This Great Stage of Fools
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. A nearly year old bottle stored in a cooler. Pours very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glasee, with a quarter finger dark chocolate brown head that slowly dissipates to thin film with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, dark chocolate, fudge, nuts, caramel and umami. Flavor is dark toasted malt, dark bakers chocolate, pecan, bourbon, something similar to coconut (maybe the pandan leaf?), allspice; an unusual non-hop bitterness shows up briefly before the finish, which has bourbon, chocolate and nuts. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess, nice mouth feel. A very interesting and different barrel aged stout. Having not tasted pandan leaf, I have to think it is responsible for an exotic, rich coconut-like flavor with some floral elements. Lots of chocolate too, dark, fine chocolate. The odd bitterness that pops up near the finish is a bit disconcerting, but is fleeting, leaving a fine bourbon chocolate finish, like a quality spiced/floral chocolate. Oats are obvious in the mouth feel. Very interesting, complex but still quite sippable. It has held up wonderfully for the year. This one should return in the future, it’s a winner.

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. A 2022 release, had 6/30/23.

Pours near black and opaque, thick and oily looking, with a brief head and dark specks of oily cling. Aromas of bourbon, roasted malt, pecan, allspice, vanilla, chocolate, some marshmallow and coconut, some nutmeg and oak. Smells a little smoky. Flavors are somewhat the same: bourbon, allspice, roasted malt, pecan, oak, some vanilla and chocolate, some nutmeg, light coconut. Has a little bit of a grassy taste. Smooth, a very good full body, well carbonated.

This is terrific. All the usual add- ins show well to some degree, and it seems like the pandan leaf adds coconut and vanilla. A great blend, a solid barrel presence, certainly different. Great effort.

 

 

Appearance: Pours a deep dark brown with a beige film that fades quickly; leggy with speckles

Smell: Chocolate and Bourbon supported by vanilla, marshmallow and spice cake tones

Taste: Chocolate, vanilla and marshmallow forward with Bourbon building, through the middle; hints of spice cake flavors emerge underneath but the Bourbon aspect wraps up the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: Looking at the adjunct list, I thought this might be too sweet for my palate but I was pleasantly suprised