Because LIfe Is What You Make It
Transient Artisan Ales

 

Pours black with two fingers of caramel-colored foam. Head retention is great. Aroma is dark and robust, hitting notes of roasty, toasty, caramely malts along with char, chocolate, bourbon and maple syrup. It is most definitely dark and robust smelling, with a very light hit of sweetness from the chocolate and maple syrup. Sweetness is counterbalanced by hearty roasty malts and a kiss of bourbon heat and char. Flavor profile has a little more center-filling, as opposed to the well separated nose. Chocolate, molasses, caramel, maple syrup, raisins and toffee great the tongue with intensity, as they're quickly being chased down by char and a dash of bourbon. It's neither sweet nor boozy, instead allowing each end of the spectrum to balance out the other. It's not subtle by any means, but does manage to achieve balance. Roasty, toasty, caramely, earthy, bready malts carry and support the flavor additions and barrel usage well, all the while remaining just inside the edge of the spotlight. Mouth feel is heavy, with a little bit of heavy, full, still-textured bourbon coming through the otherwise heavy and filling texture. Overall, big and boozy with a notable nod to both bourbon and maple syrup - two opposite ends of the bitter and sweet spectrum, which speaks volumes to how this beer achieves its balance - through contradiction.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 22oz bottle.

 

 

Lighter black pour with one finger of dark brown foam. Smells strongly of oat, toasted barley, maple, bourbon, caramel, and bittersweet chocolate, but all a little muddled by some smoke. Taste is more defined, maple and caramel are strong but not too sweet, add in molasses and a little wood to the smells, and you get a fun take on the style. Little heavy, little thick, barley snarl on the back end is subdued from oat, so definitely no the traditional barleywine, but the beer still feels good overall with the barrel presence and oats.