You Can't Do That On Television
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

Nice pour, dark brown almost black color. Ok head, didn't last too long.

A bit of sweetness on the nose.

Smooth. Rich, very delicious. Not too thick, but really great for this style, as there is usually more bitterness.

Very good beer.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque in the glass with a half finger chocolate head with good retention and slippery lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, molasses, dark chocolate, whiskey and a touch of caramel and rye. Flavor follows, with dark toasted malt with a touch of char, molasses, dark chocolate, rye whiskey a little hint of toffee in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; nice mouth feel. A rich, chocolatey stout with fine rye whiskey character. The taste is a little hot at first, which somewhat masks some flavor, but the chocolate, whiskey and lighter flavors develop into the finish which is well balanced and tasty. This is my kind of a barreled stout with great flavor without adjuncts. This has some stellar chocolate malt. It is a bit hot still; I'm glad I waited a year on this one, which seems to be the sweet spot for these big barreled stouts. Breakside has a consistently excellent barreling program. Glad I spotted this in Oregon.

another fire barrel aged imperial beer from breakside, a big stout in rye barrels this time, refined to a real high degree, dripping in earthy spicy rye character, rich without being diabetic, and really without frills compared to a lot of beers playing in this space right now, nice to have this not be a pastry thing. crazy this is as strong as it is, it drinks big, but not this big, no fusel alcohol or hotness here to me, just warming, slow paced but not problematic. some shine to this, some density, short mocha ring of bubbles on top, polished and surprisingly carbonated for what it is. smell deeply roasted, earthy, bitter, and intense, with notes of good tobacco, unsweetened baking chocolate, dark leather, and asphalt sealant, some coffee and even toasted coconut too, but lots of wood and lots of rye whiskey, awesome. its worth letting this warm up some, it opens a lot, milk chocolate and raisin come out, huge vanilla from the oak, some bitter drip coffee, barrel char, and peppery rye that lingers on the center of the tongue. it has a slick sort of high gloss feel, carries only enough sweetness for this to be balanced, to me in the form of brown sugar and molasses. faint yeast on the back end to me, the alcohol and the whiskey peaking together, cocoa nib and vanilla late, drying and bitter. delicious, regal feeling, huge bodied but not forever on the palate due to its relative lack of residual sugar, a great expression of what must be some high end barrels, and i love it not depending on crap like marshmallows and lactose for its nuance and intrigue. wicked stuff, seemingly build for the dead of winter. loved it.

 

Enjoyed on tap at the Breakside Beer Garden in Beaverton, OR, in a Breakside-branded snifter.

Look-
Bible-black with chestnut highlights, and as opaque and impenetrable as the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The beer displays a thick head of buff-colored foam when it first hits the glass, but it doesn't last long. Nice "beer legs," though, which coat the inside of the glass with every sip.

Smell-
Whiskey and fudge, with notes of marshmallows, oak, prunes, toffee, and spicy rye. Overall, the nose is kind of like dunking a chocolate croissant in a mug of hot chocolate spiked with whiskey.

Taste-
Rich with flavors of fudge, toffee, oak, slightly burnt chocolate chip cookies, a touch of smoke, and a smaller-than-usual amount of that Breakside "molasses" note. Huge rye barrel flavor which gets spicier as the beer warms.

Feel-
Voluptuous body with an oily mouthfeel. Finely-textured carbonation. Alcohol is evident, but warm rather than hot.

Overall-
By now it is well known that Breakside makes terrific barrel-aged beers. You Can't Do That On Television is no exception. This dense, luxurious stout has no adjuncts and doesn't need them. A gorgeous beer, perfect for enjoying outside under the pergola at the Breakside Beer Garden on a cold, wet December afternoon. I imagine this would also make an excellent New Year's Eve beer.