FSBC10
Fair State Brewing Cooperative

7.5 ounce can, don't see this serving size very often. No dating that I could find on the can or label. Big thanks to Brutaltruth for this can! Served in a BeerAdvocate chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half tan head that stuck around for a while. There's also a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like maple, vanilla, roasted malt, coffee and some dark chocolate. I think the taste is pretty much like the aroma, but there's also some dark bread, burnt/charred malt and caramel flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and a bit rich with a good amount of soft carbonation. Thought this was pretty good, it's a tasty overall imperial stout that I'd like to try again at some point, but pretty sure this was just a one off brew. Definitely worth trying if you come across some!

Apparently I purchased a one year old beer thinking it was new. That’s what I get for not looking it up.
The pour is stout black with a reasonable brown head that leaves decent lacing, pretty good for the ABV.
The taste starts out excellent with coffee and cacao, almost a bitter edge. But the maple syrup and vanilla overwhelm the balance and tip it fully into the pastry territory. Quite sweet by the end.
The feel is very good, medium viscosity provides a mouthfeel that fits the flavor and encourages a slow sipping experience.
OA, glad to have tried it, and they nailed the additives, but it is a little too sweet for me.

 

 

4-pack from Jungle Jim's

 

As advertised. Maple and vanilla, faint licorice and cooked wheat.

Superb. Evidence in the flavor and feel of a rarely seen extremely deep malt extraction, not sure how long they boiled this but they were extremely careful and technical. They paired this feat with tons of maple syrup and vanilla. Bourbon’s very backseat. Overall.. YUM!

Pours an effervescent chestnut/mahogany with a thumb of mocha colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, a little smokiness, a little iron. Brandy notes figs & prunes once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, dark cherry & dark chocolate & smokey notes up front. Subtle maple notes comes out once warmed up a bit, more dark cherry, leafy hops, molasses, chocolate prunes & figs. Finishes with molasses, a little chocolate, leafy hops & dark cherry some smokey & leather notes

MF: Fairly chewy, low carbonation. Carbonation picked up a little as this warmed up, doesn't really push the flavor along

Fantastic drinkability for the style & the heft in the perfect size format. Solid offering, better carbonation would've helped

10 from Fair State Co-op. Received from @bbtkd 27/03/25 in a LIF associated with BS BIF #2. 7.5 fl oz can. Reviewed 07/04/25 (Review 3496). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can, other than “10 years of beer!” Stored in at 39 degrees F at home: served at 59.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 62.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), nearly opaque.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, ruby at the edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.2 cm, aggressive center pour), biscuit, high density, short retention. Drops to a 0.25 cm crown and a complete cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Roasted malt. No yeast, no hops, no alcohol, no vanilla.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins surprisingly sweet and a bit maplely. No yeast, no hops, no vanilla. No alcohol (12.5 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. A short-lived flare of gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 4 – Medium: creamy: soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated can) Easy drinking maple flavored “sweet” stout, sans the toxic levels of lactose usually used to sweeten. Alcohol is well-hidden among the maple, as is the initial burst of roasted malt. VERY drinkable.

Poured from a 7.5 can...dark brown/black with minimal head..

Lowly carbonated...syrupy texture at first blush but drinks remarkably clean for such a big sweet stout....

Sweetish for an imperial stout and borders on pastry stout territory...definitely some notes that lean that way with the maple, and tootsie roll like chocolate impression...

Nice subtle yet real (rather than artificial) vanilla characteristics blend into this flavor profile...

It's a big beer and has a bit of booziness to it which adds to the delight in my opinion.

A very well made 10th anniversary stout that to me includes a bit too much of the pastry stout notes..

In general, I was surprised at the cumulative Beer Advocate rating of 86. I respect the reviewers very much and was almost scared off in trying this beer due to the low rating, but am glad I tried it anyhow! If you like "pastry-like" stouts, without the killer sweetness that overcomes so many other good imperial stouts, this is your libation!

Look - pitch black, but with a consistency that is less thick than the standard motor oil analogy.
Smell - you can smell the alcohol, but it is balanced by the maple syrup. The smell provides a nice glimpse of what is to come when you actually taste this beer.
Taste - I get maple syrup, chocolate, whiskey and then vanilla, in that order. They all blend quite well, and none of these flavors are overpowering or cloying at all. Really well done.
Feel - this is just a touch thinner than I'd expect from a stout with 12.5% ABV, but it is still quite chewy.
Overall - fantastic! Another reviewer commented on the can being 7.5 oz as being just enough for one person and I completely agree. The 7.5 oz pour leaves you wanting for more because this stuff is terrific, but not having more means after you finish this beer, you don't have a nasty hangover the next da from the sweet maple syrup, and you know you enjoyed a really well made beer. Cheers to FSBC on 10 years - great work on this one!

 

 

From a 7.5oz can. I can not see a date on the can.

I will start by saying I am a huge fan of the size of this beer. It is perfect for one person to drink and enjoy it.

This beer is pitch black looking when poured from the can. There's a huge 3 finger brown head that is soft and creamy looking. The head retention is amazing, and there's some super sticky lacing on the glass.
The aroma has a good hit of roasted chocolate. I am also getting some sweet maple notes as well. I am also getting some vanilla in the aroma.
The taste starts out with roasted dark chocolate notes and hints of vanilla. This does fade a bit when the maple sweetness comes into play. There's some decent bitterness on the way back that cuts the sweetness of the maple.
The body is full feeling and very smooth feeling. Thick.
This is a well made beer and I'm glad I bought it.

Appearance: Pours a completely dark black color with a strong, dark tan head. SRM of 24. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of rich chocolate, fudge, smooth vanilla, maple, hints of bourbon and booze. Rich and sweet aromas.

Flavor: Strong flavors of rich chocolate, fudge, maple syrup, vanilla. The flavors meld together in the middle before a boozy, sweet finish.

Feel: Heavier-body, appropriate carbonation. Smooth, rich finish. Sweet.

Overall: 10 year anniversary stout from Fair State. I'll keep buying pretty much everything from Fair State. This is lots of rich chocolate and brewed with Wisconsin maple syrup and vanilla beans. The flavors are rich fudge, maple syrup, and vanilla to support. Sweetness balance the hints of bourbon/booze.
Congrats to Fair State for 10 years in the business!
Rather than spending $10+ for a pint of a beer that takes days, to finish Fair State may be onto something a trend that I like with these 7.5 oz cans for imperials that allows you to purchase them in more moderation. I think these small 7.5 oz cans are plenty for a serving and perfect for purchasing singles. (4.15-)

Poured from a 7.5 oz can into a 10oz Blacklist Artisan Ales tulip/chalice (good evening, Duluth, MN).

Pours inky black and viscous, but not a "glug, glug, glug" syrupy mess. Head is limited. Retention is modest. Lacing is pretty limited in duration. Bubbles keep rising and popping on an otherwise still surface for quite awhile, which is kind of neat. Great legs.

Aromas of maple, vanilla, leather, tobacco, char, and a hint of dark fruit.

Pretty sweet on the tip of the tongue as there is quite a bit of residual starch lurking in this one. However, the mid-palate is blessed with so many things--a touch of dark chocolate that is quickly awash with vanilla, maple, and dark fruit. The finish is smooth and a touch smoky.

The brew is medium-full to full. Smooth, slick, and nearly (but not quite) sticky. This one gets dangerously close to cloying but avoids tipping over.

Kudos to another brewer for delivering a high-point stout in a smaller package (7.5 oz). It makes for a more enjoyable drinking experience when the ABV and sweetness are both maxed. Kudos too for resisting the urge to make this another BA brew, which would have probably been a mess. Congrats to Fair State on ten years of good beers--I've enjoyed several, including my favorite stateside Czech Dark Lager (Tmave Pivo). This AIS is excellent, but not quite transcendent. Great flavors and aromas, but just a bit too sweet. The residual starches are so present that the specific flavor notes FS was going for here get muddled just a bit. If it had a bit more char or astringency (like another outstanding FS brew--Lobster Stuffed with Tacos) to balance out the sweetness, we'd be in heaven. Still--I'd recommend this one to anyone because it hides its ABV exceptionally well, and because it isn't barrel aged.

Aroma is dark malts, vanilla/hint of marshmallows and dark fruit/vinous. The flavor is fruit, vanilla/chocolate, dark malts and a slightly sweet maple syrup/acidic/vinous alcohol finish.

Appearance: Black, pretty big head with good staying power.

Smell: Roasted malts, a bit of dark fruits, pretty light.

Taste: Starts pretty sweet, chocolate and maple, with the maple getting stronger through mid-drink. Kind of a fruity note in the finish. Lasting sweetness.

Overall: Congrats to Fair State on 10 years, one of my favorite breweries. This is a quite sweet imperial stout that is almost overwhelmed by the maple. Stops just before the line of being too sweet. Bonus points for the awesome little 7.5oz can that was $3.50 for a can. I'd rather do that than spend $30 on a 4 pack of 16oz cans for my impy stout needs.