The Oligarch - Piedmontese
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

Taster at brewery, from bottle. Black, slick, flat. Not much in the aroma in the way of additives. Taste brings a bit of nutty, vanilla ice gelato vibe, but its subtle.

Bottle:
For a larger ABV beer, this has a nice creamy collar as I drink it. Lacing feints at sticking around, but look away and it’s gone.

Nose starts the sweet theme that runs throughout. But it’s just a thread in this beer. Dark roast coffee, a hint of cherry, a light nutty note that I think I’d recognize without knowing that hazelnut was an ingredient. Of known ingredients, vanilla is integrated well, and salt isn’t really perceived.

Dragging the sweet theme into the taste, the maple is more distinct in the taste and blends with the fudge brownie enticingly. Hazelnut actually helps to restrain the sweetness, and a dark cherry flavor cuts through it. Now the beer stays a bit sticky and fairly thick, but at least there’s some interesting balance, mainly the nuttiness, though the cherry edges line the later tastes after the maple fades.

The salinity is so well incorporated fir my tastes, I only notice its influence indirectly is the softer aspects of the fudge flavor and feel. A very interesting beer that is more rich than sweet, more nuanced than many pastry stouts, but still one to look to after dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

I received a bottle from @woemad in a BIF box. Poured into a snifter. It pours an inky black. the medium mocha head disappeared quickly. On the nose there is bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, molasses, caramel, maple, and a hint of oak. As it warms there is increasing earthy char. It's very fragrant. Wow, this is delicious! The first thing I taste is rich fudge, along with freshly-brewed coffee, caramel, and maple syrup. And it gets better: there is black cherry (not overly sweet) and notes of bitter char. It's like drinking a chocolate-covered cherry. The bourbon is noticeable but surprisingly delicate. It really enhances the flavor rather than distracting. The mouth feel is delightful: it's thick and chewy with moderate carbonation. The 10.3% ABV, while warming, isn't overpowering. Overall, this is an exquisite RIS; it has all the elements you would want and they combine in a fabulous way. I'm fortunate to have had the chance to try it.

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, cocoa, hazelnut and a little vanilla. Flavor is dark toasted malt, maple, hazelnut, vanilla and bourbon. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Every time I try one of these, I think "this is the best one yet", but truthfully I'm sure that my memory is not all that great. This one excels out of a stellar series; the hazelnut is a wonderful flavor combination with the malt and maple. A touch of vanilla is just enough. I really like these variants but once again think the base malting is more like an imperial porter than a Russian imperial stout. But as I drink it, that seems like a non-issue, it's very good.

 

 

The reflection of this obsidian beer is obviously beautiful, but it's nothing outstanding to look at aside from this. Pitch black with excellent cleanliness and almost zero light browned bubbles to speak of.

Good god this is straight booze and fudge the second the cap is popped. Nutty, with oaken vanilla, with a black cherry juice backdrop. To be completely honest, it's relatively simple but intoxicating nonetheless.

Oh my fucking Lord... I almost cried. Chocolate and hazelnut fudge brownie, meets sea salt, meets oak, booze, and dark fruit juice. I don't have the words.

The texture is just right as it is creamy, almost gooey. Boozy and warm, but not rediculously so. Sweet, salty, and slightly bitter. It's frustrating as it is easy to take sip after sip, but I want this to last forever.

Breakside, I love you. These barrel aged monsters that you put out are phenomenal. I need to go out and buy more of this. I hope the rest of these Oligarch's are remotely as good as this.

Cheers.