Flying Buffalo - Bourbon Barrel-Aged - Chocolate Marshmallow Almond
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Pours a black color with a minimal head that disappears quickly. Aroma is chocolate and alcohol. Tastes of chocolate, sweet vanilla and alcohol. Smooth and creamy. Good mouth feel.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/16/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, roasted almonds, toasted oak, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, marshmallow, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, chocolate, almond, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, roasted almonds, toasted oak, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, marshmallow, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, roasted almonds, toasted oak, biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, coconut, marshmallow, molasses, 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, chocolate, almond, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 12%, and lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged flavored imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, chocolate, almond, bourbon barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tannic/drying finish; great soft/silky feel for the ABV, improves as it warms. Fantastic balance of rich malts, chocolate, almonds, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Solid earthy hops, restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example. Not much actual marshmallow flavor, but on par with baseline expectations of the series. Very impressive and always worth getting regardless of variant.

A - Pours pitch black with a thin tan head. Nice amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is milk chocolate, marshmallow and vanilla.

T - The taste is milk chocolate, almond, marshmallow, vanilla and bourbon.

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

O - Pretty BBA adjunct stout. For 12% ABV this is extremely easy drinking.