10W-40 - Palo Santo
Hi-Wire Brewing

 

Canned 06/04/19... curious to see how it's held up with that lactose addition.

On the pour, the body appears fairly thin, with a deep brown coloration. Not much rising carbonation, as only a small amount of off-white head settles comfortably in a ring around the beer. On the end of the pour you can see that the lactose has formed into small bits of sediment that disperse throughout the darkness.

The nose on this is an excellent combination of all adjuncts. dark roast coffee compliments the malt bill, while a sweet confectionary chocolate helps to really bring out hat vanilla, which aroma-wise hasn't seem to have faded at all.

The palate is still drinking really nicely; While the vanilla has definitely faded, it opens up with complex roasty notes that the palo santo wood really compliments nicely with undertones of caramel and a touch of smoke. The coffee undertones haven't become off in any way, and there's an initial punch of bitter cacao that fades into the more earthy, coffee-forward qualities of the beer. As it continues to open up, there's even some emerging notes of coconut imparted by the wood, similar as to what you might get with amburana.

While the beer rinks fairly thin, the lactose is still doing its job in softening this one up. It's a smooth drinker, that finishes with a mild roasty bitterness and no boozy warmth at all.

9/21/19 can @ home

1 PINT can
Served in a snifter

This beer pours black and is topped with an inch of tan head that disappears quickly.

I smell wood and vanilla first. As it warms the coffee and chocolate come out.

The taste is coffee forward. Vanilla and wood come in the middle. The finish is black coffee and dry, woody.

Medium bodied with a dry mouthfeel

This is a nice beer. It has great flavor and aroma.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance - The beer was black in color with brown hues and a white head.

Smell - The beer had an interesting aroma. As best I can tell, wood and lactose sugar came through in the nose.

Taste - At first, the smooth creamy chocolate lead the way. But then the smokiness of the Palo Alto would changed things up. The wood does not overwhelm the base, but gave it a smokey sweet layer with being harsh.

Mouthfeel - The carbonation was at the lower end with profile leaning slightly thin.

Overall - I was not expecting to enjoy this beer so much. I would definitely enjoy another one.

16 ounce can, packaged on 06/05/19. Thanks to Brutaltruth and Darlene for this! Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head that stuck around a little while. Decent amount of lacing. Aroma is nice and sweet, the brew smells like milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee, cream, woodiness and a bit of smoke. Taste follows the aroma for the most part, but there's also some marshamllow and earthy flavors noticeable. It's a mostly sweet tasting brew but not close to being overpoweringly so. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and smooth with a low/moderate amount of carbonation. Recommend this one, especially if you're into sweeter tasting and/or imperial stouts in general.

 

 

From a 16 oz. can into a PAA mug, the beer pours black with minimal highlights. It forms a finger worth of caramel colored crown that sits for a few minutes as it slowly disappears altogether.

The nose brings roasty, slightly acidic coffee. Faint chocolate showing through, but like it’s coming from the coffee instead of standing on its own.

The taste is surprisingly (because of all the additives and aging) balanced. Slightly astringent, roasty coffee mix with a silky chocolate. I really can’t tell if I’m picking up any of the wood from aging or not, maybe a slight oak smokiness, but very slight. Good, but very restrained. Some marshmallow and smokiness do show more evidence as it’s warming.

Silky, almost creamy, some bitterness and acidity from the coffee. Dry finish. It’s on the thinner side for the body and I do wish it had a little more fullness to it, but then again I don’t drink many 8% stouts anymore so it’s hard to compare.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable brew. Very drinkable, and that 8% would sneak up quick with how smooth it is.

Add: this beer brings out so much more as it’s warmed up. Smoky, marshmallow, mocha. I would suggest drinking this at room temp right from the get go to be honest, you’ll get a lot more complexity and much more evidence of the palo santo.

From the tall boy can in a snifter. This mighty nice offering
pours a dark blackish brown with a very nice head of tan
foam that dissipates to a thick ring, thin layer, and sports
some rather nice lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, cream,
brulee, char, and subtle coffee with light cream. Flavors
surpass the nose with dark coffee, dark fudge brownie,
subtle marshmallow, sweet cream, and brulee with
a mild wood note on the rear. Nice mouth feel; full
body, smooth, lightly slick, lightly coating, low
carbonation, and a rich finish.

Overall, a SOLID brew!

Cheers

 

 

 

Canned on 6/6/19. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours almost black with a dark khaki head that fades leaving nice retention and lacing. The aromas are malt forward along with a decent amount of chocolate. Mild hints of vanilla. The flavors are pretty bold and robust. Lots of chocolate. A nice blend of milk chocolate and chocolate syrup. More subtle hints of vanilla. I feel like I'm picking up some mild hints of cinnamon. The wood is subtle, but it gives the flavors a nice finish. The lactose is there without dominating. It doesn't come off as sweet at all. Solid malt backbone. Alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a nice stout. This is probably the most flavorful stout that I've had from their "10W-40 series". It might not be flashy or over the top, but it's simply well executed with bold flavors. Well done.