Barrel Aged Coffee Break Abduction
Pipeworks Brewing Co.

 

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. 2018 issue, had 1/25/19.

Pours an opaque dark brown, thick looking, with no head And some spotty cling. Aromas of bourbon, roasted malt, coffee, tobacco, raisins, chocolate, light oak, char, molasses, some figs. Really smells great. The flavor is similar- bourbon, coffee, chocolate, malt, figs, raisins, molasses, some tobacco, light oak and char. Smooth, a little creamy, a great full body, well carbonated.

Terrific flavors and- especially, aromas. Barrel forward, but doesn’t overwhelm or compromise the base beer. The coffee could be stronger, but it’s not a negative. Every sip is very enjoyable. Another outstanding barrel aged beer from Pipeworks.

 

Polished marble black with a short tan ridge around the glass.

Solid dark roast coffee pairs with a strong bourbon char, and even a hint of firewood on the exhale. There's certainly some warmth, and a syrupy peppery bourbon, as a hint of maple comes out after the semi-dry finish. The thin bubbly carbonation brings out a hint of marshmallow as it warms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

650ml bottle. 2018 release. Snifter glass. Dark black body, oily legs, one finger mocha head, fair retention, no lacing. Again, super oily legs. Smell is a beautiful blend of oaky whiskey aromas, milk chocolate, hefty chocolate fudge, brown sugar, tempered by a mild black coffee presence, light marshmallow. Really, really nice barrel-forward aroma that is on par with the big names out there. I enjoyed smelling the fudgy presence; lots of complexity and zero heat. This is a fun beer to sip on. Big sugary chocolate fudge, a touch of caramel, big sweet and marshmallowy bourbon oak, bit of sugar. Coffee is not quite an afterthought, but it is in the background and doesn't seem to contribute much to the overall profile. Still, a delicious barrel-aged stout on its own merits! Medium full bodied, nice chewiness, fudge and caramel on the finish.

 

 

 

Bomber from the Winter 2018 batch. A big barrel-aged coffee stout from Pipeworks, which generally seems to get very nice barrels and use them to their full effect. That is certainly the case here, with this batch leaning on Heaven Hill barrels for the substantial boozy bourbon and oak character. That said, I'm a big coffee fan but hit or miss on Dark Matter contributions to beers. The result, for me, is a boozed-up coffee stout that is still quite hot on the nose, but gets smoothed out a little by the earthy coffee notes once they hit the palate. Also strong notes of honey and chocolate muffins in the flavor profile. Moderately full body, but thinner than expected for a 13% ABV bruiser.

 

 

 

 

Latest release bought directly from brewery

Pours oily and thick with no head at all no matter how hard I poured it.
Soy sauce and heat on the nose. Autolyzed.
Same on the palate with coffee intertwined
Feel is good, smooth and rich

Pretty poor. nothing worth bothering with. The excessive 'meaty' soy flavor is ultra off-putting. Drain pour