FSB: 2017
Fair State Brewing Cooperative

 

 

 

 

 

Poured on tap at the taproom itself.

Look: Pours a dark dark brown, if not just black. The taproom is dark, so admittedly I'm struggling. A khaki head of an inch or so emerges up top. Carbonation bubbles stream up

Smell: I primarily get the bourbon characteristics on the nose, but they're somewhat feint. Vanilla, Barrel, and dark fruits emerge.

Taste: A nice melding of flavors come together on the beginning of the palate: roasty coffee, dark fruits/raisins, vanilla, bourbon. Near the middle of the palate, the some of that rye spice comes through, and finishes with whiskey.

Feel: Very mild burn, but a thinner mouthfeel than a stout should have. Medium to thin almost.

Overall: I wanted to like this more, but the beer brings a bunch of almosts. The aromas given from the beer are nice, but not especially aromatic, the body is too thin, and almost too carbonated.

 

 

i am really starting to regard these guys as one of the best in the area, and this is probably my favorite of their non sour stuff so far, its a huge imperial stout aged in semi local whiskey barrels (out of wisconsin i think), and its fantastic. a deep hershey syrup chocolate brown color, and not all that much less viscosity, this is a big one. through the inch of tan creamy head i can smell dark chocolate, sweet oaky whiskey, vanilla, raisin, toffee, and roasted barley. its complex for sure, but also very nicely integrated on the flavors, nice and informed blending at work here i suspect. notes of milk and bakers chocolate alike go beautifully with the whiskey, and there is certainly a sweeter grain center to this one that helps balance and extend the flavors. rich in feel with a lot of body and a fair bit of residual sugar too, but the booze seems nicely covered up, and the oak helps to mellow both aspects. dramatic and delicious, this is another gem from these guys. i hope to acquire a bottle or two for the cellar next time i am up there, this is unlike many of its peers, not overdone on the whiskey at all, and with enough flavor to not even really need the barrels. its a treat!

 

 

 

 

On tap at the Muddy Pig in St. Paul, served in a 12 ounce tulip glass.

It's thick and smokey and roasty and a marvelous first stout for one of Minnesota's newer breweries. Dark brown black, opaque with almost no head. Viscous and velvety, light carbonation, well hidden alcohol and a taste that leans slightly to the sweet side but with enough bitterness to keep it from being cloying. A definite winner.