Symmetry
Side Project Brewing

Void black with minimal tan head to cover an oily, glass-staining surface.

After just having a Mexican-inspired Jackie O's stout, I was hoping there were parallels here, but this is much more expressive of cinnamon and barrel. Gloppy, viscous, warming and oaky, the cinnamon folds in to the oak fairly well, while the oak adds touches of cocoa dusted raisin.

A complex pastry delight.

 

Pitch black shimmering body with a brown cap with little retention towards a ring. Nose is the best aspect: amazing barrel complexity with cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate, with supporting marzipan, molasses, and a kiss of char. Taste is focused on molasses, cinnamon, fudge, dark fruit and differing vanillas, with great barrel backing, but not as complex as nose. Feel is a little warmer than expected accentuated by cinnamon, still great barrel, malt and viscosity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look - black and thick with a really nice dark caramel head with incredible rimming and lacing
Smell - more cinnamon when it was first opened and cold but that dialed back as it warmed and aired out. So much woody barrel with a great dark chocolate malt and vanilla
Taste - cinnamon vanilla chocolate woody caramel
Feel - full body lighter carb slight cream and alcohol burn
Overall - really incredible

poured from a 750mL bottle into a stemmed taster glass. pours a dense, oily black with almost no head. a mocha brown ring around the rim of the glass. heavy cinnamon and bourbon on the nose with a touch of chocolate. taste follows with a creamy chocolate and vanilla finish. great mouthfeel; thick from start to finish. creamy vanilla chocolate with a nice punch of spice from cinnamon and barrel. crazy to see an adjuncted barrel-aged imperial stout where the barrel shines over the adjunct additions.

 

Side by side with For Phil. Definite edge to Symmetry. Cinnamon-forward but with a clearer vanilla component and great barrel presence to cut the spice. No lingering bitterness with a pleasant warmth on the finish.