Alaskan Pipeline
Prairie Artisan Ales

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 11/8/2018. Pours fairly cloudy opaque pitch black color with a 1-2 finger foamy and fluffy tan head with poor retention, that reduces to a thin ring of lace that lingers. Slight spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, pecans, apple brandy, toasted oak, fudge, brownie batter, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, maple, vanilla, pecan, and brandy barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, pecans, apple brandy, toasted oak, fudge, brownie batter, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, roast, char bitterness; and brandy/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, maple syrup, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, pecans, apple brandy, toasted oak, fudge, brownie batter, dark/brown bread, dark fruit, smoke, char, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, maple, vanilla, pecan, and brandy barrel flavors; with a fantastic roasted bitter/sweet, and brandy/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 14%, with zero lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic flavored barrel aged imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, maple, vanilla, pecan, and brandy barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; fantastic soft feel. A bit over carbonated, but probably made it smoother. Was definitely not infected. Amazingly well balanced between rich malts, maple, vanilla, pecans, and brandy barrel presence/integration. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected.

Very dark appearance with slight tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a mild maple vanilla and bourbon combination. Taste is also a mild maple vanilla and bourbon that is slightly sweet with great feel.