Permutation 7.09
Trillium Brewing Company

 

Brewers Notes: Permutation is our experimental series of small batch offerings, showcasing the unique visions and innovative concepts developed by our production crew. The names are sequential, reflecting the brewing year in Trillium's lifespan, followed by a recipe indicator.

Like Permutation 7.06, we took the approach and techniques utilized with our Mettle Alloy series of hoppy beers and applied them to a variety of cellared Imperial Stouts with complementary profiles.

Displaying its pitch-black viscosity as soon as it's pouring into the glass, Permutation 7.09 opens up with aromas of creamy chocolate milk, toasted hazelnut, and subtle fresh-ground coffee beans. Over time, the beer begins to show secondary notes of vanilla almond milk and gentle coconut. A medium body, well-integrated adjunct profile, and slight warming character all come together in a harmonious slow-sipping drinking experience.

HOPS: ?
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS: Coffee, Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Marshmallows, Lactose, Bananas, Figs, Chocolate, Coconut, Pecans, Macadamia Nuts, Almonds

Bomber poured into a Spiegelau glass, black motor oil capped by a dense fizzy brown one finger foam layer

Aroma is cocoa powder

Taste is cocoa powder, chocolate , bit of hazelnut, vanilla, coffee without the acrid sharp bite

Lighter mouthfeel for an imperial stout , smooth, rich, sweet, abv is well hidden

Good beer

 

 

 

Pours jet black with low head.

Smell is roasted and sweet, very intense. Notes of chocolate truffles, cofee, vanilla, oak and rum with some fruity hints. The figs , maybe?

Taste is sweet and intense with notes of rum, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and some fruity and nutty hints.

Mouthfeel is thick and oily, well carbonated.

Overall, a great stout, where some of the ingredients are quite well hidden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drank from a 750 ml bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
Served in a Permutation Series glass

Medium bodied, dark brown appearance. Thinner than I anticipated for the style. The liquid was topped by a frothy, inch-tall, cappuccino colored crown that fell to a clingy collar. A few drippy streaks of lacing trickled along the glass.

The nose was impressive. Rich and fairly sweet. Milk chocolate was quite apparent. Some brown sugar came through as well. Moderately sweet. A nutty quality was also detectable. Hazelnut perhaps. Vanilla and lactose (and possibly some marshmallow) were also noticeable. As the beer warmed, the nuttiness and the vanilla intensified.

The flavor profile was similar to the aroma but not quite as complex. Malty and fairly robust. Nice balance of roasted and caramel malts on the front end. Vanilla and creamy lactose notes were apparent in the center. Moderate amount of brown sugar sweetness. Touch of powdered cocoa and nuttiness. More roastiness on the back end and the finish. A metallic quality appeared after the swallow initially, but it dissipated rather quickly.

The mouthfeel was lighter bodied for the style and quite fluffy. The liquid contained a larger bubbled, greater than average effervescence that felt a touch airy initially. As the beer sat and the carbonation settled, the liquid turned slicker and creamier.

With so many adjuncts, I thought this blended Permutation series imperial stout might come across as a disjointed mess. Instead, however, most of the flavor additions were completely lost on me. Like Permutation 9.26, this was a fun, tasty and enjoyable quarantine experiment but, at $24, definitely overpriced.

 

S — Milk chocolate, rich fudge, hazelnut, almond, walnut, cold brew coffee, fig, booze, caramel, molasses
T — Definitely getting a lot of the same notes on the nose, but with some more adjuncts shining through. Of the listed adjuncts, definitely getting a lot of nuts, coffee, vanilla, fig, chocolate, and coconut. Bit of banana and marshmallow in the background, but it’s not much. Aside from the adjuncts, this has the same ‘generic’ pastry stout qualities that are common to all of Trillium’s high gravity stouts
F — Big mouthfeel, medium- carb. Not crazy mouth coating or velvety, but still quite viscous
O — A solid blend here, the sheer number of adjuncts reminds me a lot of Adjunction Junction. Not sure if quite worth the $24/bottle pricing

86/100

750ml bottle

Pours opaque pitch black with maroon red brown highlights around the edges, and a quickly dissipating light brown foam head. Smells like rich sweet coffee, toasty coconut, fudgy dark chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, toasted nuts, almond, macadamia nuts, pecans, marshmallow, creamy lactose, mild banana and fig fruitiness, hints of caramel, dark toffee, brown sugar, all coming together in a fairly sweet dessert-like pastry aroma that smells rich and decadent but not too overly sweet. Tastes like rich fudgy dark chocolate, roasted coffee, sweet toasty coconut, toasted nuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, peanut butter, marshmallow, vanilla, lactose creaminess, mild fig, bananas, cooked brown sugar, caramel, dark toffee, subtle hint of hops, with lingering sweet nutty dessert-like pastry baked good flavors reminiscent of peanut butter brownies and rocky road banana split. Feels substantial, medium plus bodied, creamy and slick with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a really nice and complex imperial stout blend.