Paisley Cave Complex
Bottle Logic Brewing

500 ml bottle into a snifter. 2023 edition, had 10/21/23.

Pours near black and opaque, somewhat thick looking, with no head and some specks of cling. Aromas of blueberries, chocolate, vanilla, some oak, light bourbon. Similar flavors with the bourbon most noticeable. Then, blueberries, chocolate, malt, vanilla, some oak. Smooth, a little creamy, a solid full body, appropriately carbonated.

This is delicious, really enjoyed this one. Blueberries for days, lots of chocolate, a decent barrel presence. I get more vanilla than marshmallow, but no issue with that.

RFO2022

 

Type: 500-ml. bottle
Reviewed as: American Pastry Stout
Glass: Revision 12-oz. tulip
Price: $27.00
From: Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, Calif.
Purchased: Aug. 31, 2022; Received on Sept. 2, 2022
Consumed: Dec. 9, 2022
Misc.: Collaboration with Great Notion Brewing; Bottled in 2022; Batch 3

Dave H. picked this one up for me. Had the 2018 version once, giving a taster of it a 4.50 at the 2019 Adelaide Inn bottleshare for the Firestone Invitational. Untappd description was “Dusk settles beyond the cave while sparks of first fire crackle into the breeze. Ah, the early North American man, with distant dreams of the day their kind would reach its zenith some 14,300 years later with the creation of a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial S’Mores Stout. With blueberries. For science. Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout brewed with marshmallows and finished with cacao nibs and blueberries. Unearth the third batch of #PaisleyCaveComplex, our legendary collaboration with the ax-wielding innovators at Portland’s Great Notion Brewing.”

Poured a pitch-black color with a finger of fizzy khaki-tan head. Calm setting underneath the head. Good spotty lacing. Decent retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled blueberry, marshmallow, vanilla, smooth bourbon, toasted oak, purple grape, dark chocolate, cacao, maple syrup and caramel. A little better out of the bottle. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted better than the nose. In order got blueberry, marshmallow, vanilla, chocolate syrup, purple grape, maple syrup, smooth bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, cacao, mocha, milk chocolate and dark fruit. (Taste - 4.50)

Medium body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.75)

Awesome. Not as good as I had from the taster, but awesome. (Overall - 4.50)

4.41 | 98 | A

**
12/25/25

Merry Christmas with Blueberry S'mores.

Bottle to snifter.

LOOK: pitch black. thick motor oil, no head even after josling aggressively. silky brown legs are left on side of glass though.

AROMA: cocoa, oak, bourbon, berry. very nice, but not as pungent as flavor profile would suggest.

TASTE: Blueberry comes to forefront along with the bourbon and barrel character. A touch of cocoa is evident, but I might not pick it up if I didn't read the "smores" description. As I drink more, I start to taste Cola instead. In the finish, the blueberry start to taste closer to raspberry or just general berry.

FEEL: thick, full body, no carbonation. A bit of dry and puckery finish that starts to get slightly unpleasant, but this is mostly me just nit-picking. Mostly smooth.

Very Nice. It's no Fundamental Observation, but tasty and well crafted.


**

2025 release. Poured into a tumbler. Inky black pour. The medium-mocha-colored head fizzled away almost instantly. The smell is rich with chocolate, marshmallow, brown sugar, bourbon, and just a whiff of blueberry. I wasn't sure how the blueberry would blend with the s'mores flavors but it works well. In fact, the blueberry presence is much greater than I expected and is more tart than sweet. The cocoa nibs and marshmallow rest in the background. While initially the barrel influence was strong and rather hot, it mellowed as the Stout breathed. The mouth feel is liter than I anticipated. And there is no escaping the 14.4% ABV. This is very much a sipper. Overall, Paisley Cave Complex is adjunct-laden but doesn't come across as gimmicky. I'm glad to have tried it although given the high price point, I would not purchase more.

Tap at Belmont Station. Jet black with no head at all. An abundance of blueberries in the nose as well as treacle, heady malt syrup and burnt toffee. On the palate this is quite unctuous and then the blueberry flavours are quite prominent along with dark Scottish toffee, dark amber maple syrup and black currants. The finish is very long, warming and moderately tannic.

 

 

 

 

 

2023 release, batch 4

Bottle Logic knows their way around sweet and heavily adjuncted Stouts, but I’m hoping the blueberry will cut through the sweetness on this one. It can be a hard fruit to work with in beer but is also phenomenal when done right. High risk, high reward. Either way, let’s dive right in

Pours almost completely pitch black with a finger of loose dark tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose doesn’t suggest tartness unfortunately, but it’s far from cloying. I’m picking up on aromas of freeze dried blueberry, vanilla bean, marshmallow, milk chocolate, molasses, grape skin, sweet bourbon, stewed cherry, and brown sugar

It does have more of a tart berry bite in taste, I think the 15% helps with that. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting blueberry skin, honey, sweet bourbon, marshmallow, milk chocolate, smooth oak, brown sugar, and vanilla bean. The swallow brings notes of tart blueberry, creme brûlée, graham cracker, cacao nibs, dry oak, vanilla bean, sweet bourbon, stewed cherry, and walnut

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes dry with a boozy heat

Oh yeah, this one is awesome. It’s definitely on the sweet side but it’s never overwhelming

 

Poured a black body with minimal tan head. The aroma has notes of mild chocolate and blueberry. Full body (guess that's the marshmallow fluff), slightly sticky, has a mild milk chocolate sweetness in the background that pairs well with a blueberry sweetness and mini-tartness up front. ABV well hidden, beer is dangerously easy to drink and well worth relaxing with.

 

A really nice stout for fans of blueberry and/or bourbon. Taste is full and lush with excellent mouthfeel. Aroma is a fat, sweet bourbon that is delightful if not complex. Personally, I don’t need complexity if the flavor is this good. Little head and lacing as expected with a barrel aged stout

 

 

 

08/12/23 bottle @ home