Shieldwall (Barrel Aged)
HammerHeart Brewing Company

 

 

 

somewhere between an imperial brown and a quad this one is in its grain complexion, huge and thick, mostly still and hazy looking. a little bit of everything, a hint of smoke, the bitter cocoa nibs, the rich and sticky sweet grain layers like bread pudding, its pretty darn complex, and thats before the barrel. theres so much going on in the nose of this that the barrel isnt right away obvious. the wood is, but maybe the smoked malt has something to do with that. only in the taste, sort of flashing in between the grain waves. amber and caramel malts, chocolate notes, sweet toffee buttery goodness, then bitter chocolate, radiant vanilla and dates, finally the charred oak and a hint of toasted malt on the very mach end with honey type sugars and a texture that really isnt all that different from honey in fact. complex is an understatement on this one, united by sugar and smoke, the nibs bitter it up just enough. this was sort of the crown jewel of this place, even though i think a few other beers come together, and certainly are more drinkable, this one is a beast, i felt like this was the ultimate illustration of what these guys are up to, and i have nothing but love for it. a sparkling experience this brewery, cant say enough good things about it.