River Raptor
Perennial Artisan Ales

 

 

 

 

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

This smells like rich dark chocolate, hot cocoa, vanilla cream, roasted malt, leathery bourbon, and spicy espresso like flavors.

This is primarily a barrel aged stout, and the flavor additions come second, which I very much appreciate. There's lots of great oak character from the barrel, and the nibs addition heightens an already thick and chocolatey base. I get more pure vanilla flavor than marshmallow flavor, which is also something that I don't mind.

This is thick, chewy, but ultimately pretty drinkable, with not much of a hint of booze.

This is extremely well done, well balanced, and well brewed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look - Great looking black thick and a nice than head and rimming
Smell - Sweet barrel with cocoa vanilla
Taste - fantastic vanilla cocoa barrel and slight sweet
Fee- Medium full body
Overall - Just Fantastic!

 

 

Pours black with little to no head. Aroma is toasty, roasty, caramely malts with thick cocoa, vanilla bean, caramel, toffee, and molasses. Marshmallows add a hint of sweetness at the back, but the driving force is the thick darkness and heavy alcohol (but no heat.) Flavor profile brings that all forward, and up to 11. Roasty and toasty malts form an incredible stout base that does not falter a bit. Caramel, molasses, toffee, and cocoa nibs add some sweetness, but do little to move the needle towards "dessert" when compared with the heavy malts through and through. To top it all off, some bourbon booze seeps through the end, increasing the intensity from start to finish. Mouth feel is thick, full - like drinking yogurt. Overall, hearty and resolute. The flavor additions mold into the stout seemlessly, and this from someone who does not like flavor additions. Big time stout.

Draft.