VIII: Anniversary Blend 50% Barrel Aged
Wolf's Ridge Brewing

 

Canned Sept 23, 2021 - 12 oz can poured into a snifer.

Look - It's black, with a small white-tan head that fades right away.

Smell - It smells like the barrel. My nose is pretty bad, but I think it has a bready, malt smell on top of the woody bourbon scent, and probably more complexity underneath.

Taste - Tastes the same as it smells. I remember getting even more of a chocolate and vanilla taste with my first can. Fair amount of bitter chocolate. It does have a strong charred grain note. Oh, there is a ripe fruit thing going on, too. The barrel character is as prominent as advertised. It's complex, given that it is a blend of various beers and styles, but I'd say the stout carries it. None of the flavors are overpowering despite the prominent barrel and it's quite smooth.

Feel - Chewy. It's full as a good stout should be, but it's deceptively smooth. Easy to drink. It's not really sticky or heavy despite its stature.

It's enjoyable and complex. Wish I could compare it with VII from the year before, which I probably underappreciated despite chancing upon it on tap.

12 ounce can, canned on SEP 23 2021. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch or so tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like roasted malt, bourbon, vanilla, oak, rum, caramel, dark bread and dark fruit. Taste is pretty much like the aroma, but with the addition of some coffee, dark chocolate and burnt/charred malt flavors. There's a lot going on here, with all the flavors meshing well together. It's creamy, coating and easy to drink with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good blended ale, but to me it wasn't nearly as good as last year's version (VII). Hoping the 100% barrel aged version will be better, but this is still worth trying if you get the chance to!

12 oz can, poured into a stout glass at ~50 degrees F and allowed to warm during consumption.

L: Pours your standard stout impenetrable black (albeit with some ruddy brown around the edges if held to light), and forms a massive pale khaki head with good retention.

S: Malty and bready, with a distinctly yeasty aroma. Stone fruits and spices, with a soft boozy caramel-vanilla-oak undertone.

T: Opens as a smooth melange of stone fruits and dark bread, with subtle charred grain notes. Cherries, figs, and fresh plum manifest, alongside a soft soil tone. Caramel and vanilla appear as it moves along, with a touch of allspice and a faint oaky tannic note in the backdrop. Some distant dark chocolate and coffee as well.

F: Full, creamy, and silky smooth.

O: This is a delightfully complex yet smooth beer, with no one element overpowering the others.