Barrel Aged S'Morty
Listermann Brewing Company

Bourbon barrel aged imperial pastry stout with vanilla, chocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers, and nutmeg. Poured from a bottle into a Bruery tulip. The pour is very, very dark mahogany (nearly black) and slightly viscous with 2 fingers of rocky brown head. Average retention. On the nose I get lots of graham cracker and cocoa as well as some vanilla, toasted oak, and toffee. It is one of the richest, well-done, dessert-like noses I have ever gotten from a beer. The best nose since Bourbon County Coffee Stout.

Full body with a creamy feel and an extremely rich flavor. Yes, it's a pastry stout, but somehow this one doesn't seem to be so sweet that it borders on cloying. The flavor is very complex. At various times I get toffee, sweet malt, chocolate, graham, vanilla, bourbon, cola, and sarsaparilla. Every sip seems to differ from the previous one. One time the chocolate stands out, then the next time it's graham, then it's cola. As it warms, the sweetness becomes more prominent (making the beer slightly less drinkable in my opinion). It's at its best when the roastiness is strong enough to stand up to all the sweet added flavors.

This beer was hard to get! I only managed to get one bottle becuase it sold out so quickly and I can see why. Listermann - please please PLEASE make this again so I can (maybe) get more and so I can (maybe) share it with some friends outside of the Queen City.