Continuance Blend #2
Side Project Brewing

 

At the Mortalis 6th anniversary party bottle share, got to try a sample. I’m not 100% sure it was #2, but judging by the sledgehammer of cinnamon exploding my mouth, I’d say it was #2. Many things about this were very nice, e.g., look, viscosity, mouthfeel, aroma…the cinnamon was entirely over the top for me, rendering it close to undrinkable. Cinnamon aficionados might love that amount, but for me it was destructive to the taste instead of making anything complementary.

Looking at the various Continuance offerings, maybe #5 makes more sense, but either way, not one I’d revisit blindly for money.

 

 

 

Dark muddy brown with red edges and a quick to disperse tan head settling at a quarter pipe.

The underlying barleywine is really well made, with some Raisinet and even zesty qualities, while also allowing room for spiced dates and char.

Another quite complex and delicious if not pleasantly spicy blend that impresses more than the sum of its bases.

 

 

 

750 mL bottle. Murky deep brown. Smells of sweet brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, maybe a little cinnamon. Tastes of sweet brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla and oak. The cinnamon really only comes through in the back end. Sweet and boozy. Very low carbonation. It's good, but it's mostly sugar.

 

 

Another beauty from Side Project. The cinnamon is a bit more restrained, while the vanilla keeps the perfect balance from the sweet, fruity, malty base barleywine. Notes of stewed dark fruit, oak, bourbon, & finishing with subtly bitter notes of cinnamon.

 

 

Look - black and thick with slight rimming
Smell - caramel woody cinnamon vanilla
Taste - same with so much vanilla but great blend
Feel - so thick and creamy
Overall - just incredible

 

 

Chocolatey stout with a prominent cinnamon presence and a strong, alcoholic barrel finish. Overall, it misses the mark on the whole "barleywine" category, but drinks well as an adjunct stout.

poured from a 750mL bottle into a snifter. pours a mahogany to chestnut brown out of the bottle but settles in the glass an extremely dark brown with little to no head. hardly even a bubble in the glass. whiskey, oak, chocolate cake frosting, a hint of maple and a dash of cinnamon. wonderful nose on this one. taste is chocolate covered toffee with a strong whiskey and oak presence. the cinnamon and vanilla really are an afterthought here, although vanilla dominates between the two. thick, full mouthfeel from start to finish. perfectly low carb. a wonderfully done adjunct barleywine that would fit in perfectly after a thanksgiving or christmas dinner. the whiskey and cinnamon just scream ‘the holidays’ and it’s the perfect small pour after dinner treat. a very unique and well thought out barleywine.