Friday (2022)
Cycle Brewing

 

poured from a 22oz bomber into a TG DBA tumbler. pours thick and shiny black with a finger of dark brown foam that quickly fades into a thin collar around the rim of the glass. aromas of oak and chocolate backed by rye and coconut. really inviting and rich nose. taste mostly follows. it’s probably the most woody cycle stout i’ve had in recent memory. the almonds, of which i get hardly any in the smell, play well against the coconut and chocolate flavors. rye spice on the finish with even more earthy tobacco and wood. thick, full mouthfeel with a smooth finish even with the rye whiskey bite it has to it. this is really good. the coconut, i imagine, has faded as compared to fresh but it’s still there and compliments the almonds, the chocolate-forward baer stout and the chocolate rye barrels really well. cycle nailed this one.

 

 

 

Jet black body; opaque; light spritzes of carbonation bubble up the top of the inky depths; no head. Excellent dark roasted and charred grains; woody and nutty; a bit of raw oak; very faint note of whiskey. Amplified smell sensations explode with the taste; sweet chocolate and cocoa; vanilla; a bold bourbon presence. Thick, chewy body; dense residual sugars; heavy sweet mouthfeel; a mild to moderate boozy heat.

The beer exudes rich and thick imperial stout goodness. There is no ABV listed on the bottle, and per a recent email exchange with Cycle Brewing, it's because they don't know what the ABV is due to the base beer, the barrel aging, and other factors. Supposedly, the equipment needed to truly test this is prohibitively expensive. Me, I'd say the 12% ABV listed is in the ball park -- probably higher. Regardless, this is another well-produced, intensive stout from Florida.

Pouring temperature: 51 °F; bottling data: 2022 Edition

Pitch black body with a tan foamy ring. Big rye bourbon barrel with the two adjunct nuts leading, vanilla and dark chocolate support in the nose. Taste is even more adjunct forward, giving off combined flavors of nougat, caramel, and a kiss of anise. Chocolate is fudgy and barrel has significant earthiness and molasses lingering. Feel is smooth, warm, viscous, and sticky. A wonderful dessert that hits hard

 

 

Pours dark with a minimal head with an oil slick like top and some floaties. Strong scents of rye barrel and chocolate. Coconut and almond slink around in the background. Taste, however, is where all the kids play well together. Chocolate pushes forward, but there’s a strong nuttiness that asserts itself, and the sweet coconut makes its presence known as well. If anything, the barrel somehow is weaker than anything else in terms of taste. Mildly oily and thick feel, medium bodied, mouth watering finish, boozy. Seems to be a very Nutella like beer, but I enjoyed it a lot more than other beers that struck me the same.