Wood And Wire
Bale Breaker Brewing Company

 

Very dark brown, near black with a modest wisp of foam in the Brigand chalice. Endless dark roasted flavors with distinct burnt edge. Flavors of bitter chocolate, dark molasses, and grainy roasted tastes. Unctuous mouthfeel with hardly sweet. This is an interesting and more austere big stout, though the less sugary taste is on the plus side. The whiskey flavor comes through in the aftertaste along with the alcohol burn. Rather bitter after a few sips. From the 750 ml bottle dated 08/20/2022.

Appearance: Pours coffee colored with a khaki head that fades to a ringlet with a small island in the middle; spots and squiggles of lace

Smell: Very woodsy, with smoky tones of charred Jameson barrels; chocolate and hints of dark fruit, as well

Taste: Chocolate and charred wood forward with some dark fruit joining; Jameson whiskey flavors emerge, in the middle, along with a grassy element; the finish has some Irish Whiskey warmth

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: My second of the Bale Breaker Jameson barrel aged series and, while this one has a higher ABV, the mouthfeel is still thinner than expected; I do like the way the Irish Whiskey is integrated, however

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque black in the glass with a two finger dark khaki head with great retention and nice lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, oak, mild cocoa and whiskey. Flavor is dark toasted malt with light char, woody oak, mild milk chocolate, faint whiskey and light grassy hops. Woody finish with light coffee notes. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and sharp carbonation. Ran across this bottle in an unexpected place and had to try something barrel aged from Bale Breaker. Not surprisingly, this has a little hop bitterness. There is more woody oak than whiskey in the profile, although this was clearly whiskey barrel aged. Malt body was a little on the light side for such a big stout, but was sturdy enough for barreling. On the woody, charry end of the barreled stout spectrum. Hoppy beers are this brewery's passion, but they seem to know their way around darker beers too. Dated from early 2020, so this bottle is about a year old and the hops may be slightly faded, although they are appropriate for a stout.
This is a little understated at first, but really grew on me as I drank it, quite well integrated for the woody style.