Bourbon Barrel Aged Stupid Sticky Fingers
Werk Force Brewing Co

It’s one of those beers where I knew it would be good and maybe great before I tried it. And it’s good but not quite great.
Huge notes of cola. It is sticky. My mind goes to BBQ ribs.

I think they could have done themselves a favor and cut back the alcohol content. But it’s good.

 

Pours a semi-turbid chestnut with a pinky of tan head. Average-ish head retention & less lacing

S: Some vanilla & marshmallow

T: Cocoa, vanilla, mocha flavors besides those previously listed upfront, a little hazelnut. Lactose, presses through as this beer warms up, cinnamon, vanilla & cocoa, this is a bloody S'mores, a little Bourbon nibbles at the edges to be sure, some woody hops as well. Finishes dry, oaky, with a little booze, vanilla & marshmallow, a hint of coconut & cocoa, Lactose shows as dryness & sweetness, works well!

MF: Medium body/chewy, low carbonation, faint hints of barrel warmth

Nice take on the style, the ABV asserts itself as this warms up

Thanks to FBarber for this one.
Beautiful black mahogany in hue, capped by a light khaki head that pushes an inch in height and then settles slowly to a ring. Scattered lacing.
Mose abounds with a smooth, lightly sweet, melange of toasty marshmallow, vanilla, and cocoa with a hint of boozy warmth.
Flavor goes a bit further. Overall, a warm wash of cocoa, vanilla, caramel, mild sweet char, and a slick, almost syrupy hint of bourbon.
Mouthfeel is chewy enough for my liking with a mild boozy warmth.

Pitch black, shiny, completely opaque, sticky. Thin, weak mocha colored head.

Aroma has notes of vanilla, vanilla creme, marshmallow, and bourbon. To a lesser extent there are notes of cocoa, graham cracker and oak.

Taste follows the nose with that vanilla and marshmallow dominating the beer up front. Light notes of cocoa, chocolate, graham cracker, and roasted malts. Rather sweet and a bit harsh/hot.

Feel is medium to full bodied. Light carbonation. Rather hot producing a palpable heat.

Overall its a solid BA stout. Definitely leaves me wanting more.

 

Wow, Werk Force has an amazing barrel program, stouts and sours. They have the medals to prove it. This beer is amazing, thick with great adjuncts. Great tasting room as well. If your ever in Plainfield, IL, this is the place to go.

 

 

 

2020 vintage, about two weeks post-release. Another strong offering from Werk Force as their BA program has put out some bangers this year.

Pours jet black with minimal foaming, no lacing. Medium to heavy thickness mouthfeel. Flavor is a strong balanced mix of pillowy roasty marshmallows and vanilla combined with chocolate milk with a couple fingers of bourbon. Smell is all marshmallow chocolate milk with hints of charred wood. Not really picking up the graham in this, but that is a small quibble with the top tier pastry and barrel flavor.

Very enjoyable and I’ll be seeking out Werk Force in 2021!

16 ounce can into a snifter. Late 2019 release, had 1/25/20.

Pours near black and opaque, thick looking, with no head and a little foamy lacing. Aromas of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, marshmallow, malt, light graham, char, some bourbon as it warms. The barrels come to the front in the flavor- bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, malt, some cocoa, light marshmallow, a little bitterness. Smooth, a little creamy, a good full body, well carbonated.

Great aroma, the add- ins all show well. This is good, but something just doesn’t work all that well for me. Still, it’s enjoyable. I’ll let the other can age a little, see what happens.

16oz can. Dark brown/near black bosy with a thin brown head. Sweet aroma of chocolate, marshmallow, oaky bourbon, and vanilla. Sweet, rich, and boozy with notes of chocolate, graham cracker, roasted marshmallow, vanilla, bourbon, oak, and roasted barley - the bourbon helps to cut the sweetness, really great flavors going on here. Very full and creamy body, soft carbonation, finishes sweet with a warming from the alcohol. This was really solid - has that wow factor I did not expect.

I think this one is better than the ratings. More of a very dark brown than black color, healthy lasting lacing. Smell is mostly vanilla marshmallow, slight graham, and a chocolate undercurrent. Barrel presence is minimal on the smell. Flavor is the big thing for it: It’s sweet with all the flavor of a good s’mores beer. There’s a pleasant blend of chocolate, marshmallow, graham, and vanilla. But the nice thing about it is the flavors aren’t too much. There’s barrel presence, not a lot of presence, as it’s not super boozy, but it seems to be enough to cut down some of that sweetness and give it a bit of a burn and buzz. The feel on it is also excellent. It’s a big boy of a beer, and it has just enough thickness and slight oiliness, but again, like the flavor, it’s not too much of anything. Just like the 2019 Barrel Aged Sleepy Bear, this is an excellent barrel aged beer from Werk Force. They’re a great neighbor to live near.

 

So this was an improvement on the non-ba version, but still needs some refinement. The marshmallow is pretty strong on the aroma with bourbon, roasted malt, and wood, with some slight fudge, smoke, and maybe graham cracker, but together seems to fight for attention. Taste is similar, not bad, but just not what you hoped it would be, strong marshmallow giving way to smoke fudge, charred wood and roasted malt. Hint of some astringency in the back on some sips, but more in taste than feel. Otherwise feel was creamy and thickly smooth. With the barrel used and the stout flavors involved I really wanted this to be more than it is

Not as rich and full bodied flavor as I would like but it’s...nice?