Brewery Royale
J. Wakefield Brewing

500ml bottle at share, courtesy of redbeard. Slick black pour, slight beige head, settles down to a ring around the glass. Aroma is full and a bit overwhelming at first, so much going on. Coconut, vanilla, chocolate with some cinnamon and bourbon adding to the Mounds bar vibe. Taste is all of that served up in a creamy, smooth elixir that leaves you wanting more. A good way to end the share.

Drank from a 500ml bottle purchased at Fort Point Market, Boston, MA
Served in a snifter

The bottle opened with no sound, so I anticipated the beer to be minimally carbonated at best. Viscous on the pour. Oily and completely pitch black in the glass with no head whatsoever. This definitely looked completely flat.

The aroma was subtle initially but really improved after a minute or two. Big bourbon notes. Boozy but not excessively so. Super malty and robust. Loads of brown sugar sweetness. Bit of raw cocoa too. As the beer sat, coconut came forth and really intensified later. Sweet vanilla and chocolate fudge notes were quite apparent as well. Marshmallow also seemed to be present, but I probably would not pick it out without prior knowledge.

The flavor was terrific though not quite as impressive as the nose. Again, bourbon barrel notes came through strong. Super malty and robust. A touch roasty. Brown sugar appeared in the center. Big dark chocolate and vanilla notes too. Perhaps some marshmallow. More bourbon on the back end and the finish. Some boozy warmth and sweetness lingered after the swallow. As the beer sat, the chocolate and the overall sweetness intensified.

The mouthfeel was rich, oily and dense but nearly still. A super fine and ultra subtle effervescence lent the beer just enough zip to give the liquid some liveliness on the palate.

With its near absence of carbonation and somewhat muted initial aroma, Brewery Royale started out fairly lackluster but improved dramatically as it warmed. Give this plenty of time to open up, and it basically turns into a liquified Mounds bar.

 

 

On tap at Other Half Rochester in Bloomfield, NY.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like spicy cinnamon, sweet vanilla, chocolate syrup, and coffee.

I unfortunately don't get a ton of coconut here, and there's definitely too much cinnamon - it's get a bit of spicy graininess that's not my favorite. The marshmallow and coffee does a bit to soften the cinnamon uppercut. It's at least not quite as sweet as most J. Wakefield stouts tend to be.

This is medium bodied, and creamy, with a lingering spicy bitterness on the finish.

This was decent enough, but disappointing. J. Wakefield seems to be massively overrated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very sweet on the nose, with lots of brown sugar and red grapes. On the palate, this is very smooth. It is quite reminiscent of cinnamon toast. I was unaware that cinnamon was added to this beer, but it's very clear on the palate - and quite tasty!