Massive! - Islay Scotch Barrel-Aged
Gigantic Brewing Company

2022 properly cellared bottle, poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a medium to dark orange red with a thin, light khaki head that dissipates to a ring of foam around the edge of the glass and slight lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt, dates, raisins, dried plums and hints of apricot; mild smokiness. Flavor is dry caramel malt, dates. raisins, black licorice, Scotch whiskey; peaty, moderate smokiness in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. Like the Highland barreled version, this tastes mostly like an English style with caramel malt and dark fruit, but there are wisps of lighter fruit and a bare touch of hops expected in the American style. The fruit tastes well dried with little fruit brightness. The Scotch influence is moderate (stronger than the Highland) , smokey peat with a touch of iodine, exactly as I'd hope for an Islay Scotch. Laphroaig is my favorite Islay and although this isn't quite as intense as that Scotch, it is nice and peaty for a stout. The deep Gigantic malt supports the barrle flavors very well. This is an excellent Scotch barreled stout and one of the better ones from Gigantic. The two years of aging may have mellowed it out, but it is drinking excellently now; the hops seem muted, which is fine by me. Wish I had another.

Peated Scotch isn't my favorite but I thought the super intense caramel of Massive! might work well with smoked, salty seaweed and I was right. The barrels don't dominate, instead they are welcome accents, showing themselves most prominently at the finish. Caramel candies up front and that's pretty much it but I love it. The finish adds leafy hops, smoke, and salt. Does anybody make smoked sea salt candy caramel candy? I want some and I hope they are as good as this. Thanks Tim!