Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

another monster from the kings of barrel aged no bs stouts. its amazing what they do with their barrel program here, how well blended and interesting all of these are, and how little they depend on the adjuncts dominating the style space right now, beer like this will always be cool to me, and i look forward to everything i encounter from breakside. some long aged beer in this blend, some in apple brandy barrels, some in bourbon, some in rye, some barleywine too with the stouts, really cohesive, strong, dark, and lengthy, and sick to score it on tap! this shows up with major viscosity, almost a syrup texture, and actually sports a thin layer of light brown foam for moment on top of its near black mirror glazed looking body, regal and slightly intimidating perhaps. aroma of dark chocolate, high end coffee beans, molasses, wet oak, decadent bourbon, and quite a bit of alcohol, trace smoke, old leather, raisin and other dried fruitiness, some serious bitterness from all the roast and barrel char, but also quite sweet, the little bit of milk stout in this blend makes an impact, a lot more bourbon than rye to me here, even at temperature. totally palate coating, so i taste it forever after each sip. dark and milk chocolate both all through it, tons of roast, black coffee, approaching burnt, and there is some bitterness. hints of rye spiciness, wet tobacco, cane sugar, and an almost balsamic savory umami character, pretty epic, and it does highlight a touch of apple brandy in this, but i dont taste a ton of that at any point. the oats from the oatmeal stout in the blend lend appreciable smoothness, and there is a lot of body here, sticky without somehow being diabetic. it warms up super well, booziness yeah, but also incredible layers of flavor, i get some light oxidation from some older beer in the mix, not unflattering, i get baking chocolate, coffee ice cream, and a whole lot of oak. i loved this, i think the barleywine takes some of the roasty edges down a little bit later on which is nice, and its silky. one to share with your crew, truly special.

 

 

9-ounce pour sampled at the Breakside beer garden in Beaverton, OR. Enjoyed in a Breakside-branded snifter.

Look:
A rich brown-black color with lovely deep golden-brown highlights. A small head of tan foam shrinks to a solid collar. No lacing.

Smell:
Bourbon, molasses, burnt toast, dark chocolate, milk chocolate. Notes of prunes, red grapes, oak, and caramel. A touch of soy. The apple brandy barrel component starts to come forward about halfway through the glass.

Taste:
Starts with high-percentage cacao dark chocolate filled with bourbon-flavored caramel. Lush, concentrated dark fruits follow: prunes, raisins, a little blackcurrant. A little hit of soy and umami leads into the finish, along with flavors of apple brandy, mild vanilla, and the molasses note which seems to be a signature of Breakside's barrel-aged stouts. Finishes with burnt marshmallow, milk chocolate, bourbon, and a kiss of apple brandy at the very end.

Feel:
Full-bodied with a gorgeous velvety texture. Soft carbonation. Some alcohol warmth, but less than I'd expect from a 13.3% barrel-aged stout.

Overall:
Are You Afraid Of The Dark? is another excellent barrel-aged stout from Breakside. Plenty of bourbon character with delicious layers of fruit and chocolate (both dark and milk). Not too sweet. Rich and complex with a luscious body. I wish the apple brandy character was a little more prominent, but that is a tiny quibble, and won't stop me from picking up a bottle to enjoy when the weather turns cold and rainy.