Space & Time - Barrel Blend
Tree House Brewing Company

Poured into a Sensorik goblet. Out of the fridge, allowed to warm about 20 minutes before pouring.

Color pitch black with a very, very dark brown head about 1/4 inch, settles in to a thin foam ring and a bit of foam on surface. No lacing other than some small beads when swirled. There is a brown film left on the glass when swirling or tilting.

Aroma is rich in bourbon notes (vanilla, oak) as well as dark chocolate, toffee, some dark fruits, a bit of dark cherry and a bit of coffee in the background. Smells decadent.

"Holy crap!" would be my first comment on the flavor. Nice sweetness but balanced with some bitterness. Dark chocolate, bourbon-soaked dark fruits, espresso, toffee - sometimes hard to pick out individual flavors, as they are so well integrated into the whole. A richly flavored stout.

Full-on body but without being too thick or syrupy. Nicely lingers on the palate but fades slowly, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

I was so impressed by this one. Remarkable that there is so much flavor in this blend of fresh and barrel-aged stout. Tree House has done a similar treatment with other beers (e.g. Big Bear Barrel Blend, Double Shot Barrel Blend) with equally amazing results. I hope they will put this in their regular rotation.

 

L - thick and seemingly pulpy. Wide load. Leaves legs so thick it's like it polarizes the glass.

S - maraschino cherry syrup drizzled atop a thick, mallowy fudge cream pie.

T - dark cherry, maple lattes, and bourbon-soaked woodsiness. Young and fully of spicy vigor. The maturity of the cherry character evolves as it warms, even across each sip. It's like I'm transcending space and time to experience the whole beer every time I raise my glass.

F - positively coats the throat. It's tingly in every crevice and requires a great deal of effort to erase.

O - the glow up Space & Time needed. Smooths out all the nonsense. This one just flows, man.

 

 

Pours pitch black with dark tan head. Glass staining dark! Nose is char, bourbon and I get a hint of cherry, could be my weirdness...
Taste is chocolate, softly and then a bourbon flavor comes through. Decent warmth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12oz can into pint glass in December 2024. "WINTER 2025" was stamped on the bottom of the can, and I drank this about 1 week after purchasing at the Tree House brewpub in Tewskbury.

Appearance: As with many imperial stouts, very dark black with a thick dark brown head. Head was about 2 fingers high, and lasted a minute. It leaves almost no lacing on the glass, and ended with a thin brown head still on the beer. Head bubbles were very fine.

Smell: Strong aroma of chocolate, maple, bourbon, and a little vanilla. There is also some caramel, malts, and some other sweet aroma like black licorice, but overall the bourbon and maple dominate the others. It is a very nice balance of aromas, and good contrast.

Taste: There is a nice balance between the chocolate, vanilla, and sweetness from other flavors like caramel. There is some smokie roasted flavors and coffee flavors, and a little amount of bitter hop flavors to enhance the taste and add some complexity. There is a strong alcohol presence which matched the 12% on the label (differs from 9.9% listed here), but it is balanced nicely by the sweetness. The taste is an excellent mix.

Mouth-feel: Thick like liquid licorice, but with a smooth body.

This is an excellent, complex Imperial Stout, and it has a variety of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. Although this is a big beer, it is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. This chocolate sweetness nicely contrasts the bourbon and other flavors, and is a nice balance to the alcohol. This reminds me a lot of Founder's CBS and KBS stouts which are some of my favorite beers. Another outstanding beer by Tree House.


See my Founders CBS review for a list of my current favorite stouts.