Barrel-aged Hickory Stout
Scratch Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

quite possibly the best beer i have ever had. i think these guys have just become my new favorite brewery. a tiny little operation out in the woods, i think they make just two barrels at a time, largely with foraged ingredients, pretty neat, and awfully nice people behind it. i loved their single tree series, but this was the winner for me, nothing like it in the world. at its base its a big imperial stout, full bodied, not too sweet, roasty with a hint of smoke, and just a touch warming from the alcohol. what makes it special is the hickory wood it is aged on. it brought me right to a pre-childhood memory, almost when i was an infant, where my dad would split firewood in the garage in the winter. i remember the way the bark smelled as it separated from the wood, and the whole garage used to smell like that when he was chopping. i remember sitting on the step to the house and watching, occasionally playing with the scraps that would shoot over my way. it was rustic and comforting and this beer took me back there. there is a flavor in this stout, right before the finish, that is true hickory, not smoked like texas bbbq, not barrel woody, but real wood right form the tree. that layer thats wet and soft under the bark, thats what this tastes like. musty forest, wintery, living wood, its incredible how much of that comes though, and how authentic it is. then the bourbon notes to finish it off, a hint of vanilla and sweetness, but not losing that unique hickory wood flavor. its hard to come by beer this unique, and when you do, its almost never executed this well. this is everything craft beer should be, and its everything i stand for. nothing like it in the world. dying to make it out to the brewery and try some of these other highly inventive foraged beers they do. this is life changing for me.

edit: i was a little let down by the bottled version, it tasted faded on the bark and on its way to being a little bit sour, not bad, still really earthy and different, but it was changed from the mind bendingly good original experience i had with this beer. seems like freshness matters with this one. still a one of a kind, nobody is making beer like this!

Served in a 9 oz snifter. Dark chocolate colored, opaque ale. Thin cinnamon-colored head with minimal retention.

Aroma of roasted malts, dark chocolate, earthy, veggie-like hop character. Hickory adds a unique spicy tone.

Flavor is mildly roasted with just hints of chocolate and coffee. Subtle molasses sweetness. Bourbon flavor is smooth is soft on the palate. Assertive hickory flavor adds depth.

Full bodied. Low carbonation. Lacks any syrupy texture.

Well done barrel-aged stout for a new brewery. The hickory was a nice change up.