Wobbly Cow
Flying Fish Brewing Company

 

 

This Cow might be Wobbly, but she shows no signs of tipping over as New Barrel-Aged Beer Sunday (Week 720) continues unabated!

From the Bottle: "Aroma: Chocolate, coffee, sweet malt, roastiness, mild rye. Flavor: Roast up front leading into dark chocolate, bourbon vanilla, lingering sweet coffee."; "Limited Release"; "Aged in Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey Barrels, this velvety stout has aromatics of coffee, roasted barley, dark chocolate, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor notes of sweet coffee, chocolate and hints of bourbon vanilla, with a rich, full bodied finish."; "Malts: Superior Pilsen, Vienna Malt, BlackPrinz, Wheat, Chocolate Malt, Pale Crystal, CaraFoam, Roasted Barley, Peated Malt, Lactose Sugar; Hops: Horizon; Yeast: Chico Ale; Original Gravity: 18.5P; IBU's: 22".

Following a brief respite, I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle C-Line pour that still resulted in almost uncontrollable foaming. It finally settled down to become just better then two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-brown head with great retention. Color was an inky Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose was very sweet, quite malty, like milk chocolate with a coffee sharpness/tang, but the barrel aging was not readily apparent. Hmm. Mouthfeel was medium, but I expected more, both from the style & this one in particular. The taste was quite sweet, very chocolaty, less coffee than the top billing suggested with a very light vanilla flavor that could have been from anything/anywhere. I understand that the barrel aging was only top-billed on the neck label, but it still raised my expectations, only to be let down. Yes, for the style, it was fine, but for personal taste as a consumer, it was disappointing. Finish remained sweet & chocolaty with hints of coffee & vanilla. My $0.02 - if they do this again, leave it in the barrels longer! YMMV.

 

 

 

 

$ 19.00 (Including tax)/four-pack of 12 oz bottles ($ 0.396/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA.
“Use by 02-26-19” on the label, stored at 42 degrees prior to consumption and served at 45 degrees in a hand-washed and hand-dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.5.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque. When held to the light, there is penetration only around the meniscus.
Head – Large (Maximum 6.3 cm, aggressive center pour), brown, low density, average retention, diminishing to a two to three mm ring and a broken thin layer.
Lacing – None.
First pour – Dark brown, clear.
Aroma – 4 – Begins with heavy dark chocolate followed by coffee. Lasts.
Flavor – 4 - Coffee followed by some chocolate. No rye, no barrel. No alcohol flavor but immediate gastric warming occurs. No hops, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 - Medium, watery, almost fizzy.
Impression and summation – 3 – A stout with no lacing? Probably not surprising considering the carbonation level. Otherwise, the appearance is OK. The aroma and flavor are both good overall, but both lack roasted maltiness and any trace of rye or barrel – I’m not a cicerone but I do drink rye so I’m familiar with the taste and aroma. The mouthfeel is watery and borders on fizzy, so I’d hesitate to call this a stout – maybe closer to the porter end of the scale.

Poured a quarter of it into my glass and the foam would have spilled over the top had I not intervened. Very large and lasting brown head. Pours dark brown/black. Aroma is chocolate with a touch of coffee. Taste is chocolate and coffee with slight whiskey notes. Complex but not heavy.

 

This beer foamed up like no other. I really thought there’d be something wrong with it, but other than that it tasted and smelled fine. Nice sweet coffee and touch of rye spicy aroma, with the same flavor profile. Nice stuff from NJ.

**
05/09/18

Bottle to snifter.

LOOK: dark black . big frothy bass head. Very good head retention.
AROMA: Coffee,espresso. Faintest of whiskey aromas.
TASTE: coffee, Vanilla. Chocolate. Raisin. Wine. Wood.
FEEL: creamy and smooth. Thick. Foamy.

Very nice oatmeal stout. I do not get much barrel character. Some oak, but not much whiskey.
**