Barrel-Aged Guilty Pleasures: Espresso Cheesecake
Wicked Weed Brewing

 

 

black liquid with a light brown sugar head. Sticky foam finger lace on the glass.
Smells and Tastes of coffee and vanilla.
Easy to drink and the 12.2% ABV adds a little kick.
Very good brew but not my favorite Guilty Pleasures Stout.

 

12/28/22 can @ home

Look - nice looking thick black with a nice frothy tan head
Smell - sweet coffee vanilla cheesecake
Taste- pretty much just like the smell with some berries
Feel - medium full body with a medium light carb
Overall - not my jam

A - Black pour with dense creamy, toffee colored lacing that rests on top and csticks to the sides of the glass.

S - Dark roasted chocolate, light Espresso, and a small shot of Bourbon.

T - Bourbon, oak, and roasty malt lay a foundation for some Espresso and cheesecake on top.

M - Big medium body but a tad bit thin around the edges and some warming in the back of the throat.

O - This is a very enjoyable variation and a recommended try.

Poured a black body with one-finger khaki head that quickly died and left smattering of lace patches. I get mostly the espresso in the aroma but also some notes of wood, booze and vanilla. Definitely get the cheesecake sweetness in the sticky, heavier body and it definitely finishes a little sticky and dry from the espresso. Some mild notes of vanilla and chocolate as well, and the barrel aging definitely lends a note of smoothness the beer.

 

 

Pour is ink black, moderately thick, with enough head to necessitate a pause to avoid overflowing my teku. Some legit cheesecake notes on the nose, more filling than crust, joined by vanilla, yogurt, hints of chocolatey espresso. Consistent with the branding as a guilty pleasure, the espresso is more complementary of the other flavors, and avoids too much dark roast bitterness. The full impression on the palate is much the same, with the emergence of some barrel character and moderate booziness.

I've been avoiding purchase of any breweries from AB InBev's craft portfolio, but I made an exception anticipating that I would send some of the BA Guilty Pleasures 4-pack to a repeat trader as extras. I wanted to try one of them to make sure they were decent, and I'm pleased to say this is rather good. Not super complex, not as thicc and syrupy as fashionable pastry stouts, but then again not quite as cloyingly sweet as those, either. It has an element of restraint and balance that I appreciate, though it's definitely a dessert for me.