Barrel Aged Cuppa - Neat R.V.W.
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery

At the source on draft.

Used motor oil black with a fairly fizzy but level and well-retaining dark tan head.

While cut by some dark chocolate and exhaling a fair level of heat, this is overall very oaky and woody of an almost a damp wood as though full of splinters.

It reminds me of Assassin but a fair bit woodier and a step or two down in viscosity.

 

Canned on 12/15/2021; consumed on 7/27/2022

Pours a velvety, motor-oil black body topped with just shy of a finger of fluffy, pale mocha foam; solid head retention leaves a sparse dotting of paper-thin cap, a large, creamy collar encompassing the surface, and no lacing holding with any longevity to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of rich dark and milk chocolate abound upfront as dark fruit esters underscore the building barrel char soon settling to vanilla and a roasty caramel lingering.

Taste brings dark cocoa into deft oak carrying sweet bourbon compressed in a subdued heat upfront, leaving toasted caramel and rich vanilla intertwined with a roasty malt base over the mid-palate while melted caramel, a tinge of plum, and bakers chocolate fuse for a toasty nougat, mousse-laden finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium body with fluffy, moderate-high carbonation levying a silky, creamy dispersion through the mid-palate; an undercurrent of warmth delivers weight to an otherwise effortlessly sinewy texture, threading syrupy overtones across a dry underbelly lingering throughout.

A direct and sweet expression of malt elevated by a pronounced barrel richness; the balancing oak grazes a poignant simplicity, leaving the stout's most prominent tones undeniable.

Look- silky jet black with legs like a dram of whiskey
Smell- booze, chocolate, oak and faint vanilla
Taste- sharp booze bite that softens into chocolate
Feel- slick and silky with a light carbonation. Perfect for a ba stout.
Overall- A killer non adjunct stout. I would put this up against BBT any day.