Country Western (Volume 7 S'mores)
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

 

Brewed specifically for Craft Beer Week, 2019, the seventh rendition of West Sixth's and Country Boy's collaboration beer takes a savory, sweet, roasty campfire character in the form of liquid s'mores. Graham cracker, cocoa and vanilla aren't shy as this imperial stout simply radiates with the taste of camping trips.

S''mores Country Western comes onyx black and capped with a creamy tan froth. Roasty to the nose, any notion of scorched marshmallows aren't far off. A big hit of creamed candy packs a robust wallop of sweet impressions as a spice of kahlua joins the bold coffee and s'mores aromatic medley. Sweet on the tongue, burnt cream, toffee, caramel and sweetened condensed milk teases the early tastebuds with decadence.

The middle palate shows a full saturation of deeply caramelized sweetness with high espresso notes and a strong followup of bittersweet chocolate, roasted walnut, burnt toast and a soothing spice of graham cracker. But as the flavors develop slowly heading onto the late palate, the s'mores character fades and the imperial stout shines with a linger of smoky coffee, walnut bitterness and the char of woods.

Full bodied and malt forward from front to back, the beer finishes spicy with a combination of whisky and kahlua that marginally outlasts the elements of bitter char, strong coffee and toast.