Stax on Stax
Gigantic Brewing Company

super sugary, but i think thats the point, the maple literally drips out of this, palate coating, but the beer somehow isnt that heavy, not an imperial base, not barrel aged, both good choices for this level of maple i think, and even though its a small doses beer, it sure is flavorful and good, been too long since i dipped into anything from gigantic, a longtime favorite. some viscosity here from the tap, high shine, darn near black, leggy, not overly carbonated but not still either, some low froth on top. heavy chocolate in the nose, rich real high end maple syrup, and nuances of tobacco, date sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla bean. thankfully there is enough roast, even a smoked hint, to keep it beery and somewhat balanced even with all the sugar, some specialty dark malt in here doing work i reckon, appreciated. molasses up front in the flavor and pulling some needed bitterness forward, raisin sweetness in the center, then all the maple in the world hits, dark amber and cooked down, well integrated, and lovely really, intense as the sweetness factor is. mocha for sure with all the chocolate character in here, earthy at its core with some pretty obvious oat character in flavor and texture, and as long as the maple lasts, some bitter roast stays with it, definite coffee notes late. really nice beer, breakfasty indeed, cant put away a ton of it with the sugar, but the flavors and quality are great. could swear there is a little coffee in here too, but it could be a gift from the grain, cool beer. gigantic always kills it!

Bottle: Poured a black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with OK retention and light lacing. Aroma of roasted malt notes with some black chocolate notes and maple extract. Taste is also a mix of roasted malt alt with some maple extract and some black chocolate notes. Body is too thin for the style with good carbonation with no discernible alcohol notes. A bit of a miss for me with too much maple extract and not enough body.

Bottle poured into a pub glass

A: Pours basically black with a creamy cocoa brown head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Maple syrup, roasted malt, earthy char, espresso, dark chocolate, and a touch of dark fruit.

T: Roasty, earthy, a little char, dark chocolate, coffee, solid hit of maple, and some dark fruit, almost berry like notes on the back side.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, lightly creamy.

O: I feel like maple can take some finesse to come through right. There's no doubt here, at times it's like opening a jug of the pure stuff. I think a little lighter roast on the coffee and more of a nutty rather than a dark fruit undertone would sell the pancake motif even better. All that said, I'll happily start my day with a pint of this

pours dark brown with thick head great taste of maple and malt