Winter Coat (2023)
StormBreaker Brewing

Had this beer last night and it pours a dark brown color with basically no head. The aroma is dark chocolate, figs, a little rye spiciness and a hint of rum. Good ABV, not too strong and makes for an easier drinking beer. 20 IBUs

2023 vintage

I had the 2024 base beer and the 2023 rye barrel variant of this one and thought they were pretty good but ultimately unremarkable. I don’t have super high hopes for this one as I feel the bourbon may overwhelm the more gentle notes. Let’s crack it open and see what it has to offer

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of soapy light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal

The nose here is actually really nice, sweet for sure but nicely balanced. I’m picking up on aromas of molasses, fig, burnt sugar, sweet bourbon, toasted oak, black cherry, caramel, toasted coconut, and light pomegranate

The bourbon is more present in taste but it’s still damn solid. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting burnt caramel, earthy bourbon, brown sugar, toasted oak, molasses, raw coconut, red grape, light fig, and cinnamon. The swallow brings notes of sweet bourbon, molasses, burnt sugar, sweet fig, chocolate fudge, smooth oak, raw coconut, and red grape

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes truly neutral

This one is better than I was expecting. It’s still not anything amazing but I dig it

Blackish brown pour with a tan cap. Smell is fruity starting with the fig and lesser so pomegranate backed by bourbon booze. Tastes of pomegranate, rum, molasses, and fig in a cola-forward winter warmer, mild spice notes with the yeast on the very end. Feel is thin and boozy though, gets pretty hot. Not sure if the barrel helped here

16oz can from Tavour. Dark brown pour, clear, finely beaded beige head. A big sweet, boozy blast hits the nose first, cola, spicy. Taste leads with whiskey barrel, rye, sweet, woody, figs, rum. Even at 8.3%, it brings a lot of warmth. Seems a bit thin and a surprisingly fast finish.

This is a much needed brew after a long night of work out in the rain. Pours out a translucent copper, similar to a barleywine. A finger of foam, slightly off white. Very nice looking. Nose is pretty rye forward. I get some dark fruit, malt, and some hop presence, but the oak and almost herbal rye note takes up a huge amount of the spotlight. The taste shows a little more, thankfully. Dark fruit, brown sugar, oak, rye spice, and the hops really show their strength on the palate. Maybe they intended for this one to be aged a little. This is like the tamer version of a barleywine. I wish this was a little denser in regards to the mouthfeel. This seems thin considering its an 8.3% ABV. Other than that, its a solid brew with a unique angle that makes it complex enough to be memorable.