Barrel Aged Shattered Dream
Siren Craft Brew

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into the test glass
A - Ebony wood colored, a thin ring clings to the glass wall containing the offering.
S - Fudge brownie, vanilla, fig, bakers chocolate, Canadian Brown bread, molasses, and cinamonn.
T - Dark chocolate up front then bourbon barrel treatment chimes in, with vanilla, toasted oak, dark cherry, anise as well.
M - Medium in body, not a round offering, but not thin either, sweet start continues throughout the experience. Linger has a bit of alcohol to it
O - A very nice barreled stout, the sum of the parts do add up in this case.

330 ml bottle into snifter, best before 2/14/2021. Pours dense pitch black color with a small fairly dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. A bit more fruity/yeasty aromas than expected, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, roast, char bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a solid hop/roast bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.1%, with no barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic flavored imperial English milk/sweet stout! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, coffee, cocoa, lactose, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced rich/complex malts/oats, fruity/nutty coffee, cocoa nibs, lactose, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with mild fruity English yeast, and earthy hops against sweetness. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on English style example as expected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aged 7 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels
and that really does give it a big whiskey kiss on the nose and flavour
with with the nib and vanilla, which is lost really amongst the other flavour elements,
makes a high class Irished up Mocha
that's rich, indulgent but not very challenging