021

JDPchi13 from Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have to say I was blown away by the flavors in this. Deep dark fudge bourbon goodness. It’s a showcase of what the barrel alone can bring to the party. And what a party it is. Thick. Velvet smooth, vanilla, chocolate swirl. Wonderful.

Jan 22, 2021

jno from Missouri

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batches vary from year to year. Served on draft at the brewery for 2020. It's chewy, fishy, barrel heavy and really enjoyable in small quantities. My only complaint is that it's served so cold off the draft line.

Jan 10, 2021

benzalman from California

4.27/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Great BA non-adjunct stout. Did a share somewhat recently of 20 Barrel aged non adjunct stouts, and while this one was more hyped than most, it was middle of the pack. Dont get me wrong, very good, but worth the hype?

Jan 04, 2021

pmarlowe from Virginia

4.32/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2019 vintage.

A: Pours an inky black, viscous, with no head or lacing.

S: Dark cocoa, a bit of roast, oaky rye with a hint of spice (anise, nutmeg), vanilla bean,

T: Dark cocoa, vanilla, light and almost burnt roast, caramel, moderate honey sweetness, a bit of tannic oak/rye, with a long elegant finish. The sweetness complements the dessert-y flavors nicely.

M: Full bodied, thick and mouth coating, with light carbonation and medium alcohol warmth.

O: Solid BA stout but not quite world class. Reminds me of those cocoa-forward BCBSs from the early 2010s.

Jan 13, 2020

Eyedoc27 from Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Excellent! On tap at brewery. Not boozy at all even at 15%abv. Taste lingers which is a good thing. Vanilla with a small bit of rye and whiskey in the perfect balance.

Dec 20, 2019

jhavs from New York

4.68/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2018 batch served in teku. Shared among friends.

Thick and syrupy pour, deep black, tiniest amount of light shines through edges of glass when you hold it up to natural light. Mochachino head settles into thin bubbly collar.

Aroma has layers of varied chocolate forms including sweet fudge, bittersweet baking cocoa and dark chocolate. Roasted malts, some dark fruit and a hint of boozy barrel.

Roasty and rich, loads of chocolate, smooth boozy barrel flavor melds perfectly with the brew. Earthy wood layer, some earthy and floral vanilla, sweet toffee. Sweetness and dark fruits come out more clearly as it nears room temperature.

Full bodied and smooth with a bit under moderate carbonation.

Excellent. I hope to try other batches to compare.

Jul 24, 2019

RNbeerfan from New York

4.23/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Look: Jet black, pours thick
Smell: Oak, Chocolate, Dark fruit, Alcohol
Taste: Lots of oak and barrel up front. Followed by overripe fruit. There are layers of flavor but it is definitely a bit overly boozy
Feel: Super thick and chewy
Overall: This is complex, and layered. But I don't think it quite lives up to the expectations. Super glad to have a chance to try it, just not worth what it goes for.

May 20, 2019

Dicers from Colorado

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Courtesy of Jason A.

Vintage: 2017

L: Motor engine oil black, viscous, dark beige head

S: Fudge.... lots of fudge, some vanilla, oak

T: Lots of fudge, dark fruit, charred oak, about as perfect a non-adjuncted stout can be

F: Heavy mouth feel that has a lot of weight behind it. Cascades from start to finish with a surprisingly drier finish

O: One of the best non-adjunct stouts I've ever experienced.

May 20, 2019

rodmanfor3 from Vermont

4.6/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Strong oak and barrel flavors out of the gate. As the beer warms, the flavors transition to sweet molasses and bitter chocolate, wrapped in sharp tannins from the barrels. Thick mouthfeel and a sweet dessert finish.

Not much of a difference between 2017 and 2018.

Dec 02, 2018

aleigator from Germany

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Maman 2018

Pours a truly oily, coal black color with a fluffy, beige head, receeding to a smaller ring of lacing.

Smells of profound bitter chocolate, bakers chocolate, campfire and a gentle, yet profound bourbon aroma. Relatively straight forward on the nose, yet equally intriguing as for its complex bourbon and chocolate interplay.

Drinks surprisingly easy, thick with a fuller body, its booze being perfectly soaked up by the luscious chocolate flavor profile. This features almost a flat level of carbonation, while the beer‘s mouthfeel is that that thick, that it benefits tremendously from the lack of potentially mineralic effervescence, highlighting its multi layered chocolate decadence.

Tastes of rich milk chocolate, soothed by layers of whipped cream and oaky, slighty warming bourbon barrel. Warms up even more with a rustic barrel presence, soothed by the incredibly smooth and silk mouthfeel, accompanied by bitter chocolate and slightly spicy licorice. Finishes a little sweeter, reminiscend of a rock sugar cocoa blend, tied together by tobacco and even more whipped cream, more licorice and a little bit of charred malts, topped off by a long lasting, spicy bourbon aftertaste.

This is astonishtingly complex while the beers drinks incredibly easy at the same time. Also this offers the most incredible mouthfeel, smooth and soft, caressing the tongue in the most pleasant way, while handling the 13 abv playfully. On the one hand this is a pretty straight forward chocolate imperial stout, on the other hand this opens up the palate to a plethora of finely nuanced flavors, resulting in a truly complex tasting beer. What a treat, this is a clear winner due to its emphasized world class mouthfeel, allowing the flavors to shine like in no other beer.

Nov 25, 2018

Sabtos from Ohio

4.09/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Used motor oil black with an intensely dark rolled mocha collar.

Smell is all the dark fruit. It's really intense of date, prune, raisin, and more--all cocoa dusted, dried and well aged. Enhancing this effect is a potently dark charred oak that has a maple character.

Taste brings tons of wood to the palate, while dark fruit still plays a major role with a sort of rum raisin character. The oak again is maple-esque before it melds into hot vanilla extract and toasted coconut.

While this beer is very complex and layered, it's also numbingly boozy. The thin to medium body is assisted by a super thick, firm fizz and a very dry finish.

I'm very happy I got to try this on draft instead of trade a pirate's booty for a stout that's overall very comparable to some of our solid, more accessible barrel aged bottles from this area.

Nov 12, 2018

Zach_Attack from Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

07/2016 - 2015 vintage - This is a perfect, non-adjunct stout - wow! So fudgy, rye, rich cocoa nose; luscious mouthfeel that lingers for days, plus some light smoke, super roasty, lightly bitter, wee toffee, and some vanilla on the back of the palate; negligible booze, roast, dark chocolate, whiskey on the finish. Blown away!

Sep 26, 2018

WhaleSlayer85 from Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2017 Bottle
Pours pitch black with a thin deep brown ring of head. Looks viscous in the glass, stains the glass gold. Nose is huge vanilla, marshmallow, spicy whiskey, rum, milk chocolate, coconut, smoke, char, wood. Taste is big chocolate up front, spicy rye whiskey, vanilla, charred marshmallow, some sweet toasted coconut. Big, thick, chewy stout. Enjoyed this start to finish, hides the booziness, but the barrel notes are extraordinarily layered. The shining example of what a non-adjunct stout can be. Absolutely phenomenal!

Sep 07, 2018

Vidblain from Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Enjoyed side by side at a share with Beer: Barrel: Time. My expectations were sort of turned on their head as BBT was the clear loser between the two... and for some reason, I'd expected Maman to spiced in some way. Not so.

Maman features a very nice, prominent display of barrels. It's also very sweet and had a pleasant, rich nose and mouthfeel. It's a delicious beer, but one that doesn't lend itself well to casual drinking. That should probably be obvious - but by the time I was done with Maman, my pallet was a bit wrecked and ready to move on to something a little less intense.

It's still well-balanced and delicious - but it's an intense experience. Don't sleep on Maman (it was my second favorite of the evening in a big, big whale share), but don't expect the world of it either.

Jun 24, 2018

Masonz223 from Michigan

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2017 vintage

Smell: The Barrel is the star of the show on the nose. The whiskey that comes through is so smooth and strong it’s singes the nose hairs in the best way. There also a little bit of spice coming through as well a touch of vanilla, coconut, tobacco, oak and leather. Also there are some underlying chocolate notes. Dark chocolate, and coco powder. This beer smells like a grade A whiskey with beer attributes. This smells so strong and so damn amazing.

Taste: Right upfront the beer hits with big chocolate notes. Dark chocolate brownie batter and dusty coco powder. The beer transitions to the mid palette where your hit with some dark fruit. Plum, fig, raisin as well as a touch of vanilla. The barrel starts to make an assertive presence as well. I get some whiskey leather and tobacco that carry on throughout the finish. In the finish this beer is all barrel. Whiskey, oak, coconut, leather, tobacco, maple syrup, rye spice, and a touch of dark cherry round out this beautiful beer. The whiskey and barrel notes linger in the aftertaste.

Feel: Full bodied with a fair amount of carbonation. The beer is smooth but drinks big. This is definitely a classic example of a sipper.

Overall: This is a wonderful beer that highlights everything a whiskey barrel has to offer. If you don’t like whiskey you probably won’t enjoy this because it is the start of the show. The whiskey barrel is really smooth and present but it never gets to hot and still allows for the beer to be there in the background. Overall this is a 100/100 to me, but is it worth the high trading price tag probably not. Barrel aged sump is just as good if not better in my opinion and it goes for a lot less. Still this is an amazing beer! That is worth getting if your willing to pay the price of admission.

Jun 08, 2018

Ciocanelu from Romania

4.45/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Sample at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2018, Blue Session. Aroma has sweetish cocoa, dark chocolate and dark malts. Taste is sweet and syrupy with dried fruits and bitter cocoa finish.

May 26, 2018

Frudel from Canada (QC)

5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2017
Deep black body with a small brown head becoming a ring around the glass. Lots of lacing and foam is sticking to the glass.
Nose: A lot of chocolate, like a brownies, small hint of booze, very oaky. You can tell this is complex just by the nose and you just want to take the time to smell it enough but you just can't stop.
Taste as intended is astonishing, chocolate all over the place, light bitterness, light to medium sweetness, oak.
Mouthfeel is something like I've never tasted before, it's wrapping all over your mouth with one sip you can't keep tasting it for a long time. Smooth and thick, full bodied.

You just can't get enough of it, worth the hype, worth is title of one of the best Imperial Stout without adjunct out there. Thank you Perennial for this madness.

Apr 16, 2018

fondyball20 from Wisconsin

4.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2017 bottle. Great adjunct free ba stout. Picked up chocolate and dark fruit sweetness. Very balanced though, unlike purple Assassin that is all sweet dark fruit.

Mar 02, 2018

eppie82 from Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2017, into chalice.

Pitch black, with no foam head upon pour or even any around edge of glass. Just a dark liquid. Extreme amount of barrel oakiness present. You can smell the complexity of this before even tasting it. The flavors have oak and barrel flavor that imparts chocolate, raisin and even vanilla. Feel is quite sticky and thick.

Among the very best straight up BA imperial stouts. It is in a class with Bourbon BA Dark Lord, Assassin and Black Magick batch 2 (Buffalo Trace). Worth trading for.

Dec 31, 2017

Buck89 from Tennessee

4.34/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter. Nearly opaque dark brown with a frothy tan head. Decent lacing in the glass. Huge chocolate and fudge on the nose. Faint soy sauce as well but it worked. The palate followed closely followed. Thick and tasty with no off flavors. Highly enjoyable but not sure it is at whale status.

Nov 25, 2017

rabbott2 from Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

2017 vintage drank on 11/1/2017

L-near-black, deep dark brown, very thin tan head but its lingering and lasting awhile, thick and lingering lacing

S-Sweet dark chocolate, molasses, heavy oak, boozy whiskey

T-molasses, bourbon, boozy, sweet dark chocolate, toffee, burnt sugar. The taste opens up a ton of complexity.

F-elite thickness, TG level, no heat, abv is on point

Overall-not overrated by any means. Amazing. This would age well for sure! So glad I was able to try this

Nov 02, 2017

Radcpa from Washington

4.69/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Aged for two years. Very dark appearance with slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a very pleasant blend of rye whiskey and malt. Taste is a very smooth blend of rye and malt with a think feel.

Sep 23, 2017

Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

4.84/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Near black body with a tiny, beige head. Aromas of bourbon, oak, chocolate - lovely. Super smooth, velvety palate. Absolutely delicious. Simple and straightforward awesomeness.

Sep 09, 2017