Great White Buffalo
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into snifter, canned on 4/10/2019. Pours cloudy/opaque dark brown/black color with a small fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk/white chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa nibs, coffee, bourbon barrel, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk/white chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, roast, char, coffee bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/white chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark bread/crust, light dark fruit/smoke/char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa nibs, coffee, bourbon barrel, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness after the finish. Medium carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 12%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this a fantastic barrel aged flavored Russian imperial stout! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa nibs, coffee, bourbon barrel, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; amazingly silky/soft feel. Amazing balance of rich malts, vanilla, and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with solid earthy hop presence, and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected. Another fantastic addition to the Flying Buffalo family.