F - - - The Mother of All Stouts (Walnut, Cinnamon & Vanilla
Transient Artisan Ales

 

On tap this was one of the best beers I’ve had in a while. Well crafted in an excellent maple bourbon barrel. The cinnamon and vanilla pairs well, and the black walnut adds an interesting depth of flavor that compliments the other flavors.

 

Bottle received in bif17 from @Ovaltine

Notes: Imperial Cream Stout aged in bourbon maple syrup barrels with cinnamon, black walnut, and vanilla.


Chilled bottle poured into a snifter, black syrup produces a thin brown ring that quickly evaporates

Aroma is bourbon, cinnamon, maple

Taste is cinnamon, walnuts, bourbon

Good beer Mike!

16.9oz bottle. 2021 dated vintage.
Black colored body, with a very thin dark mahogany back lit edge. Fizzy brown head immediately dissipates. Somewhat busy surface storm. No lacing, but there is a thin oily sheen left behind.
Aroma has the cinnamon, vanilla, and maple sitting on top of the roasted and bourbon soaked malts.
Taste is sweet maple chocolate, with the cinnamon as a spice. Vanilla adds texture and sweetness, and the faint black walnuts add some depth and woodiness. As the flavors fade the chocolate comes out as black walnut fudge.
Thicker than medium mouth feel, with some syrup and stickiness. Slight tongue burn, but the higher ABV% is generally hidden. Good carbonation.
Sweet but not too much so. Excellent food pairing with spiced nuts and habanero spiked cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours pitch black, completely opaque, and viscous. Pillowy 2 to 3 finger mocha colored head forms on the beer. Head dissipates leaving a thin layer of velvety foam on top of the beer.

The aroma on this is dominated by the cinnamon. Underlying that are notes of warm spiced cake, chocolate, maple syrup, bourbon, roasted malts, chocolate and vanilla. The resulting aroma is reminiscent of a fresh baked, iced spice cake. I personally would have preferred a bit more balance with the cinnamon on the nose, but I will admit that while the cinnamon is dominant, it does still work and provides a lovely aroma.

Taste follows the nose with the cinnamon taking a dominate role in the flavor profile. However, its a bit less dominant in the flavor profile as the other notes are allowed to come through with a bit more pronouncement. There you get notes of roasted malts, caramel chocolate, vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, walnuts, and oak. The walnuts kind of surprised me - you really can taste them in this and that contributes to the overall impression of spiced cake that I described on the nose. The barrel presence in this one does somewhat suffer due to the dominance of the cinnamon. Its there, but subtly so.

Feel is medium to full bodied. Not thick, but not thin either - somewhere nicely in the middle. Smooth and creamy with gentle carbonation.

Overall this one does not quite reach the heights attained by its cousin the F--- maple syrup/vanilla variant, but its a very nice beer on its own. Definitely worth drinking if you ever get the chance.

 

A perfectly black body on an aggressive pour props up a dark tan head that sizzles a bit and dissipates pretty quickly. The cinnamon and Blis maple barrel aromas literally leap from the bottle (and glass after the pour), and there’s also a nice vanilla note and a nutty aroma as well. Wow, does this smell fantastic.

The Blis maple barrel is really forward, but the cinnamon provides a really nice balance, and the vanilla especially smooths out the finish, with a subtle nutty flavor at the very back of the palate. This beer has a LOT going on.

The mouthfeel is creamy and full, as expected in an imperial cream stout. What a magnificent flavor ride this beer is.

 

This is very good. Chris knows what he is doing with these big stouts and has been on fire recently. The walnuts make a great addition to the cinnamon and allow it to feel more robust than normal.

Just try it. It's one of the best beers I've had to date. Literally blows away 90% of the beer out there generally speaking. Tastes- amazing, Smells-amazing, Looks-amazing, Feel-smooth/full body, Overall it's one of the best beers I've had!

The 2021 version is insane!!

Name a better beer? KBBS, nope. Had them both... F--- Walnut/Cinnamon/Vanilla is literally one of the best. (MUST HAVE FRESH)

One of the best beers i've had!

A - Pours pitch black with a one finger tan head. Nice bit of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is heavy cinnamon, dark chocolate and bourbon.

T - The taste is cinnamon, dark chocolate, vanilla, walnut and bourbon.

M - Full body with medium carbonation. Syrupy mouthfeel with a sticky dry finish.

O - This is an awesome variant. Huge cinnamon on the nose and flavor. Super rich and tasty.

Draft sample at The Extreme Beer Fest Boston February first twenty twenty.