Vlad the Second Order of the Dragon Bourbon Barrel RIS W/Maple and Coffee
Hailstorm Brewing Co.

 

 

Bottled 12/13/17, so I'm thinking I may have let this one sit too long. Getting a little sweet dark fruit undertones that make me wonder if it had some sort of infection or it was affected by age. Poured with almost no foam or lacing. Smell definitely has sweet maple notes, very little coffee presence. Taste has a lot of sweet maple There's maybe a little notes of roasty coffee, but not much. Maybe I'm mistaken and it's actually the maple, but there's an almost berry flavor that's prevailing through on the flavor. Getting very little in the way of any barrel flavors. It's a very mellow beer for something barrel aged with such a high ABV. I'll have to see if it changes as it warms and may change notes on the review if necessary. Like all the Vlads I've had, it's a very good beer in theory, but I'm not sure if there's something off with this bottle or I just let it sit too long. Rating is taking everything noted above into account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Bottled 12/13/17, had 12/16/17.

Pours a dark brown, opaque and oily looking, with a half inch quickly dissipating head and a little soapy lacing. Aromas of maple, coffee, malt, chocolate, light vanilla, a whiff of bourbon. The taste is maple, coffee, malt, vanilla, light bourbon, a kind of a mint flavor. It’s fairly sweet. Very smooth, a solid medium to full body, well carbonated.

A very good beer overall, the coffee and maple are great, prominent and play well together. I didn’t get much bourbon, certainly not as much as the typical Hailstorm BA. Have one more bottle, maybe that one has double bourbon...

Tons of sweet maple, balanced fruity earthy coffee, chocolate

Very well hidden alcohol. Sweet stout fans will love this as it is one of the most maple beers I've tried

Love & hugs to CRwalton, who send this & one of Vlad’s close relatives in a recent trade. 22 oz. white waxed bottle split – reluctantly – with my wife.

The wax is of the rubbery sort, but no blood was shed in removing it. The beer drips out black. The nose drips out…that’s not right. Deep malts mix in with a deeper sweetness that might be the maple, with a faint background of roast. Nice.

Vlad the Conquistador – Maple & Coffee isn’t quite orgasmic, but I’m close. Holy maple. This is what a maple beer should taste like; I imagine this isn’t far off from suckling from the teat of a maple tree tap. Maple for miles on the tongue. Once my eyeballs quit rolling back in my head, underneath the maple is soft roast, bourbon, vanilla, & the sighs of angels. Full. Delicious. I could drink this until I…what was the question?

Wow. I have no idea who or what Hailstorm is, but this Vlad line is bloody amazing. High falutin’ beer.

 

Another great entry into hailstorm's vald series. The coffee and maple off the nose is like a fine dessert, sweet, refined, and alluring. Jet black syrupy pour with no foam. Taste was a fall coffee drink, with sweet maple and dark chocolate supporting. The bourbon was harder to find here than usual, and the body felt a tad thinner as well. Therefore not as complex as some vlads, nor heavily hitting star flavors to the max like other vlads, just a very good stout that is a step below the greats.