Cabra Perdida - Barrel-Aged
Greenbush Brewing Company

 

Greenbush has made some beers that I really enjoy so when I saw a BA stout I obviously had to give it a try.
Poured "stout black" with a 1 cm beige colored head that started proud but dwindled quickly. Okay, it's BA. Not unusual.
Aroma lost on my Covid affected nose. Stupid Covid.
The taste was blueberries, front, middle and end. I've had cherry stouts like this but never such dominance in the flavor from blueberries. There is some stout in there and a bit of heat from the barrel, but this is all about the blueberry. More pastry than I expected. Not certain if it was their goal or if I have just let it sit too long.
The feel was very good - lightly viscous, appropriate for sipping a high ABV stout.
OA, I have one other and won't mind drinking it at all, but don't think I'll buy any more.

Bottle dated 11/2020:
Pours as expected in color from the bottle, with a modest tan head. The bubbles multiply a bit if one is patient, yielding a thick collar with peninsulae and islands emanating from it. A swirl consolidates these into hot chocolate-like foam.

The nose is timid at first, as a bit of tart fruit jam cuts through muddled stout notes. I can’t say it’s distinctly blueberry, but knowing what is in the beer, I can sense that it is. The aforementioned swirl brings about chocolate roasted malt and the barrel that held the beer.

An above medium thickness helps the creamy impression I’m getting from this beer. The thing I like is that this fairly luscious feel comes without the heaviness I can get in big, flavored beers.

My taste buds perceive this stout as having a large chocolate lean without being too sweet, more like a good dark chocolate. The barrel is integrated well, I get a tinge of booze and spice, but not much. The blueberry is again not distinct, but provides a lighter thread that runs through this beer.

Obviously, this bottled has been aged a bit, and quite well, I’d argue. If you have a fresh pack and aren’t thrilled with it, you might try putting it away for some time.

12 oz bottles from MegaBev in Battle Creek MI.

Appearance. Pours with a near black and nearly opaque body that reveals some bluish tint in the light. The head is large, creamy, durable and tan. It turns out that both the mouthfeel and the appearance strongly, if falsely, suggest this came from a nitro tap.

Overall. Delicious with a fine mix of flavors that features roast grains, coffee, chocolate, blueberries, bourbon, oak barrel and vanilla.

Mouthfeel. Lush ... creamy smooth and full with plentiful soft carbonation and little sign of the high ABV.

I finished my last bottle at the end of June 2023, finding that this already excellent stout aged well.

 

Well BIG thanks to Whyteboar for this beauty.Rec'd in NBS BIF #14.
Profoundly dark, nearly black. Slight khaki colored head forms, then slowly retreats to a thin ring. delicate lacing.
Aroma pumps a deep, slow rising melange of whiskey barrel, toffee, blueberries, with a creamy sweetness in the background. Hints of date, raisin, and prune show up as well.
The flavor is much more focused on the whiskey barrel and malts. This one is not shy. The creamy sweetness is tamed by the whiskey and toffee. The blueberry is lighter than expected, and comes off as more of a booze-kissed coulis.
Mouthfeel is warm, full for style, and finishes with a slight boozy bite.
Overall, I'd love this one again. I'd love to have it on tap in Sawyer if I can ever get back there.

 

 

 

Pours black with a caramel head sticking around for all of one sip. Smell is definitely oak, char, bourbon, molasses, and raisin. Taste follows suit with the alcohol taking center stage. A very bourbon forward beer. I didn’t get much blueberry. A lot of straightforward stout flavors with bourbon on top. Feel wasn’t as full as I’d expect. Pretty light and almost crisp? Not bad. Won’t seek again.

 

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 9/11/16, had 4/15/17.

Pours near black, opaque, with a half inch head of darker foam and some spotty lacing. Smells great. Malt, chocolate, whiskey, blueberries, vanilla, some molasses. Tastes great, too. Malt, whiskey, chocolate, blueberries, vanilla, molasses, caramel, oak. Really smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

It’s pretty straightforward, but the whiskey and blueberries are an incredible match on top of a terrific base beer. Great flavor and aroma. Put the release date on your calendar every year, and have a great lunch while grabbing a few 4 packs in Sawyer.