Sensual Bean Batch 7 (Wyoming Rye Whiskey)
Pike 51 Brewing Company

 

Sent along in the incredibly generous deluge of Michigan goodness from @FlintB during NBS BIF#007 (so I guess it's appropriate it's Batch 7...).

Pour is a deep dark beaut that only gives a hint of cola brown at the very thinnest edges. Nice finger of tan head that settles into its fuzz on the top, ring around the cuff self relatively easily.

Nose gives big chocolate and spice up front. Coffee almost seems to give it some heft and a touch of bitterness, rolling in with some roast bordering into char. I get minimal vanilla up front, and if it weren't the damn picture on the label I'd probably chalk up any note I do get to being attributable to the barrel. As it warms, there is a slight vanilla sweetness that envelopes the whole thing, but you've still got to look for it. The flavours all fold into one another really well, making it difficult to pick out individual characteristics, which I'm somehow on the fence about whether I prefer it that way (all blended in together) or if I'd rather be able to take stock of each component individually (and really see better what's going on).

Soft smoothe chocolate again leads the charge here, carrying along through some sweet vanilla notes (which again, if I didn't know it was added I would probably attribute to the barrel) and blending in to the rye spice and a bit of alcohol sourness. Coffee is supportive as a bitter counterbalance to the chocolate up front, but much like the vanilla, if I didn't know it was added, I'd probably just interpret it as the 'coffee-like bitterness' that the malts often bring in a big stout.

Body is soft and smoothe without feeling... large, like velour or microfleece. Soft carbonation gently brushes by, and it finishes with an alcohol flavour, but no alcohol burn. It's got the bitter/sour FLAVOUR aspect of alcohol (but not a lot, just some), but as far as whether it FEELS like you're drinking a high ABV? Fuggedabouddit. Dangerous on that aspect. About as hot as day old coffee.
This is tasty, and comes together nicely, even if I wish the individual components spoke a little more for themselves. Thanks Brian for sending it along!!

Dark brown brew, topped by a decent sized dark tan head with OK retention.

If an imperial milk stout has an archetypal nose, this is it. Coffee, cream, vanilla, chocolate, and roasted barley. Barrel influence is quite faint on the nose.

Barrel is readily apparent on the palate, adding a sharp booziness, sweet mash, spicy rye, and oak. Everything else from the nose makes an appearance, as well. Vanilla is perhaps most prominent through the barrel, and the malt base actually shows quite well, not allowing the adjuncts to completely overpower it.

A touch light feel for the style. Quite lively with a little bit of sting. Otherwise creamy and almost silky.

This is a very good barrel aged imperial milk stout. If there's one complaint I have it's that the coffee and chocolate really get lost in the mix. I'm sure they're adding to the mix overall, but the brewer went through a lot of trouble to incorporate all these adjuncts, and I'm not sure it completely paid off. (If I have a second complaint, it's that the barrel influence is overall pretty mild; more time in the barrel would help, but it likely would reduce the adjunct presence even further.)

 

Pours deep brown with no head and no lacing.

The smell is very coffee forward and sweet with a small hint of whiskey.

The taste is sweet with a nice balance between vanilla, coffee, and whiskey.

The mouthfeel is low carbonation and silky smooth with nice thickness.

Overall a really nice, balanced stout that's worth checking out.