Sticky Fingers (2020)
Barreled Souls Brewing Company

 

Sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into my snifter. Picked up at the brewery at October 2021 and the beer was bottled on 11/2020.
The beer pours a rich dark chocolate color with a dense and slightly fizzy tan head of 1.5 cm. this foam fades to a sturdy edge layer that remains throughout the sampling.
the aroma is rich with the nutty notes of pecans and rich sweet maple syrup. There is a background of roasted malts and some dark chocolate too. Not really any sweeter caramel, toffee or brown sugar notes.
Also no hop character nor any hints of the ABV , which at 14% is substantial.
First sip reveals a medium body with medium and soft carbonation. the texture is a little sticky on my lips and beer drinks like a sipper due to this stickyness and bigger body.
Flavor is sweet, definitely a little cloying or candy esqe note, this has got some sugar notes.
I get a little dark chocolate and some mild roast up front, but this quickly rolls to bourbon, brown sugar, maple syrup and sweetness......Did I mention this beer is sweet?!??
I do get some nutty pecan notes on the finish and this flavor lingers more than the sweet bourbon and maple notes.
I dont get any hops and no warming booze or black pepper bite. Bourbon sweetness tells me booze is involved, but not a warm sipper here.
This is a very tasty beer, but I honestly wish I was splitting with someone, as I think the sweetness might get to me. I have a pretty high sweet beer tolerance, but this is pushing it. Nothing bad about the beer, just a lot of sweet forward character. Glad to have scored this one in my haul!

Pours an effervescent ebony with a pinky of mocha colored head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: Tons of dark fruit, leather & oakyness, maple notes once warmer

T: Lucious maple sweetness/dryness, a little Bourbon barrel, leafy hops up front. Maple candy & dryness, plus sweet hints of Bourbon, plus a little leafy & woody hops . Finishes dry with Maple sweetness, Bourbon notes & a little dark cherry & fig

MF: Fairly thick, near still carbonation, very warming. Carbonation picks up once warm

Well done BA Maple Imp Stout, the ABV is very well hid

 

 

500ml bottle (#1449/1800) poured into a Teku at 45°F.

Pours a fairly thin-looking tawny rusty coal brown, sitting black in the glass, but with a bit of a brown cast to it. A thin, loose, caramel-brown head forms and immediately reduces, leaving a thin collar behind with some slow bubbles feeding it.

Nose: A really nice roasty stout base presents dark chocolate, English toffee, burned caramel, and flambe. The pecan note is prominent, lending a sweet, nutty, praline note, drizzled with all natural dark maple syrup - not Aunt Jemima. The barrel is potent, with a blast of oaky vanillin, bourbon-soaked caramel, rum raisin, dried fig, butterscotch, and spirit as well, even introducing a bright, slightly fruity-acidic black currant pop. Everything shines in spades, but remains tasteful, nuanced, and decidedly not pastry.

Palate: Sticky Fingers greets the palate with toffee, caramel, cocoa powder, lots of maple syrup, and a big sweet candied pecan note. The maple and pecan actually shine above the roasty stout base. The nutty praline pecan and sweet maple syrup both increase their presence, with a seriously impressive bourbon barrel character emerging, along with that bright, fruity pop. Tons of oaky vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel. Some splintery toasted oak lends some tannic dryness, but that sweetness does persist a bit, eventually finishing with oaky vanillins, and an exhale of maple and pecan.

Mouthfeel/Body: At over 14% ABV, it's naturally a big, full- bodied beer. It's old-school big. Not fudgy, not syrupy, not chewy, but slick, heavy, sticky, and a bit creamy. Some really nice fine effervescence for such a big beer. ABV warmth shows, especially going down, and some dry oaky tannins tighten in the finish. Sticky on the lips.

Overall: This is a tough one. The flavours are natural and delightful, and their balance is nearly perfect. I can't imagine a better integration of maple and pecan, and it's so tasteful and nuanced. Unfortunately, the sweetness is very bold, and builds a little too much, despite the massive barrel character. It's delicious, and if you don't mind sweet, then there isn't a problem, but this could be an absolute rockstar if it was just dialed back about 15%, or if there was some darker roast. Extremely enjoyable, but this is one to split.