Made In the Dark #3
Hammerton

my first from these guys, generous share by a homie who was just there, cool recipe, the third vintage of this, sounds like all are quite different and should definitely have their own listings. this one is blended with older stock and aged in speyside scotch barrels, and its unique on a number of levels, i love the alcohol being as low as it is in an imperial stout this flavorful, nice change of pace, and the barrel character is awesome. the pour is nice, dark but not quite black, deep red edges on a very dark brown body, airy tan head on it, good structure for its modest strength, lots of different malts in here, they define this as much as the barrels and the maturity do. aroma of good whiskey, sturdy oak, and unique grain, from roast and some smoke to raisin and fig fruitiness to espresso beans and burnt toast, some sweetness and some bitterness but its dry to me overall, with a unifying bready old world ale yeast element and a little bit of flattering oxidation, a touch leathery in a good earthy way, baked warmth, licorice, lots of layers. the flavor follows the aroma, some smoke to this but not peaty, the scotch is mild in that regard, but its influence is robust nevertheless, wood and whiskey both here, light vanilla but roasty and dry, ashy even, with notes of dark bread, bran, rum and raisin, dark rich soil, unlit cigarette, a doughy element too. uniquely it still drinks big, not sticky and thick, but sturdy and ample of an imperial stout, and i love the alcohol content being less, allows a pint can to be a reasonable dose. i dig the subtle ferment, the long aged maturity, the apparent quality of the whiskey, and the seemingly infinite grain complexity, cool grains in this for sure. very unique beer, very european to me, dig it!