Snail Boat
Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew

the coolest part of this one is that it is in collaboration with jackie os, one of my favorites, real neat get for these guys, gives them additional relevance, and if the ohio guys saw enough in our mutual friend to agree to work with them, maybe i need to look a little harder myself. anyway, the beer didnt wow me, its a little thin, sweet, and alcoholic, no surprise on that one with this monster abv. the pour is a little more brown than black, not as viscous as expected, and more fizzy looking than a lot of them are, but not holding much head. the nose is ever so slightly astringent, oak tannins coming through in front of the actual bourbon to me, the alcohol is hot, and there is some spiciness like licorice and clove in the middle, more familiar coffee and dark cocoa notes as well, autumnal and appealing, but also slightly imperfect, maybe on the ferment. the flavor is good, but a bit generic, and the mouthfeel isnt right, its quick and thinner than it needs to be, i want this long, sturdy, and slow. chocolate all through it, a hint of black tea, some vanilla and char from the barrels, a slightly stressed yeast maybe, and all the alcohol in the world. its just a little disjointed and underwhelming given the collaboraiton, but there is a lot of barrel on it, some decent depth of flavor, and maybe im being just a little too harsh. still, i had a little higher hopes for this. either way, its obvious our mutual friend has taken a coulple of huge leaps forward in the years since i lived in denver, so good for them!