Flying Buffalo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - Orange and Chocolate
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

A - Pours a very dark brown with a one finger tan head. Light soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is dark chocolate, vanilla, light orange peel and bourbon.

T - The taste is dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, orange peel, oak and bourbon.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Pretty solid fruited BBA. The orange is subtle and adds a nice splash of citrus to the traditional BBA flavors.

 

 

 

16 ounce can into snifter, 2018 vintage. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dens and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge milk/dark chocolate, orange juice/peel/zest, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, fudge, marshmallow, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Fantastic aromas with awesome balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, oranges, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, orange juice/peel/zest, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, fudge, marshmallow, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, licorice, molasses, raisin, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal/roast/char, citrus peel/zesty bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, orange juice/peel/zest, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, fudge, marshmallow, bourbon, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light coconut/molasses/dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, oranges, and bourbon barrel flavors; with an awesome zesty/roasted bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/zesty/char bitterness, and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairy full body; very a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with minimal lingering barrel barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged fruited imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, chocolate, oranges, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced rich malts, citrus vibrancy, chocolate, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Not overly boozy, tannic, drying on barrels. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as usual.