Fox in the Snow
Woodland Empire Ale Craft

Draft at brewery. Near black pour with a tight, creamy head. Light minty aroma. Mint much stronger in the taste, chocolate evident but not prominent. Sweet

 

a peppermint stout, polarizing i know, but this is amazing beer, about as well done as this sort of thing possibly can be, and the highlight of my recent visit here by far, one of their most successful weird ones as far as i am concerned. super festive, nice for the holidays, but i think somewhat longer season than that, all winter long at least. its not like the thin mint ones people try to make, its more of an honest peppermint, and its rich without being outwardly sugary, making it more drinkable than a lot of them, and with some nice dark chocolate character, rather than any added lactose or anything, at least from what i can tell, its smooth and relaxed and the proportions are great. its shiny black in the glass and holds a pretty tan head, it smells like a candy cane dipped in high end dark chocolate thats still kind of melty, and maybe just a touch sweet, still roasty and nice and a quality stout base is obvious here. the flavor is awesome, the mint runs all the way though it, more candy-like than the fresh herb, but too herbal to be candy at the same time, a really cool expression of the peppermint in here, seems sort of high end, natural but different than just the herb for sure. the stout is full bodied, roasty with black coffee character, and smooth and round and full, really nice to sip on, palate coating but not with sugars, nice linger, the peppermint is never spicy or intense or menthol-esque or anything, its just right, and its delicious. rarely do i want more than one glass of a flavored stout, but i could do several of these. really yummy, even for someone who isnt wild about peppermint.

12oz canned 10-25-19, opened 12-21-19.
Huge, dense 3-1/2 finger tan head, very good retention. Darkest middle core black then dark brown then lighter brown at the edges. Thick with lace.
Roasty and subtly smoky. Peppermint, menthol/eucalyptus starts to show with a little warmth and becomes more interesting/complex even further in the glass.
Peppermint is prominent in the flavor, lightly charred malt. A sort of licorice element. Chocolate is subtle and leans more towards a milk chocolate.
Medium body, low to medium carbonation. Not too heavy or too light - the body/feel carries the 7% abv effortlessly. Dry finish that stays spicy and smoky for a while.
Good - very interesting and definitely unique.

 

 

Poured from a 12oz can into a high sided tulip.

Look is pitch black with a cafe au lait head.

Aroma is chocolate peppermint with a touch of coffee.

Taste is a nice blend of those three aromas.

Very good, peppermint mocha like.

Opaque, dark brown body crowned with a thick, billowy, light tan head. Very fine aroma; subtle blend of peppermint and chocolate. The taste follows along the lines of the smell; milk chocolate and cocoa; peppermint; low-key grain char; very mild hop bitterness. Medium-heavy body; smooth and silky yet a tad thin; decent residual sugar presence; sweet mouthfeel overall.

This beer delivers some great looks and fantastic tastes. The subtlety and complexity of the flavors is superb. One of the finer holiday ales I've come across in a long time.