Cuvee De Sleepy Bear (2025)
Werk Force Brewing Co

Pitch black body, brown cap. Getting plum, honey, semi sweet chocolate, bourbon with a big amount of rustic oak, fig, rye and vanillins. Tastes so much sweeter with the honey and vanillins backed by lactose, big fig, semi-sweet chocolate, and caramel leading, the barrels and rye try to counter but they are forced to the background. Feel is warm and sweet with a heavy and sticky complexion, thins out a bit through the sip though.

1/25/26 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased at store temperature December 10, 2025 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge for $27.35 including tax. Refrigerated upon returning home before opening this morning. 12.7 oz., no bottle date but a release date of 11/26/25, no ABV on the bottle. 2025 Cuvee De Sleepy Bear 4, 3, 2, 1 Year. Bourbon and Rye Barrel Aged Sleepy Bear Imperial Stout brewed with pale, wheat, roasted barley, oats, rye, chocolate, honey and caramel malts, and milk sugar. Hopped with Magnum and Fuggle. Fermented with Chico Ale Yeast. Brewed and bottled by Werk Force Brewing Company, Plainfield, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about three fourths of the bottle into a 12 oz snifter, near black base and negligible bubbly dark tan head that leaves no trace but a thin bubbly ring around the rim and a few points above the base. 4.0

Aroma: Boozy bourbon, plum, bakers chocolate. Bourbon strengthens and dominates as this warms. Mild in strength and enjoyment. One note. 3.5

Taste: Somewhat harsh bourbon front and center, sweet milk chocolate lurking first sips. As this warms more flavors thankfully arrive, with a nice caramel, rich chocolate fudge, and honey follows, plus hot chocolate mix. Definitely worth the wait if you let this warm 20 minutes plus (I sadly spent the first five just trying to open the wax bottle). 4.50

Mouthfeel: Rich, creamy, decadent. Drinks pretty heavy, not sure what the ABV is to compare. Faint gentle carbonation, sweet overall, but the bourbon tries to keep things a bit balanced. Slightly chalky and dry. Not sure the bourbon dominates the aroma, but glad the various flavors emerge throughout. Caramel, fudge bourbon finish. 4.25

Overall: This is a solid beer, and one I'm glad I opened this morning. Let this warm to enjoy the bountiful flavors consistent with the listed ingredients with the exception of Rye, which has been AWOL for the three offerings poured this weekend. This has been a good weekend of three Sleepy Bear offerings. Prefer the smaller sized bottle today vs. the 16 oz cans, and would prefer smaller draft pours at the taproom in the future. 4.25