Night Falls - Knob Creek Barrel Aged
LTD Brewing Co.

 

A big thanks to Jeff for this one. 750ml waxed and capped bottle into a Surly teku. If you told me to guess, I'd be almost sure this was a Surly offering. Shared with schen9303.

Nice looking beer. Good head, pitch black and great lace. Nose is huge roast. Like a smoking barbecue. Maple, bacon, chocolate, smoke, roast and mint. A touch of tobacco and peat in the back. Solid but weird. Beer opens chocolate, mint, smoke and roasted malt. Really mapley and smokey. More smoke with a touch of peat and wet wood at the end and a ton of roast. Like the nose, a touch awkward but decent. Body is a bit thin with too much carbonation. Prickly on the tongue with a sticky, dry aftertaste.

There's things that work and don't work here. I'm not sure where the awkward mint comes and the body is too thin but the smoke, roast, maple and chocolate are a great combination. I'm excited to see what other imperial stouts these guys turn out and how they evolve over time.

Tasted side by side with the LTD Night Falls Smooth Ambler Barrel Aged version. This beer is opaque black in color. The head is tan in color, and recedes quickly as is standard for a barrel aged beer. The aroma is bold. There is a strong bourbon presence throughout, oak, bourbon caramel, graham cracker, roasted malt, and faint milk chocolate. This version is much more complex, and lively than the Smooth Ambler version. The taste is bourbon forward, but not so much as the aroma. The base beer comes through more than it does in the aroma. There are some nice, balancing malts (both roasted and burnt) that cut through some of the bourbon. In the finish, however, the bourbon is back in full force. This version is definitely more in your face than the Smooth Ambler version, but they both have nice complexities in their own rights. The mouthfeel is big, viscousy and cheewy...all the things you want in a big imperial stout. Overall, this is a fine barrel aged imperial stout. I've been drinking and reviewing craft beer for over eleven years now, and this is the first time I've had the oppertunity to taste the exact same beer (as in from the same batch of beer), aged in different barrel. Kudos to LTD for making that happen. From the beet knowledge I've gained throughout the years I know that doind so was exponentially more work for you than blending a bunch of barrel. Thanks.

On tap at 2nd anniversary party.

Tan head. Black color.

Nice bourbon presence. A little heat. Decent amount of oak with a little peat. Chocolate and roasted malts. This one has more oak and vanilla than the eagle rare version. More barrel flavors in general.

Smooth and warming.

Another nice offering, but I like the eagle rare just a tad better.