Dark Matter - Caramel And Coffee
Barreled Souls Brewing Company

Pours extremely dark brown with a very dark tan head that hangs a bit before turning into a ring of fine bubbles with some trailers across the surface. Those bubbles elegantly coat the glass on the sip as does the liquid. There's no tints or hues when held to the light. Inky and oily, Gandalf paraphrased in a glass - light shall not pass.

The smell opens with pretty strong coffee. Pretty fresh considering the age (bottled in 2017). There's a brown sugar aroma that could be caramel. Roasted malts, some dark fruitiness. No sign of the 10% alcohol.

The taste inverts this a bit on terms of how the beer presents itself. It's malty and roasted - very stout-like right off the bat, then hints of this and that come to play. The coffee and caramel-like flavors kinda swap in and out. There's dark fruit - going to lean cherries and figs on that aspect. Just a hint of chocolate. These other flavors swirl around but there is no doubt about it - first and foremost this does drink stout. The coffee eventually carries over into the aftertaste, but there's like a chocolate covered cherry taste pretty clearly in the post-swallow as well. Slightly sweet.

The feel is more medium bodied than I thought it would be based on the visual. Smooth, luscious, not overly heavy. Moderate carbonation. Ever so slightly drying.

Very drinkable. Lots of flavor but not an over the top flavor bomb. It's almost playful as the taste morphs a bit with each sip and the contributing flavors dance on top of the base. Yeah - it's old but it has certainly aged gracefully. Not as decadent as some of the breweries offerings but accessible and interesting.