Moral Imperative
J. Wakefield Brewing

 

 

Poured from the 2021 release, 750 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Bottle opened with the slightest hiss. Pour yields a very thin mocha cap. The cap is quick to exit. Dark as can be. Cobalt black. With bit of coaxing a thin ring can be recreated. A syrupy signature takes its time to slide down the glass with each pull.
S - Fudge, coffee notes include blackberry, char, cigar wrap tobacco. The apple brandy barrel adds a fruity sugar to the nose. all this rides on a cloud of alcohol that is omnipresent.
T - Well, the dark fudgy cake is the boss here, chocolate, char, apple cordial, with a rise in temperature, a peppery thread emerges, there is an unabashed alcohol presense. Anise plays in the mix as the offering warms
M - Thick and syrupy, sweet start, sweet mid, sweet finish. The palate is blitzkrieged and made to surrender. Linger is for days, with each pull an alcohol evaporation, acts as a counterbalance to the sweet slick texture.
O - A bold offering that holds a steady course, not bashful with the boozy big palate. I really want to throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the glass! The offering is thick, heavy, sweet. I keep coming back the word saturation. Glad to have had the opportunity to try this

 

 

 

 

Tastes like:
1 12 oz BCBS + 1/2 cup sugar

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery. Black body. Smells of bourbon, deep rich coffee, lots of sugar. Tastes of bourbon up front. The coffee is very rich and earthy. Molasses and brown sugar behind it. Bourbon kick in the back end. Heavy and sweet. Sipper, but tasty.

 

 

 

Poured from a 750 into a J. Wakefield tulip glass. Pours black with a dark latte colored head. The smell is spot on for the style, with coffee as the predominant trait. The taste follows suit. I really enjoy coffee, so this beer was a big hit for me. It brings out the best qualities of coffee, including notes of chocolate, without any bitterness. The coffee amplifies the chocolate and malt within the stout. The flavor is balanced, without relying on sugar sweetness to mask the coffee. The mouth feel is the only spot where this beer fell just a little short in my mind (perhaps unavoidable since we opened this beer after Assassin). It is a bit thinner, but that does not detract from the beer's quality, and some may prefer the beer slightly lighter to something that feels thicker. Overall, a phenomenal BA coffee stout. I hope to have the chance to try more from JW. It is a phenomenal brewery run by nice and gracious folks!